After just a few accidental-on-purpose leaks and sightings on the 2024 season opener on the Tour Down Below in Australia, the Issue OSTRO VAM launched quickly after in February. This was simply months after the model’s O2 VAM launched as a light-weight bike with aero touches.
I will be sincere and say the launch confused me. Simply months prior, the Issue O2 VAM had impressed me with its all-around efficiency and had seemingly bridged the hole between aero bikes and light-weight bikes. Very similar to Specialised’s Tarmac which killed off the Venge and Trek’s Madone which killed off the Emonda, I believed on the time that Issue’s O2 was going to straddle the 2 traces, and alongside its place in our information to the finest light-weight bikes, I would fortunately take into account it among the many finest highway bikes general.
However right here we’re. Issue adopted up its aero model of a light-weight bike with an all-new OSTRO VAM, which I can solely actually describe as a light-weight model of an aero bike.
*insert ‘Company would really like you to search out the distinction’ meme right here.
Are they not simply the identical factor? To chop an extended story brief, they’re very related, however crucially, I feel on this case there’s sufficient of a distinction that I am glad each bikes exist.
However is the brand new OSTRO VAM adequate to earn a spot on our information to the finest aero bikes, and maybe be part of its stablemate among the many finest general?
To search out out, I have been utilizing the OSTRO VAM since its launch for a variety of highway driving. I’ve raced it, I’ve completed massive endurance days on it, I’ve even commuted on it, and for anybody in search of a five-second evaluate: it has been nothing wanting distinctive.
As a buyer, you’ll be able to configure your personal, which means you get comparatively free rein on sure specs and paint schemes. Priced at $11,199 for this spec, nonetheless, or $5,499.00 for a frameset, it would not come low-cost.
That value additionally means it is bought some stiff competitors from the likes of the S-Works Tarmac SL8, the Trek Madone SLR, the Large Propel, the Cannondale SuperSix and extra. Fortunately, we have additionally examined all of these bikes. We even took all of them, and extra, to a wind tunnel for a superbike shootout, so we are able to confidently say how this bike compares to its friends each from our personal trip experiences and extra comparably, within the knowledge.
Design and specs
The OSTRO VAM body was designed, examined after which, most significantly, manufactured in-house by Issue.
Once I interviewed Issue’s founder and CEO, Rob Gitelis, again in Spring, he spoke at size about his life in Taiwan. He has lengthy owned a manufacturing facility there and has spent years constructing bikes for manufacturers he now calls rivals.
That manufacturing facility is now devoted completely to the manufacturing of Issue bikes, providing the model a possible edge within the velocity at which it could possibly prove new designs, and the management over how these designes are produced. The model retains its product vary comparatively small too, with only a dozen fashions spanning highway, gravel, XC MTB, and monitor, all of that are constituted of carbon fibre and specced on the premium finish of the market.
The OSTRO VAM is on the market in seven sizes: 45, 49, 52, 54, 56, 58 and 61cm.
The geometry leaves little doubt as to its intentions as a pure race bike. Our take a look at mannequin got here in a 56cm, and in a neat contact, the stack and attain particulars 565mm and 392mm respectively – are printed onto the seat tube.
these numbers alone, it is not essentially the most aggressive in its class – the Large Propel Superior SL, for instance, is 1mm longer and 3mm decrease – however general the OSTRO VAM is fast-handling and race-ready with out being uncomfortable or twitchy.
The lengthy, slender cockpit additional exemplifies that feeling on our take a look at bike. In the event you purchase through the Issue web site, you’ll be able to select from 28 completely different bar width / stem combos. This bike comes with 38cm x 130mm, however you’ll be able to go as slender as 36cm, or as broad as 42cm, with stems starting from 80mm to 140mm in size.
The cockpit is one in all my favorite issues about this bike. Along with the lengthy and slender place, it’s comfy in all hand positions and has a small backsweep from the centre outwards. It has a pleasant matte end that appears good and retains the sweaty handprints at bay, and has a very good drop depth and form for a safe however pure maintain when descending or sprinting.
The brake hoses thread contained in the cockpit and down in entrance of the steerer tube contained in the body. The aero-profiled spacers are splittable, which means you need not disconnect your brakes to regulate your place. You have to to do it for a headset service, however the usage of CeramicSpeed’s SLT (Stable Lubricant Know-how) headset implies that’ll be a really uncommon want.
The body follows the current pattern of getting deep tubes on the entrance of the bike with thinner tubes on the rear, aerodynamically optimising the bit that hits the clear air essentially the most whereas shaving weight the place airflow administration is much less efficient.
The down tube is chunky and the underside bracket junction is gigantic, however the head tube is extremely slender, with an hourglass form to it, as proven above. In the meantime, the seatstays are solely round a centimetre thick and the seat submit is not as deep as bikes just like the Canyon Aeroad or the Cervelo S5.
It seems quick standing nonetheless, a theme which is complemented by the black and holographic color scheme. I feel it seems wonderful, and the final consensus I’ve derived from shopping boards and chatting with pals is agreeable.
