When Storck dreamed up the Rebel Seven, he was going for a bike that gave you a feeling of confidence and speed when riding on the ragged edge of threshold. They based the geometry and ride on their Rebel Nine. This is a sure-footed 27.5 cross-country race bike that is able to deliver every watt from your leg to the rear wheel and drive you fast, wherever you want to go.

The oversized frame tubes, the BB92 bottom bracket shell, and the oversized stays are all about minimizing weight and maximizing efficiency. Comfort is provided via Directional Depending Stiffness, Storck’s method for introducing vertical compliance, and the Storck’s MLP 150 seatpost, which, despite it’s 31.6mm diameter, is laid up to provide comfort.

The geometry pairs up a 73-degree seat angle with a 70-degree head angle to get the desired stability and steering, with a slightly shorter top tube and longer stem, to get the slashing speed that Storck loves to provide.

The fork is Fox’s F100 FIT fork. The 100mm travel is enough for cross-country use, thanks to the damper, which can be adjusted from Climb to Trail to Descend (CTD) on the fly thanks to the handlebar-mounted remote. A 15mm quick-release thru-axle holds the wheel in place and keeps the steering precise.

The group is Shimano’s top-shelf XTR group. Two rings still offer the widest range of gears and are plenty simple to operate. Here, you have a 40/28 up front with an 11-40 eleven-speed cassette in the back. The rear derailleur is the low-profile XTR Shadow, which not only hides under the chainstay and the cassette, but wraps the chain better so it never falls off a cog, reduces the noise of chain slap and increases efficiency. Brakes are XTR’s Race version, with Ice-Tech pads packed in for better cooling.

Storck builds their bikes to be ready for everything. That’s why there’s a 180mm rotor in front and 160mm in back. You can upsize to 180 in back if you want more cooling, but with Shimano’s Ice-Tech rotors, you probably won’t need to. For stiffness and weight, the rear wheel is secured via a thru-axle that is secured with a Torx T25 bolt

The 27.5 wheels are DT Swiss’ M1700 Spline wheels. The 22mm-wide tubeless-ready wheels might feature aluminum rims, but they are still only 1705g per set. The spokes are DT Competition double-butted straight-pull, which makes for strong wheels. And the DT Swiss hubs are known for their durability and their legendary ratchet engagement system for quick engagement of the pawls. Rolling rubber is Schwalbe Rocket Ron 2.25”, an all-condition tread that favors hardpack, and a casing that favors racing. They roll fast.

The cockpit is all Storck. The seatpost features a Selle Italia Monolink SLS saddle. Monolinks are loved for the ability to precisely tune saddle position, but if you can’t get comfy on it, an extra clamp for conventional-railed saddles comes with the bike. The bars are 700mm wide carbon bars that can be cut down to size without issue.

The Storck Rebel Seven XTR bike provides the benefits of big wheels to shorter people.