BIKE: Markus, is the gravel boom still going strong?
Markus Storck: Absolutely. From what you hear, roughly twice as many gravel bikes as road bikes are now being sold in Germany.
BIKE: That’s hardly surprising. On a road bike, traffic is becoming an increasingly stressful factor. Gravel cycling offers the same pace, but out in the countryside.
Storck: That’s exactly the point. You get speed, freedom and adventure all in one. With a gravel bike, you can strap a backpack to your bike, pack a few bits of kit and just set off. Two days, three days – it doesn’t matter. The bike knows almost no limits.
Back to our roots
BIKE: Yet gravel isn’t actually anything new.
Storck: Not at all. If you’re honest, that’s exactly how cycling began. The first racing bikes were gravel bikes. The roads were in poor condition, often unpaved. My grandfather was a professional cyclist. Back then, people were already riding on tyres 35 to 38 millimetres wide. They had bottle cages on the front of the handlebars and carried their clothes and food on the bike. There were no support vehicles.
BIKE: Even flared handlebars were around back then.
Storck: Exactly. Many things that are marketed as innovations today already existed a hundred years ago.
South Africa as a source of inspiration
BIKE: You’re actually a road cyclist. How did you get into gravel riding yourself?
Storck: Through South Africa. The roads there are often rough and in poor condition. At the same time, there’s an incredible amount of gravel cycling. In some places, every second sports bike in South Africa is a gravel bike. It was there that I realised just how useful a fast gravel bike can be.
BIKE: So that’s how the Fascenario.5 came about?
Storck: We asked ourselves: Why not build a gravel bike with the speed of an aero road bike? We’re constantly testing road bikes in the wind tunnel. So why not gravel bikes too?
BIKE: An approach that hardly anyone follows. A new category: Race Race Gravel or Speedgravel.
Storck: That’s right. At first, most manufacturers simply fitted wider tyres. We were interested in finding out just how fast a gravel bike can actually be.
From a Swiss Army knife to an aero gravel bike
BIKE: How does your portfolio differ?
Storck: The Grix.2 It’s our Swiss Army knife. Plenty of mounting points, plenty of tyre clearance, plenty of comfort. It can even accommodate tyres up to around 2.1 inches wide. This appeals to riders looking to replace their hardtail.
BIKE: So, bikepacking, touring, adventure.
Storck: Exactly. That’s what it says above it Scenario X. It combines the aerodynamics of the Fascenario with genuine gravel geometry: a longer wheelbase, a flatter head angle and a smoother ride. A thoroughbred race gravel bike.
BIKE: And what about your new bike?
Storck: That Fascenario.5 takes a different approach. It’s our fastest all-rounder. Featuring modern wheels and our Aero 5 Cockpit Aerodynamically speaking, the bike is already on a par with many aero road bikes. And yet it can be ridden with wide tyres. A ‘race-race’ gravel bike, if you like. Or better still: two bikes in one – a road bike and a gravel bike.
Comfort lies in carbon
BIKE: Many manufacturers opt for suspension forks or damping systems. You don’t. Why?
Storck: Because we integrate comfort directly into the structure. Carbon can behave differently depending on the direction. A handlebar can give way vertically whilst remaining extremely stiff during a sprint. What others achieve through mechanics, we achieve through fibre orientation and design.
BIKE: So, comfort without any extra parts.
Storck: Exactly. Less weight, less complexity, less maintenance.
BIKE: Do you keep an eye on the competition?
Storck: Of course you take a look. But at the end of the day, I’m not interested in marketing campaigns.
BIKE: Or what?
Storck: Test results. Wind tunnel. Stiffness. Comfort. Facts. Many manufacturers claim to build the world’s fastest bike. That sounds good. But sometimes the wind tunnel tells a different story. I’ve nothing against good marketing. But at some point, the product has to deliver.
Single or double?
BIKE: Finally: single or double?
Storck: It depends on what you’re using it for. For a Grix.2 I’d go for a single-speed bike any day. Simple, sturdy, wide range.
BIKE: And what about a ‘Fascenario’?
Storck: More like a 2-speed setup. Anyone cycling fast on tarmac or riding in a group will appreciate the finer gear ratios and higher top speeds. And if you’re going for a 1 x 13-speed setup, always go for a 10-tooth rear sprocket. That gives you a clear advantage with the top gear.
BIKE: So it’s not a matter of faith?
Storck: No. As is so often the case with cycling, the best system is the one that suits the rider.
Dimitri Lehner
Editor
