Storck debuted their 2009 road lineup at Eurobike, as ever they had light bikes and stiff bikes, they also came armed with bold claims, and some intriguing looking components.
So, is the new Storck Fascenario 0.17 IS the lightest and most rigid bike in the world? Storck certainly think so, that’s the bold claim they make in their publicity for their 2009 lineup. They also call it "The Bugatti" of bicycles. They think it’s quite good then. The Fascenario is made from "ultra exotic" 2K carbon fibre weave, and Storck are only making 100 a year "for the truly discriminating buyer". In fact, they say "Owning this bike guarantees that you will always have the very best bike in your group – by a mile." Normally we’d mock such teutonic certaintly but the problem with Storck is there’s always the possibility that they’re right.
Which brings us on to the new Fenomalist, and the question "are you good enough to ride this bike?". Storck’s new racing frame is designed to put the racer in full control they say. The frame is made from uni-directional high modulus carbon and the design combines elements of the Absolutist and the Fascenario which, say Storck, has resulted in a bike with an unbelieveable stiffness to weight ratio.
According to Storck, "The Fenomalist will find whatever talent, strength and stamina you have inside you…" Ulp, and then what? Then you’d better make sure you’ve got some or the Fenomalist is going to want some answers seems to be the gist from Storck. "We only recommend this bike to people who know how to ride fast." You have been warned. All that makes the Absolutist 1.0 seem all cute and cuddly by comparison, this is Storck’s "budget" performance model constructed from uni-directional carbon fibre. The accent here is on a smooth riding allied to precise handling. The Absolutist features a new monostay designed, say Storck, to be both stiffer and lighter and the headtube which transistions from 11/4in to 1 1/8 is claimed to add even more rigidity and to improve handling. The 1.0’s Stilleto Aero fork is designed to work "in harmony with the 1 1/4 lower bearing"
There is always plenty to catch the eye on the Storck stand at Eurobike, this year our eyes were on the Fenomalist, and not just on the bike itself but also some of the components – first to catch our eye was the Storck branded, carbon shelled rear mech. It looks like the sort of creation that the German Carbon Group might come up with, and Storck weren’t making any great fuss about it either… so maybe a little signal of future directions that Storck might be exploring. The brakes on the Fenomalist would seem to back this up, they too were Storck branded, and according to the company are prototypes made for them by Token. Will we see them on future production machines? Watch this space.
Lots more Storck pics from Eurobike
Storck are available in the UK from Posh Bikes