Factor launches two exclusive ONE inspired by SpongeBob and Patrick Star

Factor Bikes has decided to break away from the usual aesthetics of the professional peloton. The British brand has presented two exclusive versions of its aerodynamic bike, the Factor ONE, inspired by SpongeBob SquarePants and Patrick Star, which will debut this weekend at the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift 2026 alongside the teams Human Powered Health and Ma Petite Entreprise.

The initiative marks the brand's return to the forefront of professional competition after lacking a sponsored team in this year's men's Tour de France. Now, it will be the premier event of women's cycling that serves as a showcase for the bike that Factor considers the most advanced aerodynamic platform in the peloton.

Factor turns its fastest bike into a tribute to SpongeBob and Patrick for the Women's Tour de France

The new ONE XXRAY PLUS SpongeBob SquarePants Edition and ONE XXRAY PLUS Patrick Star Edition replace the usual decoration with two spectacular designs inspired by the Bikini Bottom universe.

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The bike of Human Powered Health will feature SpongeBob in his characteristic yellow and blue, while the Ma Petite Entreprise team will compete with a version dedicated to Patrick, characterized by a combination of purple, pink, and red tones.

Far from being just a simple vinyl wrap, the illustrations are part of the collaboration between Factor and Mighty Jaxx, a company specialized in collectible figures that works with official licenses from major international franchises. The design uses the XXRAY Plus visual language, developed by artist Jason Freeny, known for depicting popular characters showing an imaginary internal anatomy.

This concept of “seeing what lies beneath the surface” also aligns with Factor's engineering philosophy, which emphasizes that the performance of the ONE depends precisely on invisible elements such as the carbon structure, aerodynamic optimization, or the integrated development of the frame.

David Millar, brand director of Factor, explained that the goal was to demonstrate that a super bike does not have to be serious or monochromatic to be fast.

“Super bikes do not have to be monochromatic to be fast. This project aims to bring joy and personality to elite competition without compromising performance. These bikes are made to compete at the highest level; they simply do it with a smile,” stated Millar.

According to Factor itself, the collaboration also serves to celebrate the fifth edition of the modern Women's Tour de France. The intention is to leverage a groundbreaking design to attract the attention of a different audience and reinforce the image of an increasingly open, inclusive, and culturally connected women's cycling.

They will also be available to the public

The bikes used in the race will also be available on the market in a very limited edition. Buyers will be able to purchase both the frame and complete bikes with the usual configurations of the Factor ONE.

However, for the moment, only the SpongeBob version is available for purchase through the official Factor website, while the decoration of Patrick Star is reserved, at least for now, for the professional peloton.

The special edition comes with a price increase of a few hundred euros compared to the conventional range. The frame starts at a price of 8499€ , to which this increase for the exclusive finish is added.

With this proposal, Factor is likely signing one of the most original bikes that will be seen this season in the WorldTour and demonstrates that even a machine developed to compete at the highest level can become a design icon without sacrificing its performance.