If the color is not your fashion, there are a handful of different preset themes, or you’ll be able to pay additional to completely customise it your self, selecting from over 60,000 color combos. The worth of this varies relying on the place you might be and the way you purchase it. It is $500 at Issue’s personal web site, for instance, however in the event you’re within the UK and purchase on the UK distributor Vires Velo, it may be as excessive as £1200.
The one visible criticism in regards to the bike I’ve seen pertains to the junction between the seat tube and the seatpost. The wedge that holds the seatpost in place is slotted inside behind the submit itself, with two small grub screws used to tighten the expander wedge accessed from behind. The place of this expander means there is a visible step backwards from the seatpost to the seat tube.
Sarcastically, the Pinarello Dogma F has this step too, way more pronounced the truth is, and I’ve seen no complaints about it, so maybe this tells us nothing other than that individuals are fickle.
Issue claims it managed to shave 70 grams of weight and save seven watts price of aero drag (albeit the velocity at which this was measured is unconfirmed) when in comparison with the prior iteration of the OSTRO.
The claimed body weight of 820 grams (a painted dimension 54cm) is not really all that aggressive. Specialised’s S-Works Tarmac SL8, for instance, boasts a weight of 685g for a dimension 56cm, however Issue weighs a painted body, which muddies the waters considerably. Regardless, given the depth of the pinnacle tube and the scale of the down tube, it is nonetheless an impressively low quantity.
The carbon fibre used on the down tube is so skinny which you could flex it along with your hand. You most likely should not, as a result of you’ll be able to injury the layers of fibres, nevertheless it exhibits how far the model has gone to minimise the burden.
As a full bike, the OSTRO is 7.23kg full with pedals, bottles and cages within the Dura-Ace spec (no energy meter). That is simply 50 grams greater than the S-Works Tarmac SL8, which weighs 7.18kg. We weren’t fairly evaluating apples to apples, because the Tarmac was fitted with new Purple AXS (which I perceive is barely lighter than Dura-Ace) and with an influence meter.
Maybe extra comparable is the Pinarello Dogma F, which weighs 7.20kg with Dura-Ace, no energy meter, and Princeton Carbonworks wheels.
So it is not the out-and-out lightest ‘aero all-rounder’ in the marketplace, nevertheless it’s one in all them. The Large Propel, for instance, suggestions the scales at 7.5kg. The Van Rysel RCR Professional is 7.54kg, and the Cannondale SuperSix Evo Hello Mod is 7.69kg. The all-out aero Cervelo S5 is 8.5kg, albeit with SRAM’s second-tier Drive groupset quite than Purple or Dura-Ace.
Importantly, a lot of the low weight of the OSTRO could be attributed to the brand new Black Inc wheels, which at 48mm deep (entrance) and 58mm deep (rear), weigh 1296g (examined) for a pair, with a Shimano freehub fitted, however with out tubeless valves. That is simply among the many lightest of its form in the marketplace, and it is 209g lower than a comparable Roval Rapide CLX II.
They’re available for purchase individually and retail for £2,960.00 / $2,899.00. They’re technically hooked, albeit with a mini-bead hook that is so ‘mini’ that it is nearly nonexistent. They’ve an inside rim width of 23mm, and spin on CeramicSpeed bearings.
My take a look at bike was outfitted with a Shimano Dura-Ace R9200 groupset, and very similar to the O2 VAM light-weight mannequin I reviewed final yr, it would not include an influence meter. Many individuals will discover it galling for a motorbike to price this a lot and never include an influence meter, however my argument earlier than – and it stands now – is that in the event you did not need one, you’d discover it much more irritating if Issue set the retail value at £500 increased and compelled you to have one.
Those that need one fitted from the off will be capable of spec one on the level of buy. This is not supplied on Issue’s web site, however go through your nation’s distributor – akin to Vires Velo within the UK – and the choice is offered. Alternatively, you should buy one individually at an analogous extra price. Our information to the finest energy meters has bought you lined in the event you’re in that boat.
The bike ships with Goodyear Eagle F1 SS tyres, with tubes, however I’ve tried the bike with a handful of various tyres to make sure my perceptions weren’t being skewed. Once more, shopping for by means of a supplier supplies the customisation to arrange with completely different tyres, with or with out tubes as most popular.
Efficiency
These perceptions I point out are nothing wanting extremely spectacular. The Issue OSTRO VAM is definitely among the many finest all-round race bikes on the planet, maybe even the outright finest.
Regardless of the evident aerodynamic intentions, Issue has completed a wonderful job of retaining the graceful trip high quality I seen on the O2 VAM, and I may trip comfortably for lengthy distances with out feeling just like the bike was jarring or stiff. It would not have that rigidity that you just would possibly come to count on from a typical aero body, and regardless of if driving uphill or down, it felt quick, reactive and purposeful.
