$3500
27.7 pounds
3.7-inch rear wheel travel
Storck, (916) 985-2269
Maxi test: October 2005

Highlights: Although it looks like large tubes of carbon bonded together, the Adrenalin is an honest-to-goodness carbon monocoque. The frame is laid up in a mold with pre-impregnated carbon fiber, pressurized to shape with a bladder, and then baked. Although it looks like a conventional diamond frame, the Adrenalin's diamond frame is a solid, seamless carbon form from front to back. There are aluminum inserts for the integrated headset bearings, main pivot bearing, bottom bracket threads and seatpost clamp. The bell crank pivots off an aluminum bearing housing that is riveted into position and then bonded to the back of the seat tube.

Best quote: "It's amazing just how well the stiff chassis works on the trail. It steers straight across the nastiest cambered terrain with no hesitation."

Bottom line: On paper, the Adrenalin Carbon has barely enough travel to be an aggressive trailbike. It only has 4.7 inches of travel up front and 3.7 inches in the rear for Pete's sake! But don't let the numbers fool you. While other bikes try to impress the old American way (bigger is better, more travel must equal a better ride) Storck is taking a different approach that may be the beginning of a trail-wide trend. Storck has proven with the Adrenalin Carbon that it is not how much travel a bike has, it is how well that travel works.