The Storck Fascenario.3 Comp Disc Ultegra in review

The most affordable bike with the narrowest tires and the hardest gearing: the value-for-money Storck Fascenario.3 Comp Disc seems to imbue extremes. But can the matte black stealth bomber keep up with 14 of the most-progressive road bikes of 2021? We put its all-round capabilities to the test.

For an overview of the test fleet head to the group test: The best road bike of 2021 – 15 models in review

The Storck Fascenario.3 Comp Disc is clad in lustrous matte black and draws looks with its glossy black branding. The German company, established in 1986, decided to send this € 2,999 series model into the test. That makes it the cheapest bike but does that also mean it’s only a quarter as good as the four times more expensive S-Works? At the heart of the build is the 2×11 Shimano ULTEGRA R8020 groupset with 52/36 t chainrings and an 11–28 t cassette – the hardest gearing in our test and a touch too sporty for long rides in alpine terrain. The DT Swiss P1800 SPLINE wheels are shod in 700 x 28C Continental GP5000 TL which measure only 27 mm wide due to the narrow 18 mm width of the rims, leaving the Storck rolling on the narrowest wheelset and tire combination in the group. While the widely sculpted crown would fit significantly wider and more voluminous tires, the clearances between the seat stays are 99% full with the size fitted. In comparison to the rest of the bikes in the test, this no longer seems up to date. The shaping of the carbon frame is anything but a visual flourish: Storck claim that overly close spacing of the tire and frame can lead to turbulence and slow you down which is exactly why they chose this open and wide construction.

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This approach also dictates the aerodynamic alignment of the fork crown with the head tube. In terms of integration, Storck rely on a seatpost clamp in the top tube to fix the Storck F.3 carbon seatpost together with a one-piece cockpit up front. The Storck RSBU 350 has 420 mm wide bars, a 110 mm stem and with its sporty drop underlines the performance aspirations of the Fascenario.3. The partly external cable routing works but could easily be tidied up with some heat shrink.

Size	XS	S	M	L	XL
Seat tube	450 mm	475 mm	500 mm	525 mm	550 mm
Top tube	524 mm	545 mm	566 mm	582 mm	599 mm
Head tube	106 mm	132 mm	158 mm	182 mm	206 mm
Head angle	71.5°	72.5°	73.5°	73.5°	73.5°
Seat angle	74.5°	73.8°	73.5°	73.5°	73.5°
Chainstays	405 mm	405 mm	405 mm	405 mm	405 mm
Reach	381 mm	388 mm	397 mm	404 mm	417 mm
Stack	514 mm	541 mm	569 mm	591 mm	613 mm

The Storck Fascenario.3 Comp Disc Ultegra in review

While the stiff frame of the Storck reacts directly to turning the pedals, there are significantly more light-footed bikes in the test meaning acceleration is comparatively sluggish. Uphill the Storck is similarly as leisurely as the ROSE and Mason. By contrast, downhills and flats fully cater to its strengths: regardless of how strong the headwind might be, the Storck maintains momentum valiantly and convinces with its good efficiency. The aerodynamically optimised front and comparatively high moment of inertia of the wheel-tire system pay off here just as much as the aggressively stretched riding position.

Black tarmac, as smooth and silky as the surface of the Fascenario.3’s frame – here the Storck feels completely at home at high speeds. Even if the wind is headed straight in your direction.

Leave perfect road surfaces and the riding position becomes more of a limitation. The overall comfort generated by the Storck can’t keep up with the rest of the test field and makes riding on rough surfaces an unpleasant experience. Regardless of whether it’s a bigger impact or high-frequency vibrations, aboard the Storck you get significant feedback from the ground and have to be a hardened racer not to reach your comfort limit on long routes with broken up asphalt. The handling also tends to be nervous on these surfaces, forcing the rider back to smooth tarmac along the shortest route possible. Once there, the Storck convinces completely with its straight-line stability and the balanced agility of the front and rear. Good-natured and predictable, it can be manoeuvred around corners exactly along your envisioned line. A feeling of safety and fun is a given if it’s about maintaining speed on straights or winding terrain on smooth surfaces. For demanding surfaces, the Storck just has too few reserves in terms of comfort and handling compared to the test field.

Tuning tip: tires with better damping like Vittoria Corsa 28 Graphene 2.0 TL for better comfort

Conclusion

Do you regularly ride into a headwind, prefer flat terrain and ride mainly on well-maintained roads? Then you’ll find the Storck Fascenario.3 Comp Disc to be an efficient bike that scores with its fair price and unobtrusive look. Do you need a versatile bike? Or do you want to experience adventures away from perfect roads where you put an emphasis on comfort and a light-footed response? Then you should look elsewhere.

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For more information head to storck-bikes.com

The test field

For an overview of the test fleet head to the group test: The best road bike of 2021 – 15 models in review

All bikes in test: BMC Roadmachine 01 ONE (Click for review) | Cannondale SuperSix EVO Hi-MOD Disc Ultegra (Click for review) | Canyon Grail CF SLX 8 eTap (Click for review) | Cervélo Caledonia-5 Dura Ace Di2 Disc (Click for review) | Mason Resolution Ekar (Click for review) | MERIDA REACTO TEAM-E CUSTOM (Click for review) | MERIDA SCULTURA ENDURANCE CUSTOM (Click for review) | OPEN MIN.D. (Click for review) | Orbea Gain M20i (Click for review) | ROSE REVEAL FOUR DISC Ultegra Di2 (Click for review) | SCOTT Addict eRIDE Premium (Click for review) | Specialized S-Works Aethos (Click for review) | Storck Fascenario.3 Comp Disc Ultegra | Trek Domane+ LT 9 (Click for review) | Wilier Filante SLR (Click for review)

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Words: Photos: Philipp Schwab