Road bike brand Factor has just entered the mountain bike market with the arrival of its premium cross-country focussed Factor Lando. Available as a hard-tail or full-suspension, the eagle-eyed fans might have already spotted the carbon-fibre 29ers in action at the 2022 Cape Epic XC stage race ridden by the Amani Racing Team. The question is, will they perform well enough to win a place on our best cross-country mountain bikes guide? 

Need to know: 

• Lando full-suspension and hardtail cross-country bike
• Claimed 2.1kg frame weight for Lando XC full-suspension bike
• Carbon frame
• DT Swiss suspension
• SRAM XX1 groupset 
• 29er wheels with boost space

As you’d expect from a bike brand whose focus is speed, the Factor Lando is designed for the rigours of modern cross-country racing, marathon events and ‘extended off-road adventures’. Both bikes roll with 29’ wheels, with 110mm of front travel on the hardtail option, and 100/120mm front plus 100/115mm rear on the full-suspension option. 

The full-suss also weighs in at an impressive 2.1kg claimed frameset weight, and is built up with premium SRAM groupset, Ceramicspeed bearings and DT Swiss suspension. Threaded bottom brackets, internal cable routing and Black Inc finishing kit and wheels complete the packages. 

Factor has MTB know-how

What would a bike brand like Factor that’s primarily known for creating fast aero bikes for triathlon, road racing and time trials know about creating mountain bikes, you’d be forgiven for asking. 

Well, before Factor created bikes under that name, it was an Original Design Manufacturer (ODM) who made bikes for other major off-road brands, so while this might be the first Factor mountain bike, it’s not the first mountain bike the company has produced. Carbon manufacturing techniques are also within its metier. 

And it seems that the increasing interest in mountain biking amongst road cyclists, with more and more of them coming to the off-road side of biking, is also a factor, according to a comment from Rob Gitelis, Founder and CEO of Factor. 

“We have increasingly seen our road bike customers explore new cycling disciplines, be it in gravel or mountain biking.” Gitelis says. “With this convergence taking place across our sport, we felt that this is the right moment for Factor to take the next logical step and expand into MTB. Lando is a manifestation of Factor’s engineering prowess in the form of a mountain bike; we can’t wait to finally see Factor bikes beyond the road, out on the single track.”

The Factor Lando XC full-suspension mountain bike

The Lando XC is the full-suspension offering, and is based around a carbon frame with single-pivot link-activated shock, weighing at a claimed 2.1kg (frame only). Kinematics are designed to balance comfort and traction for an active ride feel plus the pedal efficiency needed for cross-country racing. 

The vertical orientation of the shock is designed to concentrate forces in the bottom bracket area while a monobox chainstay connection offers torsional stiffness with reduced weight. Flexible seat stays, a design technique seen in other recent cross-country releases such as the Lapierre XR, provide four bar performance without the need for additional pivot points, again saving weight and increasing efficiency, according to Factor. 

Factor have used other techniques to reach the optimum blend of strength and stiffness for the lower weight possible for performance, including a one-piece molded carbon rocker and use of shared shock and lower swing arm pivot. 

Geometry-wise, the Factor Lando XC has a 67-degree head angle and a 75.5-degree seat angle. 

Factor Lando HT hardtail cross-country mountain bike

Like its full-squish sibling, the Landon HT (hardtail) is built around a carbon frame, and Factor have utilised its extensive knowledge in engineering comfort, performance, aerodynamics and compliance for its road and gravel bikes in this off-road machine.

Frame tube shapes shares similarities with the Factor Ostro VAM aero road bike, while dropped seat stays with a kinked design offer vertical compliance to aid comfort and traction. A wide, flat top tube is built to allow flex to accommodate huck-to-flat forces.  

The Landon HT also boasts a CeramicSpeed T47-88.5 bottom bracket, unusual on mountain bikes, and uses boost 1x spacing and tyre clearance of 2.4”. 

Black Inc provide the finishing kit

Black Inc is a sister brand to Factor, and as such has provided much of the finishing kit seen on the Lando XC and HT. This includes a one-piece 760mm barstem with 8mm backsweep, stem length of 60-90mm and an effective -10 degree stem angle. 

One the wheel side of things, the Black Inc TWENTY SEVEN wheels have a 27mm inner rim width and depth and weigh in at a reported 1459g per pair, with CeramicSpeed bearings, Sapim CX-Ray and CX-Sprint spokes and Ni-Cr axle. 

Black Inc also produces a fully rigid fork weighing in at a reported 720g, with a crown spacing of 50.5cm which can be fitted to the Landon XT and slackens the head tube angle. 

Factor Lando XC specifications and price

• Price from: $9,199/ €8,399 / £6,999
• 100/120mm front travel / 100-115mm rear travel
• DT Swiss FT232 One fork / DT Swiss R232 One shock
• 2.1kg frame, including shock weight & hardware
• Internal cable routing, 1x only, 2.4” tire clearance
• SRAM XX1 groupset with 32/34T chainring and 10/52 cassette
• CeramicSpeed headset and T47 bottom bracket
• Black Inc 27 Wheels
• Black Inc Barstem
• Black Inc 31.6mm Seatpost
• Tires: Goodyear Peak, 29×2.25
• Saddle: Selle Italia SLR Boost Superflow X-Cross TI 145mm 

Factor Lando HT specifications and price

• Price from: $7,099 / €6499 / £5399
• 110mm front travel
• DT Swiss FT232 One fork 
• 850g frame
• Internal cable routing, 1x only, 2.4” tire clearance
• SRAM XX1 groupset with 32/34T chainring and 10/52 cassette
• CeramicSpeed headset and T47 bottom bracket
• Black Inc 27 Wheels
• Black Inc Barstem
• Black Inc 31.6mm Seatpost
• Tires: Goodyear Peak, 29×2.25
• Saddle: Selle Italia SLR Boost Superflow X-Cross TI 145mm