Storck Fascenario.3 Platinum review

Storck is renowned for producing high-end bikes, with carbon fibre the material of choice throughout. The Fascenario aims to mix the best features of an aerodynamic racer with featherlight weight.

The tube profiles are slim, with the D-shaped seatpost and seat tube certainly helping to make it look like a fast bike.

The fork, which also claims to be an aerodynamic design, takes a different approach to many others with wide, bowed fork legs.

The Fascenario is unashamedly aimed at racers and on the road it certainly feels like that. It is incredibly responsive, with sprints and big climbs not giving a hint of lateral flex.

This is helped by the fantastic EDCO Umbrial wheels. They have what many would consider an old-fashioned design, with a V-shaped 45mm profile (rather than the more current U-shape trend).

But on the road the wheels feel as fast as anything at the same depth and are impressive at shaking off stiff sidewinds, which can often be a weakness for many deep-section carbon wheels.

In the wet the braking performance is reasonable, giving predictable power even if it’s not the most powerful.

Another nod towards the racing design shows through with the handling which is incredibly agile and quick to change direction with a light front end.

To make the most of it and avoid the front end from becoming too vague, it is a bike that we’d suggest using in a low and aggressive riding position, where more weight is over the front wheel.

The near complete Dura-Ace 9100 groupset is something we would expect to find here given the astronomical price, although the EDCO monoblock cassette fitted to our test bike doesn’t shift quite as smoothly as the equivalent Dura-Ace model and is also a little noisier, both when riding and while shifting.

The remainder of the components are all well suited, with own-brand parts and integral seatpost with monolink attachment allowing for a narrower saddle design.

Although our tester liked the narrower Selle Italia Flite, for those who would prefer a more standard saddle an adapter is available.

Ratings

Frame 9/10; Components 9/10; Wheels 10/10; The ride 9/10

Verdict: The Fascenario is one of the most expensive bikes we've ever tested, but also one of the fastest. It's like an excited racehorse, ready to bolt at any moment, encouraging you to push harder and go faster. Only let down by a few minor niggles.

Spec