The new ELARA combines the precision and handling of a road racing bike with clearance for tyres up to 57 mm, creating a new platform for fast, aggressive gravel racing.
Factor has introduced the ELARA, a new fast gravel racing bike engineered around a clear objective: deliver the handling and responsiveness of a road race bike without compromising the capability demanded by modern gravel racing.
At the heart of ELARA is a distinctly agile approach to handling. Rather than designing around the traditionally more relaxed characteristics of an endurance or adventure gravel bike, Factor developed ELARA to feel immediate, precise and composed at race speeds. Its geometry is intended to reward aggressive positioning and decisive inputs, giving riders the confidence to attack corners, accelerate out of turns and hold speed across rapidly changing terrain.
The geometry employs a longer reach, reduced trail and lower bottom bracket compared to its predecessor. This is key for the handling, especially with the larger tyres. It helps to manage the center of gravity and plants the rider better within the bike. The position feels familiar for a road racer while remaining composed over gravel.
Road racing soul. Gravel capability.
Gravel racing has evolved. Courses are faster, equipment choices are increasingly specialised, and the difference between road and off-road racing continues to narrow. ELARA responds to that evolution by bringing the priorities of a modern race bike focused on speed, precision and direct handling, to a platform designed for the unpredictable surfaces of international gravel events.
The frame geometry reflects that philosophy. ELARA is designed to place the rider in an efficient, performance-focused position while maintaining the stability required for loose surfaces and high-speed descending. The result is a bike intended to change direction with the immediacy expected from a road racer while remaining controlled when the surface deteriorates.
Since the ELARA geometry takes its cues from Factor’s road platforms, it succeeds in keeping the handling sharp and responsive even with the 57 mm tyre clearance. This wide tyre clearance is not to add adventure to the mix; it’s designed specifically so the rider can keep the speeds super-high even in the midst of the rockiest conditions.
Combining such wide tyre clearance with a race geometry as well as capacity for a 52-tooth front chainring in a 1x setup, while allowing for 2x drivetrains, introduces a variety of complications. Factor’s engineers resolved the issue by radically reshaping the chainstays and seat tube. To manage the space constraints caused by the need for wide tyre clearance that could still be paired both with 1x and 2x drivetrains, the ELARA needed to have a drivetrain side chainstay that was substantially thinner than usual.
Consequently, we’ve used a true monocoque one-piece frame construction that allowed our engineers to sculpt not only the chainstays, but every part of the frame precisely. The result is a frame with better alignment, less machining required, and lighter weight. By solving this manufacturing challenge were we able to construct the ELARA to have chainstays thin enough to clear a 57mm tyre carcass, a 52T 1x chainring as well 2x front derailleur requirements.
“Nobody’s managed to keep a proper short rear-centre on a 2x gravel bike with 57s. We just kept shaving it until it fit, 423 mm chainstays, and everything still clears. 2x was never negotiable; we didn’t want to force a drivetrain choice just to fit a tyre. That’s not how we work.” – Stuart Munro, Factor Design Engineer
High-Speed Gravel Race System
ELARA applies Factor’s performance-first approach to frame design and integration to the specific demands of contemporary gravel racing. Consequently, the frame’s aerodynamics draw from Factor’s ONE and OSTRO VAM programs with planar fork integration, a narrow hour-glass head-tube, and refined leading-edge transitions around the downtube and bottle zones. CFD validation confirms measurable drag reductions with 45–57 mm race tyres, delivering aero efficiency on par with modern road frames. The integrated down tube storage space formed with the light and exotic TexTreme fibre, enhances the ability to remain aero while carrying all essentials for training and race day.
Designed to complement the ELARA’s racing pedigree, the Black Inc Aero Gravel Bar AB07 one-piece cockpit offers a subtle flare, integrated computer mount, and internal hose routing.
To complete the high performance package, the Black Inc SIXTY FOUR Gravel wheelset offers an elite level of aerodynamic performance that combines with the ability to mount extra wide tyres to make these wheels the perfect choice for the most important gravel races on the calendar.
Developed with the input from Factor Racing athlete and 2025 men’s Gravel Earth Series overall champion, Magnus Bak Klaris, the SIXTY Four Gravel combine durability and aero-efficiency with a generous 30 mm inner rim. With the growing importance of aerodynamics in gravel racing, the Black Inc SIXTY FOUR Gravel wheels offer not only excellent aero performance, but also efficiency thanks to the ceramic bearings and instant freehub engagement. Count on elite-level aerodynamics, power transfer, and acceleration without compromising on durability.
Speed Over Everything
ELARA is built for a generation of gravel racing in which no single definition of a gravel bike, or gravel course, is sufficient.
From high-speed racing on compact dirt to events defined by broken surfaces, loose corners and technical sectors, ELARA gives racers a platform they can tune to the terrain without giving up the sharp handling that defines a true race bike.
Fast enough to think like a road bike. Capable enough to race far beyond the road.
ELARA. Road-race handling. 57 mm clearance. No compromise on speed. Never Status Quo.
Availability
Factor ELARA will be available in Virescent Blue and Matte Carbon in six sizes ranging from 49 to 61 cm. The ELARA can be ordered with a zero or 20 mm setback seatpost. The Black Inc Aero Gravel Bar AB07 Barstem comes in a wide range of sizes, from 36 mm bar width and 80 mm stem length to 40 mm wide bars and 140 mm long stem.
Pricing begins at $5,999 / €7,199 for a frame premium package and is now available through select Factor retailers and at factorbikes.com
I really appreciate that they engineered it to work with a 2x drivetrain.
Agreed Mark, I am so over 1x being jammed down our respective throats.