Robert Johnston, The Loam Wolf’s European Editor paid us a visit in Bristol to find out how we go about producing our Starling Cycles handmade steel mountain bike frames and the difference between them and a mass-produced frame.
How handmade steel mountain bike frames are made, I hear you ask? Well, look no further.
“We recently paid Starling Cycles a visit in their new Bristol, UK headquarters. While we were there, we thought we would take the opportunity to experience first-hand how a frame goes from the raw materials through to the finished product, and figured we would share that with you as we don’t imagine that many people are aware of all the little intricate steps involved in the process, and we think it’s pretty damn interesting.
So, without further ado, let’s learn how to build a Starling front triangle.”
Check out the full feature over on The Loam Wolf here.
Liam Mercer at Off-Road.cc has just published his Starling Cycles MegaMurmur review and there’s plenty of praise for our longest long-travel 29″ mountain bike.
There’s been plenty of talk of how confidence-inspiring our bikes feel and that’s no different in Liam’s case, saying:
“Once a climb is summited and the bike is rolled into a descent, that’s when the bike absolutely comes into its own. To put it short, it’s a monster that’ll very quickly take you to the finest edge of control.“
With a longer chainstay on the MegaMurmur to suit taller riders, the extra plus is overall stability, something that wasn’t lost on Liam either he found that:
“High-speed rock gardens were met with nothing but composure to the point where I was travelling at speeds way out of my comfort zone but rather than clinging on for dear life, my confidence was simply extended to match the ability of the bike.“
Wrapping up his review, Liam said this about our latest hand made mountain bike frame.
“If you’re looking for a beautiful hand-crafted, steel mountain bike that’s built for nothing but absolutely unshakable comfort and performance at speed, Starling’s Mega Murmur is one fast machine and a total hoot at that.”
On the far side of the pond, John Watson at The Radavist has written his Starling Cycles Murmur V3 review.
John makes no secret of the fact that he loves steel mountain bikes, and in particular, the previous-gen Starling Murmur that he rode and review for a long old while. Whilst he was fully sold on the Murmur V2, Joe managed to convince him that the V3 would be the better option.
After a few months on one of our handmade mountain bike frames, John offered this insight:
“My favorite thing to do on the Murmur is a left-hand jump on a local trail that lands you into a sharp, left-hook turn. Hitting the jump just right snaps you into a spring-loading position just before you fire out of the landing in the corner like a catapult.”
It’s not all about the descending either. John’s a big fan of his hardtail for maximum efficiency on the chunky uphills…
“however, with the V3’s geometry tweaks, mainly the 1º steeper seat tube and slightly higher BB, climbing got a bit easier. Now, when I hit a steep section of trail, I’ll scooch forward even more on the saddle, and dig in deeper. The bike practically walks itself up steep switchbacks and tight turns.”
“This new Murmur just proves that with the right kinetic engineering, proper geometry, and tube selection, a steel full suspension bike can offer the same, if not better, performance and ride quality as a carbon bike.”
Music to our ears John.
You can read the full review over on The Radavist website here.
To check out the Starling Cycles Murmur V3, head here.
Our friends in Germany, MTB-News.de took delivery of a Twist V3 earlier in the year and Michael Biernoth has put his thoughts on the ‘Landy Green’ mullet machine down on paper. Almost immediately his preconceptions about steel were discarded with Michael mulling, “does it always have to be carbon? The answer to this question can be answered unreservedly with no. A successful example of this is the Starling Twist V3.”
One of the many pros that the MTB-news team found with the Twist V3 was the “enormous grip and the feeling of security that could be felt.”
The final sentence of Michael’s review is likely all you need to know about his experience, saying, “if you are looking for comfort, a lot of traction combined with corner-eating agility and that certain exotic extra, you can find it in the Starling Twist V3.“
The team at MTB-News opted to run the 160mm version of the Twist, and were a little taken aback by the amount of attention it received on the trails. “Hardly a lap went by without me being asked about the exotic steel-framed bike.”
