The Radavist

Starling Cycles, the maker of the steel Murmur 29er full suspension, just announced a limited edition Murmur with a stainless steel front triangle, made by Ora in Taiwan. Only available in size Large or XLarge, these limited edition frames can be bought as a frameset (£2330.00) or as a complete build through Starling direct. These bikes offer a completely different ride quality from their carbon fiber counterparts and remain to this day one of my personal favorites on the market. Check out my initial review of the Murmur and my personal Murmur build in the Related articles below…

Full suspension bikes can be used for bikepacking. It just takes a little problem-solving in terms of bag design, fitment, and capacity. Yet, that’s not what we’re discussing here. Modern mountain bikes seem to be designed for shuttle runs in perfectly-groomed bike parts, not all-day rides on backcountry trials. Most new bike models fit a bottle and by “a bottle” I mean a small bottle. I ride XL-sized frames and every time I throw my leg over one, I’m baffled at the lack of bottle carrying capacity. This is a gripe for another day, however, because I recently found a way to solve this problem on my Starling Murmur 29er and it was easier than you’d think.

The Revelate Hopper Frame Bag is an off-the-shelf option that fits like a custom solution. Let’s check it out below. Yes, I’m excited about this one!

A lot of people are offering up deals on their bikes and with their announcement of moving production back to the UK on their front triangles, Starling has a lot riding on this first season of sales. To spice up their already solid deals, they’re offering something special.

Frames are now £1,327.50, that’s 10% off and they’re offering a free custom paint upgrade, worth £120.

TO ORDER: A 25% non-refundable deposit is required to reserve your frame. Once frames are ready to ship, the remaining payment will be requested. Use the code starling2020, at checkout. This will reduce your basket total by 75%, allowing you to pay a 25% deposit.

They will then invoice you for the remaining 75% once frames are ready to ship.

See more information at Starling Cycles and check out John’s review of the Murmur Factory from 2019 and his own bike review to get a sense of what these bikes truly are.

Starling Cycles has been busy ramping up for the 2020 production year. When John bought his Murmur, there were two options: made in the UK front triangle or the made in Taiwan complete bike, aka the Factory Murmur. Joe from Starling decided to switch back to a made in UK front triangle for 2020, for various reasons which he outlines in this video. As always, Starling Cycles ships to the USA. Just don’t use the USPS. ;-)

Joe from Starling, the maker of that steel full suspension bike I loved so much, just got interviewed by Global Mountain Bike Network. They ask a simple question: is boutique best?

The Starling Cycles Murmur Factory is a 29’r built to shred. In this video, Starling lent the bike to Leo Sandler, Kiwi Shredding supreme, to see what he could do with the bike on a wet, wild and slippy day in South Wales.

When you think about what a downhill bike does, go downhill in bike parks, then a singlespeed makes sense. Starling Cycles tackled the DH SS problem with a truly unique suspension design… out of steel! See the full reveal at Starling and check out the video for Brett Wheeler from Wheelers MTB Holiday Portugal shredding this almost silent trail killer.

You may or may not have heard of Starling Cycles before. They’re UK frame builders of mountain bikes, including the Murmur 29’r, a full suspension, steel, made in the UK frame. Well, the UK brand has now offered a Taiwan-built version of the Murmur, called the Murmur Factory 29’r and it’s currently available to order. There isn’t much difference between the Murmur and the Factory, except cost. So if Made in the UK isn’t as important to the consumer, they can save some money. Head to Starling to see more information on the Murmur Factory 29’r.

Our Radar Roundup compiles products and videos from the ‘net in an easy-to-digest format. Read on below for today’s findings…

Sam from Aotearoa, New Zealand sent in this beauty of a Hunter Cycles Midtail hardtail cargo bike for this week’s Readers’ Rides. Let’s check it out!

Not only is he super talented on a mountain bike, but he actually studies mountain biking at college. Yep – that’s actually a thing you can do now! Joe joined the Starling Cycles team a few years back and went on to enroll into BASE College in Scotland, studying mountain biking full-time.

BASE is the Borders Academy of Sporting Excellence (BASE) Mountain Biking Performance course, based out of the Borders College in Peebles, Scotland. Joe’s time at BASE is spent learning how to be a better rider and racer, but also sports science, psychology, coaching skills and everything you need to be an all-round expert two-wheel athlete. Because Starling thinks Joe is rad and the brand thinks his story is rad, it decided it was time to tell his story.

Our Radar Roundup compiles products and videos from the ‘net in an easy-to-digest format. Read on below for today’s findings…

Our Radar Roundup compiles products and videos from the ‘net in an easy-to-digest format. Read on below for today’s findings…

Our Radar Roundup compiles products and videos from the ‘net in an easy-to-digest format. Read on below for today’s findings…