Markus Storck – a man with a very good brain but a very bad haircut – is well regarded as one of the greatest design minds of the cycling industry. Interestingly, he’s also one of the founding fathers of Eurobike.
His namesake company makes superb carbon and high-end aluminium bikes out of their facility in Germany. While the brand’s reputation is strongest on the road, they’re developing a healthy following in mountain biking too.
We’ve recently taken hold of the new Rebel Seven, Storck’s premium 27.5″-wheel cross country hardtail. It came to us as a bare frame, and we thought it look so good we’d shoot it naked, rather than dress it up with its build kit.
The frame weight is a little under 1100g with a beautiful finish. All the features you’d expect at this level are present: press-fit bottom bracket, tapered head tube, 12mm rear dropouts, well presented cable guides.
We’ll be building it up and hitting the trails soon. It’ll be our first experience on our home trails riding a 27.5″-wheeled hardtail (we’re usually on 29er if we’re riding a hardtail) so we’re intrigued about the performance the mid-sized wheel will offer.
Flow's First Bite: Storck Rebel Seven
The not-so-minor details
Positives
We'll find out soon enough, but the finish is gorgeous!
Negatives
Not as light as some of the competition, but that's not necessarily a bad thing.
Us
Them
Yet again Storck are at the forefront of innovation. The 2013 Rebel Seven featuring the latest 650b wheel standard combines the smoothness and low rolling resistance of a 29er with the handling and agility of 26” wheeled XC racer.
The low weight, high strength compact frame design lends itself to tighter more technical terrain than the larger, longer wheelbase 29” wheeled bikes and suits a wider range of rider sizes, while the 650b wheels are faster, offer more stability and more comfort than summarily proportioned 26” wheeled hard tails.
Another first for Storck, the Rebel Seven features an oversize composite Press-Fit 92 mm BB shell for optimum lateral stiffness & minimum weight and full composite dropouts utilizing the latest X-12 (12 x 142 mm) though axle system. Like the Rebel Six and Rebel Nine the Headtube is oversize and tapered with 1 1/8 – 1.5 oversize bearings and the rear triangle features Storck’s lighter and more compact ‘Magic’ integrated brake mount (post-mount). A direct mount front derailleur, super-sized Chainstays with more than adequate mud clearance and a replaceable gear hanger round off the ‘ultimate hardtail’ package.
650b is here to stay and the Rebel Seven leads the way as perhaps the highest performance offering on the market… There’s only one way to find out!
- Rebel Seven G1 frame
- 1 1/8″ – 1.5” tapered integrated headset
- Storck UD carbon frame
- Tapered headtube
- Super size chain stays (disc brake only)
- ‘Magic’ disc brake mount (integrated post-mount)
- Replaceable derailleur hanger
- Carbon dropouts
- X-12 though axle system
- Direct mount front derailleur
- Carbon 92 mm Press-Fit bottom bracket shell
- 31.6 mm seatpost diameter
- 36.6 mm seatpost clamp diameter
- Weight from 1,090 grams (frame only)