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Storck Aero/Shimano Ultegra Complete Bike
In the realm of time trial-specific bikes, aerodynamics is always hovering at the top of our short list of necessities. Markus Storck and his talented team of engineers are well aware of this crucial ride characteristic, but they also know that a sleek and drag-reducing design means nothing without stiffness. For that reason, they created the Aero to be the "stiffest carbon time trial bike in the world," in addition to being exceptionally fast. We know that this is a lofty claim, but once you begin to see the engineering that has gone into the development of this machine, you'll begin to see exactly what they mean.
The Aero was constructed from Storck's own UD carbon fiber, with the UD designating "uni-directional." Compared to a woven carbon fabric, uni-directional carbon is oriented as it sounds, with one direction, or on one axis. And while this makes the production process dramatically more complex in regards to load path and force direction determination, the payout is worth it to Storck. You see, compared to woven layups, uni-directional fibers tend to better stiffen frames, while also improving the characteristic of vibration dampening. And incredibly, this is achieved at a much lower overall weight. However, Storck was far from finished in any of these regards.
Let's approach the Storck layup process in a short series of steps. First off, Storck begins the design with 3D CAD imaging. This digital process provides Storck with the precise data and dimensions necessary for the development of the mold. From there, the UD fibers are soaked in resin and hand-placed into the computer-generated mold. Once placed in the mold, the fibers are heated and pressed into the "V-profile" tube shapes with an air channeling tool. Afterwards, the fibers are smoothed over by hand, ensuring an unprecedented level of preciseness and detail to the layup.
Moving into frame specifics, you'll find an oversized bottom bracket juncture that efficiently transfers power to the Aero's rear triangle. And not surprisingly, we see the reoccurring theme at work again of increased weight reduction coming as a result of increased power transfer. At the aerodynamic seatstays, Storck gracefully originates them from a box-section above the brake caliper, before transitioning them into a flattened profile down toward the dropouts. And again, this results in increased comfort via vertical compliance, in addition to a higher level of lateral rigidity, and a reduction in drag. Additionally, you'll find that the Aero is one of the most painstakingly rider-tuned frames on the market. For the chainstays, Storck applied its "aero super size," design, which is essentially an oversized, box-section construction that directs rider energy output directly to the rear wheel. Rounding out the construction is electronic-drivetrain-specific internal cable routing.
For the fork, Storck incorporated its latest iteration of the award winning Stiletto, known as the Stiletto Aero. The first version of the Stiletto was introduced in 1999, and was widely hailed as the lightest fork on the planet. And while the Stiletto Light only tipped the scales at 280 grams, the 360 gram Stiletto found here is still lighter than most of the featherweight, aftermarket forks. The Aero 360 features a tapered design that's been mated to a carbon reinforced heat tube and a 1-1/8in integrated headset.
As for the build kit, the Aero was spec'd out with Shimano's reliable Ultegra 6700 10-speed groupset. The machine also includes an Ultegra 52/39t crankset and Shimano 12-25t cassette. At the cockpit, the build features a Storck alloy TT handlebar and stem, with Prologo's Nago Evo T2.0 saddle perched atop the seatpost. In terms of wheels, the Aero rolls on a pair of Mavic Cosmic Carbon SLE clinchers that have been wrapped with Mavic tires.
The Storck Aero/Shimano Ultegra Complete Bike is available in sizes 51, 55, and 57cm and in the color Stealth Black.
Price: $2999.99 (55% Off!)
Regularly: $6699.00
Buy Now
In the realm of time trial-specific bikes, aerodynamics is always hovering at the top of our short list of necessities. Markus Storck and his talented team of engineers are well aware of this crucial ride characteristic, but they also know that a sleek and drag-reducing design means nothing without stiffness. For that reason, they created the Aero to be the "stiffest carbon time trial bike in the world," in addition to being exceptionally fast. We know that this is a lofty claim, but once you begin to see the engineering that has gone into the development of this machine, you'll begin to see exactly what they mean.
The Aero was constructed from Storck's own UD carbon fiber, with the UD designating "uni-directional." Compared to a woven carbon fabric, uni-directional carbon is oriented as it sounds, with one direction, or on one axis. And while this makes the production process dramatically more complex in regards to load path and force direction determination, the payout is worth it to Storck. You see, compared to woven layups, uni-directional fibers tend to better stiffen frames, while also improving the characteristic of vibration dampening. And incredibly, this is achieved at a much lower overall weight. However, Storck was far from finished in any of these regards.
Let's approach the Storck layup process in a short series of steps. First off, Storck begins the design with 3D CAD imaging. This digital process provides Storck with the precise data and dimensions necessary for the development of the mold. From there, the UD fibers are soaked in resin and hand-placed into the computer-generated mold. Once placed in the mold, the fibers are heated and pressed into the "V-profile" tube shapes with an air channeling tool. Afterwards, the fibers are smoothed over by hand, ensuring an unprecedented level of preciseness and detail to the layup.
Moving into frame specifics, you'll find an oversized bottom bracket juncture that efficiently transfers power to the Aero's rear triangle. And not surprisingly, we see the reoccurring theme at work again of increased weight reduction coming as a result of increased power transfer. At the aerodynamic seatstays, Storck gracefully originates them from a box-section above the brake caliper, before transitioning them into a flattened profile down toward the dropouts. And again, this results in increased comfort via vertical compliance, in addition to a higher level of lateral rigidity, and a reduction in drag. Additionally, you'll find that the Aero is one of the most painstakingly rider-tuned frames on the market. For the chainstays, Storck applied its "aero super size," design, which is essentially an oversized, box-section construction that directs rider energy output directly to the rear wheel. Rounding out the construction is electronic-drivetrain-specific internal cable routing.
For the fork, Storck incorporated its latest iteration of the award winning Stiletto, known as the Stiletto Aero. The first version of the Stiletto was introduced in 1999, and was widely hailed as the lightest fork on the planet. And while the Stiletto Light only tipped the scales at 280 grams, the 360 gram Stiletto found here is still lighter than most of the featherweight, aftermarket forks. The Aero 360 features a tapered design that's been mated to a carbon reinforced heat tube and a 1-1/8in integrated headset.
As for the build kit, the Aero was spec'd out with Shimano's reliable Ultegra 6700 10-speed groupset. The machine also includes an Ultegra 52/39t crankset and Shimano 12-25t cassette. At the cockpit, the build features a Storck alloy TT handlebar and stem, with Prologo's Nago Evo T2.0 saddle perched atop the seatpost. In terms of wheels, the Aero rolls on a pair of Mavic Cosmic Carbon SLE clinchers that have been wrapped with Mavic tires.
The Storck Aero/Shimano Ultegra Complete Bike is available in sizes 51, 55, and 57cm and in the color Stealth Black.
Price: $2999.99 (55% Off!)
Regularly: $6699.00
Buy Now