You can read the full review over on the MTB-News website here.
To check out the Starling Cycles Twist V3, head here.
We’re super excited to announce our very first complete-build bike AND a limited edition super build that brings together the best of Bristol, Lancashire and further afield in Europe.
Our Limited Edition Hope Build takes a Starling frame – Murmur, Swoop or Twist, you chose – and dresses it up in a super-spec from some amazing UK and European manufacturers. Trail and Enduro modes are both available.
We’ve got Hope everything (including bar and stem, cranks, wheels and more) Ohlins suspension, a Bike Yoke dropper and Michelin tyres. It’s a build that wants for absolutely nothing and, we think, is a perfect pairing of UK and Euro brands.
If that’s not quite enough, we’re offering the full range of Hope colours and FREE custom paint, including premium colours, to guarantee your new dream build will be a true one-of-a-kind.
Complete Spec:
Ohlins TFX36 air fork / TTX Coil shock
Hope headset
Hope seat clamp
Hope Tech E4 brakes
Hope EVO crankset
Hope AM stem
Hope carbon bar
Hope Head Doctor
Hope Fortus 30 SC wheelset
Shimano SLX drivetrain
BikeYoke Divine dropper
Funn saddle
Funn Hilt grips
Michelin Wild AM2 tyres
The last piece of good news is the price. We’ve worked HARD on the pricing of this one to create a monster build at the best possible price. We’ve also included that FREE paint upgrade and free premium paint, worth £160.
The complete build of this bike should be £6326. We’ve worked some magic and can supply a complete bike, with premium paint for just £5777, saving you over £500.
How To Order..?
UK customers will receive the new Hope Edition as a complete build – marking the first-ever complete bikes that Starling has sold.
They’ll be shipped built-up and you’ll just need to do some easy assembly on arrival with basic tools. Nothing complicated, just pull it out the box, get the wheels in, bars on and your set.
European and USA customers have a choice. They can purchase direct from our suppliers in their regions who will supply complete bikes (pricing and spec may vary) or they can purchase direct from us and we can supply unbuilt components.
Anyone in any other countries, should purchase direct from Starling and we’ll supply unbuilt components.
Great news for USA and EU customers – it’s now even easier to buy Starling Cycles frames from within the EU and the USA, thanks to two new importers.
Up to this point, we’ve supplied frames direct from the UK to the USA and EU. Orders are placed, frames are prepped and then shipped direct to customers.
But (particularly in the EU) that can be tricky with import fees, shipping times, import taxes and uncertainty over timescales to clear customs.
That problem is now solved thanks to our partners Traillabs and BikeTheWorld.
Both are now holding stock within their respective territories and dealing with sales, warranty and tech support.
Introducing…
Trail Labs is a black-belt-level suspension tuning and servicing centre, based out of Springfield Missouri USA and Starling Cycles USA importer.
Trail Labs is holding stock of Starling Cycles Core frames and can supply anything from frame-only, to full builds to custom projects.
They’re also offering custom-painted frames, with an almost endless supply of paint options and – of course – handling warranty, technical, spares and anything else you might need.
And, because they’re also suspension experts, Trail Labs can work with you to get that suspension setup absolutely dialled.
If you’re looking to buy a Starling Cycles frame in the USA, you can contact Trail Labs here.
BikeTheWorld is a rider-owned company that’s based in Zurich, Switzerland and is the Starling Cycles importer for the EU/mainland Europe.
BikeTheWorld is also holding stock of Starling Cycles Core frames and can supply frame-only, full build and custom builds. They’re going to handle EU sales, warranty, tech and spares and be your one-stop-shop for Starling Cycles in mainland Europe.
The big benefit of BikeTheWorld is that they hold stock within the EU – meaning none of those annoying import fees for EU customers that you’d face when shipping from the UK and no hassles with customs holdups.
If you’re looking to buy a Starling Cycles frame in the EU and mainland Europe, you can contact BikeTheWorld here.
