Storck Scentron Review and 2014 Storck Pricing Announced!!

Here at Blacksmith we may be more familiar with Storck than any other shop in North America.  Already praised by both BikeRadar [4 Stars] and Cycling Weekly [4.5 Stars], today we take a good look at the STORCK SCENTRON plus preview Storck 2014 pricing. Storck Scentron with Campagnolo Athena EPS, Lightweight Gen III tubulars and matching Storck components: This particular bike is a 2012 Scentron, which means an English threaded BB and non-tapered headtube. But even though Storck has moved on to PFBB's and tapered fork with their newer models like the Aernario and Aernario Platinum, this Scentron still stands as a great representative of the building blocks of Storck philosophy. Size proportional tubing means each frame size rides and feels identical to the next. Storck pays specific attention to tubeset profiles, diameters and carbon lay-up to ensure that their legendary design acumen produces stiff AND comfortable bikes. Rear-facing full-carbon dropouts are a feature unique to Markus Storck and his team of mad scientists, which produces explosive power transfer and lower weights from the rear triangle, and is a shared feature throughout the Storck range. However, lest you think Markus wishes to punish you, as a passionate rider himself, he has designed a cantilevered rear end that flexes vertically near the seatpost cluster. On top of that, Storck's legendary Comfort Carbon Seatpost aids further in the fight against road vibration, creating a combination that leads to an incredibly smooth ride quality from a frameset that is still suitable for leg-destroying sprints. Internal cable routing for electric groups and Storck's uber-cool Comfort Carbon Seatpost are both nice touches: Race-capable geometries are without a doubt why our customers compare Storck to Pro-Tour race brands like Cervelo and Cannondale. Razor-sharp handling is the Storck way, so don't expect a lazy Sunday cruiser.  With Storck, many riders can even go up a size to get their ideal stack height dialed, while still having the quick and agile characteristics of a smaller sized bike. Also, as a quick tip, when reading Storck's sizing (below), try thinking of the Frame Sizes instead as: 52, 54, 56, 58, and 60 cm: So, how does the Scentron ride, I hear you screaming?! Quite beautifully, actually. The Scentron takes the raw stiffness and agility of the higher-end Storck range and distills them down to a slightly more approachable level, with a slightly smoother ride quality at the expense of just a smidge of granite-block-like power. Does this make the Scentron a comfort bike? Hell nah! It still loves to be flogged, and even some of our more talented M1 racers commented that the Scentron and Fenomalist could basically be twin brothers, with nearly identical qualities on the road, save the added 190 grams that allows the Scentron to be priced about $1,000 below its "Big" bro. Now, I HATE bike reviews that are really skewed by the reviewer's component preferences, so I will leave the rest of the build package comments at this: EPS rocks, Lightweights kill it, Fizik Kurve is nice and cush, and Storck in-house components are shockingly well designed. There. I'm done. As always we spec'd the bike with multiple wheelsets that we were familiar with to get a true sense of performance. Lightweight Gen III's are incredible, and we can't wait to get our hands on the new 2014 Meilensteins when they arrive around new-year. From the new 2014 Xentis range we grabbed a set of Squad 2.5 Silver Line tubulars weighing in at just over 1000 grams and feature the world's best brake surface. Cantilevered seat-stays create vertical compliance seldom seen on a pure race chassis, seen here with Xentis 2.5's: Some Storck ultra-light 2014 models, such as the Fascenario 0.7 and Fenomalist still feature non-tapered front-ends with dual goals of aerodynamics and low weight. But where those models tilt towards Super Bike territory, the 2012 Scentron sits firmly in the Value Packed division with an incredible sale price of $1,299 on all remaining framesets! Even the newest 2014 Scentron G2 frameset with PFBB, tapered fork and internal cabling for electric OR mechanical routing is priced at a surprising $2,795 and can be ordered in any size with only a 2 week delivery time, plus the option of unlimited build options! The Ratings… Ride Quality/Comfort: 9/10 – for raceable carbon, this is a super-smooth ride Front End Stiffness: 8/10 – older design means non-tapered headtube BB Stiffness: 8/10 – mega stiff, though still a step below the Fenomalist Style/Aesthetics: 8/10 – clean matte B+W finish with just a hint of color Technology/Weight/Value: 9/10 – crazy price on the 2012, or step up to the 2014 Total = 84% – Enter the world of Storck for less than you ever imagined