Let’s cut to the chase: the new Bugatti Factor One, limited to just 250 examples worldwide, costs 25,799 euros. The ‘standard’ Factor One, claimed by its maker to be the world’s fastest road bike, is 15,499 euros. So if you take nothing else away from the revelation that Bugatti has lent its name to a humble (comparatively speaking) bicycle, know that the project has washed its face - and then some.
Of course, there is more to it than just white Bugatti script on a very fetching Bugatti blue background, though it is additionally worth considering that the range-topping Factor One absolutely looks the part. Responsibility for this naturally rests with the less well-known half of the partnership (to us, at any rate), Factor Bikes. Though any PHer with a passing fondness for cycling - or possessing exceptional powers of recall - might remember that this is the same manufacturer that produced the so-called One-77 bike in conjunction with Aston Martin back in 2012.
As you might expect from this track record, calling the British manufacturer high-end is like describing the iPhone as moderately popular. The fact that its origin story owes much to F1 (again, devotees might recall the mind-bendingly expensive Factor001 that signalled the firm's arrival) is another pleasing tie-in to the world of automotive. At any rate, the Bugatti Factor One’s claim to fame is another shift in the performance benchmark, albeit of the marginal sort.
See, while the two-a-penny Factor One is compliant with the UCI (cycling’s governing body) regulations for race bikes, the Bugatti version ‘eschews the rulebook, resulting in a frame with a wider fork stance and lower drag numbers’. In other words, the collaboration was all about finding the fastest possible configuration, no matter the cost or complexity - a sentiment that you could obviously apply to several of Bugatti’s record-setting road cars.
“The Bugatti Factor One is not simply a bicycle,” noted company founder, Rob Gitelis. “It is a statement. This project challenged us to rethink every assumption and push engineering boundaries in the same way Bugatti has done in the automotive world for over a century.” In other words, it is for customers who ‘demand the extraordinary, both from themselves and their equipment’.
And from their bank account, needless to say. Nevertheless, wonderful details abound (customised Continental tyres? Check. Black Inc Bugatti Hyper 62 Wheels that 1,298 grams a pair? Check. Exposed carbon finish that uses a unique 3K twill weave to mirror Bugatti’s composite? Check.) A full rundown of the Bugatti Factor One’s unique specification can be found here, where you can also declare your interest. Probably best to do that promptly, though; we’d imagine the huge asking price, as with any car that bears Bugatti's name, will prove no impediment to popularity whatsoever.
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