How Does This All Work?
It works however you want it to.
USA and EU customers can contact BikeTheWorld and Trail Labs direct and deal 100% with them. They’re experts, they know our bikes, they can answer pretty much everything you need to know.
Or, if you’d prefer, you’re welcome to contact us here at HQ to discuss your dream build. We can provide all the usual advice that we would to a direct-sales customer, then refer you over to our importers when it’s time to make a sale.
We know you lot like to speak to us when speccing your bikes, so we’re 100% happy to keep that open to all customers.
After several years of designing the logos, graphics and soft-goods for Starling Cycles our art guy John decided it was time to get his very own Starling.
Here’s the story behind his new Stainless Murmur.
Words and photos by John Lambert:
Back in early 2016, I was in the early stages of setting up my freelance design business, so I had a little bit of time on my hands.
As many mountain bikers do, I was scrolling through the Singletrack World forum and came across a post on steel full-suspension bikes. I’ve always been a steel fan, with my first ‘proper’ mtb being an Orange P7 back in 2006, so I was intrigued to find out more about this unknown-to-me brand.
There was no website at the time, which prompted me to jump onto the Starling Facebook page, where I found a post offering some free handlebars or a frame discount in exchange for a logo design. The logo had to work vertically, and horizontally and look good as a head badge.
I played around with a few ideas and sent them to Joe and got a good response but there were also some other ideas he liked. I then sent an email suggesting that he may want to consider who his customers were likely to be and how the Starling logo design could appeal to and resonate with them.
Joe’s response was: “What would it cost me to sit down with you for a day, we can throw some ideas around and then you could take those away to produce a final polished logo.”
Since then, I have had the privilege of contributing to the brand’s growth from a small workshop in a shed, to a global brand with several full-time staff.
Along the way there have been multiple model logos, website front page videos, the odd photo shoot and many other interactions.
Since launching the merchandise shop, I’ve looked like Starling’s biggest fanboy and despite having the opportunity to ride most of the different bikes, I’ve never owned one myself.
I really like the UK-made frames and have huge respect for Geoff and Ollie in the workshop, but I was drawn to the finish of one of the early stainless frames while taking some photos back in 2019.
As is probably typical for most designers, mine is an understated but well-thought-out Murmur Stainless ‘trail’ build. As far as component choice, I went for something a bit more ‘trail orientated’ but I love seeing the different directions that Starling owners take their builds in.
I started with some tried and trusted quality parts and touchpoints: Middleburn cranks, Magura Trail SL brakes, BikeYoke dropper, Chris King headset, Fabric saddle, ESI grips.
Wheels were built locally by Sam at Amped (who also provided the One Up carbon bars) using the new Hope Pro5s, DT Swiss XM481 and Comp butted spokes with brass Squorx prolock nipples.
Bouncy bits are taken care of by Rockshox, including a custom TFTuned rear shock.
Finally, I took a bit of a gamble ordering a DH Sign stem from Italy, but the stainless faceplate and matte anodised stem match the aesthetics of the frame perfectly.
Already the bike feels perfectly at home on my local trails in the South West of the UK; fast and confidence-inspiring on the downs and light and snappy enough on the climbs to pick up some Strava top 10s.
I’m looking forward to fine-tuning it and properly putting it through its paces this summer.
Full(ish) spec list:
Pike Ultimate MY23
Custom TFTuned Super Deluxe Ultimate
Pro 5s on XM481 Slik stealth graphics
CK Headset
Starling top cap
Middleburn cranks
XT 12 speed throughout
Magura MT Trail SL, 180mm/203mm
DH Sign stem with stainless faceplate
One Up 35mm carbon bar
BikeYoke Divine/Squeezy
Fabric scoop race
ESI Chunky grips
76 projects cable tidies
You can follow John and his design business ‘Breathe Design’ on Instagram.
MBUK just launched their new video channel and dropped into our brand-new Workshop for a tour.