These emotions have been then backed up when, in our wind tunnel take a look at, it was pitted towards a Look Blade 795 RS, Large Propel Superior SL 0, Trek Madone SLR 7 Gen 8, Van Rysel RCR Professional, Specialised S-Works Tarmac SL8, Pinarello Dogma F, Cannondale SuperSix Evo 4, Canyon Aeroad CFR, Cervélo S5 and a Scott Foil RC Professional, and it got here out as one of many quickest.
The precise result’s considerably nuanced, and you’ll learn it in full by heading over to our wind tunnel superbike take a look at write-up, however briefly, the OSTRO got here out very favourably towards a number of the finest bikes on the planet.
On high of all that, it’s constructed such that every pedal stroke feels direct and efficient. There is not any feeling of flex or energy loss that might undo its aero-meets-lightweight efficiency in a real-world state of affairs. Put merely, I am unable to consider a single factor I would change.
What’s extra, whereas I favored the best way the O2 VAM rode, I seen some construct high quality points that would not actually be acceptable for a paying buyer shelling out upwards of £10,000. I am instructed my take a look at mannequin for that bike was a pre-production pattern, however the problem stayed with me as a attainable cause to ignore Issue towards the extra established rivals.
Nevertheless, I am joyful to report that I’ve not had a single problem with the OSTRO VAM. Not a creak or squeak. It has carried out flawlessly over the previous six months, regardless of having been ridden and raced for round 1000km in all method of rain, shine and every thing in between.
Worth
The worth part is at all times the troublesome half when reviewing a motorbike that prices greater than a household automobile, however the value of the OSTRO VAM is strictly the place you’d count on when in comparison with its friends.
There is not any denying you will get many of the efficiency for considerably much less, however in the event you’re in search of the perfect bike then count on to pay in extra of £10,000 for an entire bike.
Evaluating simply the frameset for a second, at £5,449 ($5,499 / €5,799) full with cockpit, it will by no means land in our information to the finest price range highway bikes, however the Tarmac SL8 frameset – arguably its closest competitor – is about the identical. Effectively, it is really round 10% cheaper however with out a cockpit, so in actuality they are much of a muchness.
On this specific spec, the value is £11,450 / $11,199, and for that value you get a comparatively free rein on customisation.
In actual fact, Issue actually stands other than a few of its rivals by providing the flexibility to configure and customise your bike as a part of the acquisition, which means you’ll be able to spec the handlebar match, saddle setback and crank size, in addition to color and another specs. This protects you having to purchase it because it comes after which do what I wish to name the eBay shuffle: promoting in your unused components and shopping for replacements, undoubtedly growing the general price of your bike together with a load of undesirable trouble.
Although you aren’t getting an influence meter on this specific mannequin, when judging the bike’s efficiency and the worth of the general OSTRO VAM vary, given the efficiency on provide, in the event you’re searching for a motorbike at this pricepoint then the Issue OSTRO VAM must be excessive in your checklist.
Verdict
The Issue OSTRO VAM is, fairly merely, a wonderful race bike.
With aerodynamic properties that outperform devoted aero bikes, a weight that mixes it with the lightest aero all-rounders, and dealing with traits which might be direct and purposeful with out being twitchy or scary, it is some of the optimistic bike evaluations I am going to ever write.
I’ve not had a single problem with the bike in over six months of testing in all situations. Not a squeak or creak from the headset or backside bracket, no seatpost slips nor thru-axle problems.
And so typically a motorbike of this value is let down by a part that does not fairly match the invoice, akin to an inexpensive wheelset or a poorly specced handlebar, however that is not the case right here. Each part pulls its weight, from the superb cockpit and light-weight wheels from Black Inc to the CeramicSpeed bearings and Selle Italia carbon saddle. I’ve not even talked about the aero bottle cages which might be additionally out there – I did not get them for testing – however they really feel like a cherry on the highest of a Bake Off winner’s cake.
I’ve stated it already, however there’s fairly merely nothing I would change. Perhaps I would knock a zero off the value so I may afford to purchase one, however that is simply (very) wishful considering.
| Attributes | Notes | Ranking |
|---|---|---|
| Design and aesthetics | Unashamedly aero up entrance, light-weight on the rear. It seems quick and purposeful, with a paint job that appears nice. It may not be to the tastes of extra traditionalist followers, nevertheless it’s designed very nicely. | 10/10 |
| Construct | Good spec all spherical, with a cockpit and wheels which might be market main in their very own proper, CeramicSpeed bearings, in addition to premium tyres and saddle. | 10/10 |
| Efficiency | Robust efficiency in our wind tunnel take a look at towards its friends, a snug trip high quality, surefooted with direct and sharp dealing with | 10/10 |
| Weight | Not the out-right lightest in its class however for a deep-tubed aero bike it is spectacular and really aggressive | 9/10 |
| Worth | The lacking energy meter is the one draw back on this mannequin, however trying on the vary as a complete, it’s extremely aggressive and provides customized configuration saving cash and trouble | 9/10 |
| Total | Row 5 – Cell 1 | 96% |
