We are big fans of the Kuota K-Factor. It looks amazing and the ride is inspiring. Born as a triathlon bike the folks at Kuota are now offering this frame as a road bike build. This is a great opportunity to get a road bike that can later be used for triathlon (the fastest growing cycling related sport). This is just the bike to get you going on the road and even into tri.

For starters, tri bikes have slightly steeper seat tubes to place the rider further over the cranks than a road bike. This allows the rider to use the larger quad muscles over the smaller calf muscles. Tri bikes also take advantage of aero-shaped tubing to slice through the air with less resistance. Now take those attributes and apply them to a road bike format. What you get is a comfortable quick bike that likes to shoot down the road.

Tri frames in general have slightly shorter top tubes to put the pilot in a comfortable position when using aerobars. The difference in most cases is 1-1.5cm.  A proper fit is easily obtained by refrencing the size chart and the usual minor tweaks of saddle position and/or stem. The generous head tube size of the K-Factor allows this bike to be utilized in many different formats. Start with the road build and add an aero bar clip-on and you are set to go! If you decide that triathlon is for you then you can replace the road handlebar with a full blown tri bar and go all out.

Without getting too technical, it is easier to transform a tri bike into a road bike than a road bike into a tri bike. One of the key factors is the placement of the wheel under the rider. On a road bike geometry the rear wheel may be too far back and will alter the ride quality when the rider’s weight is placed on an aerobar extension. With too much weight coming off of the rear wheel the bike handling will become unbalanced and suffer. On a tri- geometry the wheel is tucked under the rider (thus the wheel cutout on the seat tube) and handling is not affected as much by utilizing road or tri bars.

Paired up with the carbon frame is Shimano’s Ultegra SL and 105 components. Every year Ultegra inherits the best qualities of the Dura-Ace group but the price is almost half of its big brother. For years Ultegra has been providing solid performance and dependability at a price to performance ratio that can’t be beat. Kuota matched up the 10 speed Shimano Ultegra SL shifters with the amazingly reliable Ultegra SL rear derailleur, Shimano 105 front derailleur and Shimano 10 speed cassette. Braking power is provided by Shimano 105 calipers. Keeping things rolling in the Shimano RS10 wheelset. Shimano wheels have long been known for quality and dependability. 

The K-Factor frame is built in one piece (monocoque construction) and its geometry fits a larger group of people and it offers nice features like taller head tube (more comfortable to ride), air flow channel on top tube, full 12K weave, exclusive horizontal dropout with interchangeable hanger. Our desire is to offer the opportunity to a larger range of athletes to live the Kuota experience. The K-factor is the result of our passion and expertise and we believe that what Kuota offer you is the state of the art in bicycle industry. 

We have provided a size chart with suggested heights per frame for consumers. At Giantnerd we want to take the confusion out of purchasing bikes online.

Assembly Details for the 2008 Kuota K-Factor

While most of our bikes come standard in “factory direct” condition roughly 80% assembled,  the Kuota K-Factor has not been pre-assembled at the factory and will require a frame-up assembly by a professional bike mechanic.  We recommend purchasing our professional assembly service “Pro-Build” for $59.95 (most shops will charge upward of $100 for a frame up build).  If you choose not to have the bike built by us we encourage you to bring your bike to a local shop for assembly by a professional.

Kuota K-Factor Triathlon Bike Premium Spec: 

• Kuota K-Factor Carbon Fiber Frame


• Kuota Aero Blade TT Fork


• Kuota Aero Seatpost


• Shimano Ultegra SL Rear Derailleur


• Shimano Ultegra SL STI Shifters


• Shimano Crankset

PEDALS: This bike does not include pedals. Nerds, don’t fret we have a selection fit for a King! Check  out all the Pedals by clicking here