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When you think of steel full suspension bikes, you probably think of all the kooky and weird designs that came out in the late 90s that were awkward… to say the least. Yet there is a new wave of modern steel full suspension mountain bikes gaining hold, including the Starling Murmur. In the latest Beautiful Builds video, John showcases his personal Murmur, why he likes it, and what made him want a steel full suspension…
Our Radar Roundup compiles products and videos from the ‘net in an easy-to-digest format. Read on below for today’s findings…
Starling’s very first hardtail, the Roost, had to be something special, so the UK MTB framebuilders went all out to make a bike built for pure, undiluted fun. Made to go anywhere and do anything, it’s as suited to back-country epics as it is bike park blasts. A handbuilt, zingy steel frame makes light work of rough and rowdy descents whilst mullet wheels bring that perfect balance of flick-knife and magnum. With room for a 120mm to 160mm fork, you’ve got plenty of options to custom build your own perfect setup. It’s not a spindly XC whippet, it’s not a sickly ‘hardcore ‘hardtail. It’s a ride-wherever, ride-whatever, tough-as-nails stainless do-it-all that’s built to take on whatever you can throw it at. And, of course, it’s built-in beautiful stainless steel for that shiny, rust-free raw style.
When you’re done with the video above, check out more photos of the Roost below and check out the pre-order at Starling Cycles. Pre-orders are open now with frames shipping to customers in early April 2022.
Starling Cycles has a new video out, showcasing its team rider, Fleur:
“By day, Fleur is an ambulance driver and student paramedic. If you’ve not seen her racing round Bristol with the blues-and-twos wailing, she might well have patched you up at Dyfi Bike Park. Before training to save lives, she spent over a decade risking her own, racing yachts around the world and getting into more than a few sticky situations on the high seas.
And, of course, she absolute shreds on that pink Swoop of hers. Loose as a goose, not afraid to hit the big jumps and totally in love with scaring the shit out of herself on the high-speed and technical stuff. Perfect for the Starling Cycles crew! We spent the day with Fleur, on the river and on the trails, to get to know her a bit better.”
You know that big bike shortage the world is going through right now? It seems like Starling Cycles didn’t get the memo because they’ve got Starling frames and build kits available to order now. That means all of their Core frames are ready to order – that’s Swoop, Twist, and Murmur in Enduro (long travel) and Trail (short travel) options. Also, all of their Rare frames are ready to order – that’s the Murmur Stainless, Spur, Beady Little Eye, and full custom geo frames.
Starling’s Core bikes are being handbuilt to a 12 week lead time and their Rare bikes to a 16 week lead time. To top off your build, Starling also has a good supply of build kits to create your dream bike – that’s shocks, forks, drivetrains, wheels, cockpits. Pretty much everything you need. So, if you’re hunting for your dream bike, why not consider a beautifully built, brutally fast steel single-pivot?
If you’ve never thrown your leg over a modern steel full suspension, join the cult!
Packing 170mm of travel, 29″ wheels and the Effigear system, the Spur is the bike for big-terrain enduro racing, double-black bike park laps and hassle-free seasons in the mountains.
The Spur uses a high-pivot, gearbox design to offer an unprecedented ride on a steel chassis. During the design process, Starling worked closely with Effigear to build this steel frame around their 9-speed system, offering a 440% range, making any climb more efficient. Speaking of efficiency, the Effigear system uses a standard trigger shifter, not an annoying grip ship. Having the gearbox at the bottom bracket keeps the bike balanced, nimble, and provides a lower center of gravity. This translates to unprecedented traction, control, and an overall more balanced feel.
The Spur is available to order now from Starling Cycles and is built by hand in Bristol, UK using Reynolds 853 steel heat-treated tubing. There is a 16 week lead time on all orders and frames are available with or without shock and with a variety of components to help build your dream bike.
Specs:
Front triangle and swingarm hand-built in Bristol, UK, using Reynolds 853 heat-treated tubing
170mm travel
Effigear 9spd drivetrain with 440% range, including cranks, shifter and cogs
29″ wheels
2.6″ tyre clearance
Up to 200mm rotor
Designed for single speed 142x12mm rear hubs
Unique Starling dropouts system means rear wheel can be removed without adjusting tension
Seattube reinforcing strut on XL
Integrated seat-clamp
Stainless & numbered dropper port
Starling headtube gusset
Bottle mount in frame on medium & above
Available in Medium, Large, and X-Large. Pricing is £3330.00 for a frame. See more at Starling Cycles.
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…
Since moving to Santa Fe, I’ve ridden my mountain bikes almost exclusively, which is a stark contrast to how much time I would spend on my drop bar bikes in Los Angeles. It’s not that there isn’t gravel in our area, it’s just that mountain biking is so accessible, so remote, and so sheltered from the wind and the sun, it’s a no-brainer.
Another major difference is whereas I’d drive to the trailhead in LA, I find myself riding to the trails here 99.9% of the time, even on my Starling Cycles Murmur, which is a really big bike to pedal across town, up the foothills, and into the mountains.
These miles spent on my full suspension had me spending a lot of time adjusting the coil system this bike was built on. Some days, I’d pedal with only a hip bag, while others, I’d lug a heavy camera bag around. This 10+ pound differential made it somewhat awkward to adjust the coil shocks as I found myself smack dab in the middle of the two coil weight zones. While the ride quality of the coil system is undeniably noticeable, it felt like I needed something less finicky.
So, when Fox reached out, asking if I wanted to try out their new fork and rear shock, I jumped on the opportunity. Little did I know I’d gravitate back towards air after vibing so hard on the coil shocks’ ride quality…
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. ;-)
After reviewing the Starling Murmur Factory early last year, I placed a deposit for one myself, springing for the made in the UK front triangle, made in Taiwan rear swingarm model, in a larger size than the demo large I reviewed. Joe and I discussed the bike, I sent in the money needed and waited. A few months later, Joe alerted me that the bike was done and he shipped it to the United States. Little did I know that I wouldn’t see the bike for almost 8 months later.
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?
In 1890, the European starling was released into New York’s Central Park by the American Acclimatization Society. They were an organization that believed European flora and fauna should be present in North America for cultural reasons. The head of the AAS was a fella named Eugene Schieffelin, who decided any bird mentioned by William Shakespeare should be in North America and he pushed for 100 of these birds being released into New York City. Thus, the invasive species has taken over. You’ve probably seen them, en masse, as they fly in a tight flock, moving like a black mass across the late afternoon sky. This swarm is called a murmuration.
You see where I’m going here, right?
Unlike the European starling, the Starling Murmur, a full suspension, steel mountain bike was a welcomed species in the San Gabriel Mountains of Los Angeles.
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.
