21 September 2026 · News · gravel
Three Factor gravel bikes, and who each one is for
Factor now makes three gravel bikes: the Elara, the Aluto and the Sarana. On a screen they look like the same bike in different paint. They are not, and the differences are the sort that decide whether you enjoy the ride.
For a few years the answer to "which Factor gravel bike?" was easy, because there was one. The Ostro Gravel raced on Saturday, took bags on Sunday, and did both well enough that nobody complained. That bike has now become three, so here’s what separates them.
Elara: the fast one
The Elara replaces the Ostro Gravel as Factor’s race bike, and it isn’t an update. It’s a new bike built around how gravel racing has changed, which is to say faster and more like road racing than anyone expected ten years ago.
The frame is under 1,100 g in a painted medium. The head angle is 71.5 degrees, chainstays are 420 to 425 mm depending on size, and it’s 5 to 8% slipperier through the air than the bike it replaces. It clears a 57 mm tyre front and rear, and has downtube storage, two bottle mounts and a top tube feed port. Electronic drivetrains only, 1x or 2x, SRAM, Shimano or Campagnolo.
Factor’s industrial designer, Mike McGinn, put it plainly: "We wanted the handling to feel fast again. A lot of gravel bikes have gone soft in pursuit of comfort."
Who it’s for: riders who race, or ride like they’re racing. Fast group rides, one-day events, and caring where you sit on the bike. It’s also what Factor’s racers will be on when the gravel Worlds comes to Australia in October.
Aluto: the all-rounder
The Aluto covers the most ground, and for most riders it’s the one that makes the most sense. Factor built it to be race-capable but built to go long, from a short course to a 300 km day.
Steep head tube, short chainstays, short wheelbase and a lowered bottom bracket, so it turns quickly and sits you in it rather than on it. The stack is slightly higher than the old Ostro Gravel, which keeps the position liveable over a long day. Downtube storage, bottle and bento mounts, a T47A bottom bracket, a UDH hanger, and a 27.2 mm round seatpost if you want a dropper.
One number worth knowing: it clears 47 mm at the rear and 52 mm at the front, built around a 45 mm tyre. That’s less than the Elara, which sounds backwards until you realise the Elara’s clearance is there so racers can run huge tyres on rough courses, while the Aluto’s shorter stays are there to make it handle.
Who it’s for: one bike, many jobs. If you want a Factor gravel bike and you’re not sure which, start here.
Sarana: the long-haul one
The Sarana is for ultra-distance, the events measured in days rather than hours, self-supported and usually uncomfortable by design.
It takes 57 mm tyres front and rear, has 425 mm chainstays and 65 mm of trail, and carries a large downtube storage compartment with a bag included. Factor did frame bags for it with Post Carry, it’s ready for a 30.9 mm dropper, and it will take a 30 mm travel suspension fork. That last detail tells you what this bike expects to be doing.
Who it’s for: bikepackers and ultra racers, and anyone whose rides are measured in sunrises.
How we’d pick between them
How long is your longest ride, honestly? Not your best day, your typical big one. Under five hours and racing, that’s the Elara. All day, all sorts, the Aluto. Multiple days with gear, the Sarana.
What tyre do you want to run? If 45 mm covers your riding, the Aluto is built around it. If you want more, the Elara and Sarana both take 57 mm.
Are you carrying anything? All three have storage and mounts, but only the Sarana is designed around a loaded bike.
The rest of it, 1x against 2x, hooked rims over hookless if you’re going remote, and bar width and flare, is in our guide to choosing a gravel bike and hasn’t changed. We ride 1x off-road and would still recommend it for most people.
What we have
All three are available through us, along with the Ostro Gravel while it lasts. The Elara comes in SRAM Force XPLR, SRAM Red XPLR and Campagnolo Super Record 13 builds, each with a power meter. Which build matters less than which frame.
If you’re weighing two of them against each other, talk to us before you commit. Tell us your longest ride, the tyre you want and whether anything is strapped to the bike, and the answer usually picks itself.
And if you want to see what these bikes were built for, the rainbow jersey is decided on gravel at Nannup on 10-11 October: Gravel Worlds comes to Australia.
