New cockpit components plus lighter, stiffer and cheaper crankset
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Markus Storck was riding around the Interbike OutDoor Demo area on his sleek new Aernario aero road bike.(Image credit: James Huang)
The clever seat binder for the Storck Aernario is hidden underneath the top tube.(Image credit: James Huang)
New from Storck are the new RBC180 carbon fiber drop bars with a claimed weight of just 180g.(Image credit: James Huang)
Markus Storck recently gave his wife, Helena, a new carbon road bike that was topped off by this gleaming platinum headset cap. And yes, there are 300 white and black diamonds set on top. Yowza.(Image credit: James Huang)
Carbonsports builds special Lightweight front wheels for Storck with a more aero profile hub shape borrowed from the old VR8 model.(Image credit: James Huang)
Storck has dropped the weight of its Powerarms carbon road cranks by 30g while supposedly also simultaneously increasing stiffness. Claimed weight for the arms, integrated spindle, and bottom bracket is a feathery 410g. Cost has dropped €200 but is still an astronomical €899.(Image credit: James Huang)
The pinch bolt clamp of the Storck Powerarms has been slimmed down relative to previous versions.(Image credit: James Huang)
Claimed weight on Storck's new ST115 forged aluminum stem is just 115g.(Image credit: James Huang)
As if building a bike with Carbonsports Lightweight wheels isn't enough, Storck has them custom tweaked just for him, too.(Image credit: James Huang)
German outfit Storck didn't have a booth at this year's Interbike OutDoor Demo but, conveniently, we ran into principal Markus Storck, who gave us a preview of some of his company's upcoming new components.
Heading up the 2013 range is an updated set of Powerarm carbon fiber road cranks, which are still made to the company's specifications by THM-Carbones. Changes to the shape and construction yield a 30g weight savings plus additional stiffness on what was already an extremely light and apparently super stiff crankset.
Claimed weight is now down to a paltry 410g for the arms, integrated spindle, and bottom bracket and despite the improvements, the price has actually come down €200 to a somewhat less stratospheric €899 ($1,200/£725).
Storck also showed off a new set of carbon road bars called the RBC180, which boast a flattened and supposedly aero profile up top, ergonomic-bend drops and a claimed weight of just 180g. Matching up to them is the new ST115 stem, made of forged 2014-T6 aluminum and said to weigh just 115g.
Storck has a lengthy history of having custom tweaked wheelset built just for his bikes, too. Previous iterations we've seen were made by Zipp but this time around Storck has moved further up the price scale with a custom front Lightweight Meilenstein Obermayer. The carbon rim and spokes are the same as the standard consumer version but Storck's edition is built with special aero-profile hub flanges that look to be borrowed from the striking VR8 model.
Last but not least is a product that Storck doesn't even offer – unless you ask really nicely and come to the table with a lot of cash. Markus Storck recently gave his wife Helena a new custom carbon road bike (the pair regularly rides together both locally in Germany and elsewhere) topped off with a jaw-dropping platinum headset cap festooned with 300 white and black diamonds.
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Needless to say, it's a stunning piece of bike bling. And, needless to say, we didn't ask how much it costs.
