I mounted it on a Cannondale Jekyll and now we can finally describe in detail the sensations I had with this 'made in Italy' gem.
FEATURES
The Storia Lok shock absorber has a recent history in the bike field and has been brought to the fore by various international riders and in Italy by Vittorio Gambirasio, with whom he has won prestigious races including the Italian Elite title, and by Argentina Bike in the field DH. It is one of the lightest spring shock absorbers in the world, able to stay just under 700gr (the weight naturally differs from the wheelbase and the spring used). The construction material is CNC in 7075 T6 alloy and Titanium. In our configuration, with a 450lbs spring, we are about 710gr.
There are 3 adjustment possibilities: low speed via a lever (12 clicks), high speed via a 12mm wrench (14 clicks) and return (8 clicks). Staying on the subject of return, a small problem I had was with the return screw, probably not rust-proof: after a season at the "seaside" (in our summer location) I had problems with the fluidity of the knob and I had to replace it (but rust, as we know, is cursed). The Storia allows it to be effectively locked via a lever that can be operated above the low and high speed registers (2 positions: open and closed). Being a product made to customer specifications, it is available for practically any wheelbase size and the production time varies from 2 to 4 weeks. Even the fact that you use SPD or Flat, or the fact of the wheel format (29" and 27,5") imply small differences in the shock absorber setting: on a 29", EXT uses a more sustained setting to make it travel faster because the 29" wheel dampens the impact more and develops a lower frequency than a 27,5".
Whatever type of rider we are, we have official rider treatment and this doesn't happen often. Price? €799.
FIELD TEST
The first impression you get is of a very sustained ammo, which sits less than other spring shock absorbers, and this leads to initially opening all the registers to look for that softness typical of spring shock absorbers. With a more racing nature, it is more reminiscent of the behavior of an air shock absorber in certain situations but, as we will see, on the field it gives truly high-level performance. The first days required a running-in period, perhaps also due to the fact that this shock absorber had never been mounted on a Jekyll (it had just been presented) and therefore a history was not available from which to take inspiration as a setting adjustment and also for EXT. as curve calibration. In fact, the technicians, to develop this story, contacted Cannondale and sent the compression curve of the shock absorbing system to be able to calibrate it perfectly. At first it seemed strange to me not to find those super sensations that such a product should give. So here I turned to the EXT technicians, I explained my feelings, and the setting was redone by speeding up the return (also in another shock absorber it happened that it was too braked in the return, maybe good for a flat use but not much reactive for SPD use). Small note: it is nice to know that in EXT they keep the technical sheets and the modifications of each customer so, when it comes to them the shock absorber to check / overhaul, they know what has been done and in which direction to go in the case of tuning or other.
This is truly a gem in creating a path towards optimal calibration, which cannot be achieved if we completely change the compression curve and shock absorber brand every year! Returning to the test, since the shock absorber returned, the sensations have changed and I found the solution: a shock absorber that gives its best at high speeds and on dry terrain, supported and substantial, a superb product for the agonist and for those who aim to shave off precious time on the descent. A fact that everyone notices when they get on the Storia is the noise: the typical suction of the EXT is due precisely to a particular "suction" motion, which allows us to avoid problems such as cavitation or hysteresis, and to a sphere that serves for low and high speeds. In essence, this sphere moves inside the shock absorber based on the impact force (certainly not annoying but it is a sound we are not used to); if the blow is strong, it is sucked in and closes a circuit while if the blows are 'low speeds', it stays under and closes another circuit.
The shock absorber did not positively impress me in wet and muddy situations: it feels too firm and therefore not very inclined to copy everything perfectly, making the bike a little nervous despite the full opening of the registers. The only solution is to change the spring with a 25lb lighter one, in fact EXT provides the user with 2 springs precisely to have the right setup even in wet situations (and, unlike most other brands, it manages to provide steps of 25lb only for truly effective calibration). The resistance at the bottom of the stroke is excellent and it is not easy to get there with a correct calibration of the SAG: a precise and biting shock absorber, the more you give it downhill, the more you will appreciate it. When pedaling it is superb: it has no bobbing phenomena but remains very supported even with the hydraulics open, while if we close the Lok, the bike remains very stable and firm. Thanks to these characteristics it gives our bike excellent pedaling qualities on relaunches and reactivity when cornering. Compared to other spring shock absorbers, it is more braked in compression, therefore the sensation of softness and cushion in the first part of the excursion is less and this may not excite slower riders, but EXT, at our request, can fulfill everything . We just need to know what we want.

FINAL VERDICT
An artisanal product that allows us to enter into perhaps a clearer and more precise perspective of the world of shock absorbers: at certain levels there is no generic setting, a magical calibration, which makes everyone improve without distinction but it is us with our sensations who must understand what we want from our medium. The shock absorbers that are on the market today have limits because they come standard on bikes without knowing what kind of rider will use them, while in EXT it is possible to sew on a product that can then be used for years to come thanks to the support of one. expert staff where in each service (recommended at least once a year) hydraulic upgrades are also included. A product created for performance, perhaps less soft, more compression braking, but of substance.
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• Made to measure for your bike • 100% customization on your own technical • Excellent performance at high speeds and on pedaling • Professional approach: in every service any changes are included of plumbing to always have a top product | • Behavior on land wet and muddy (heavily braked in compression) • Noisy (in my opinion not annoying but the world is diverse) • Gentle return screw |