We chatted about all things Starling, how to start your own bike company and why (we think at least) that steel is real.
“We visit Starling Cycles, producer of handmade steel mountain bike frames from Bristol, in the south west of England.
Joe from Starling explains what it takes to start your own bike brand, and how he moved from building frames in his garden shed to a purpose-built factory complete with its own mini-ramp!
We look at the process used to turn a pile of steel tubes into a finished bike frame you can ride, and head out to some local tracks for a shred!”
9am for 9:30am till we’re done. Approx 5pm finish.
What to expect?
We’ll meet up and head out for a ride in the morning. The trails vary but expect up to Bike Park Red difficulty. Expect to be pedalling between locations with technical trails thrown into the mix.
We’ll ride out in the morning, return to the car for lunch and then head out again in the afternoon.
The morning ride will be more ‘xc ride with techy trails thrown in’ and the afternoon will be closer to the car park with some more opportunities to session trails.
The AM ride is expected to be approximately 20 miles.
What should I bring?
Bring whatever you need to be self-sufficient for a ride. That includes a working bike, spares and tools, plenty of clothing to match the conditions and some water and snacks. We won’t abandon anyone but you should bring whatever you need to keep you and your bike rolling. And, of course, a helmet is required.
What does it cost?
100% free! But – bring some money for snacks and drinks. Parking is free.
Fancy it?
Sign up here on Eventbrite to let us know you’re coming:
UPDATE: Congrats to all of you that spotted our April Fool’s prank, and sorry to anyone we duped by sneaking it out a day early. Just to confirm, we’re not bending to the whim of a corporate mega corp and we’re not rebranding to take on the identity of a pelagic seabird. Nor do we hate eBikes – we love ’em in fact.
Thanks for being good sports – you can see the full April Fools below!
——–
UK-made, single pivot, the feel of steel, born in Bristol.
Introducing Puffin Pedallers Mountain Bikes.
Previously known as Starling Cycles, Puffin Pedallers was born out of a commitment to the hard yards of mountain biking (and an expensive, cease-and-desist legal challenge from a large, multinational corporation).
Puffin Pedallers. The joy of the struggle, the commitment to huffin’ and puffin’ up an epic climb to reach the summit and earn your descents.
No assistance, no engines, no driver-assist style technology. Just a rider, a bike and the mountain.
There’s no mistaking the skinny steel tubes of a Puffin, the single-pivot silhouette and the graceful lines. Puffin riders proudly and unashamedly earn their altitude, and their bikes stand out on the mountain as a badge of honour.
When you’re puffin’ on a Puffin no one will be in any doubt that you’re working hard and earning those descents.
And – of course – the Puffin is the perfect figurehead for our brand. Tough, fast, resilient to brutal conditions, graceful and just a little bit flamboyant.
What better creature to lift our brand into the next chapter?
Trail and Enduro Modes On All Frames
All Puffin Pedallers models are available in ‘Enduro’ and ‘Trail’ modes using an adjustable shock mount.
Customers need simply choose their mode when they order, and should they decide to change they’ll need to switch suspension but won’t need a completely new frame.
Our frames offer the following rear travel options.
Puffin Circus (29″) – 135mm or 150mm Puffin Improbability (Mixed Wheel) – 135mm or 165mm Puffin Gathering (27.5″)- 130mm or 160mm
All Puffin frames are built using our award-winning, single pivot and steel design. No pivots, no batteries, no motors. Just raw rallying, unassisted and human-powered fun.
The new model names are inspired by, you guessed it, the names given to collections of Puffins.
And The Future
The official launch of Puffin Pedallers will see our website updated, a new merch line and all production bikes now shipped with our new name and branding.
We’ll work with media titles worldwide to remove any references to the ‘old’ brand and comprehensively replace them with our new name, redirecting all digital traffic to our new home.
We’ll also issue a product recall on all out-of-date, old-generation graphics, replacing them with updated Puffin graphics free of charge (admin, import, local taxes and shipping costs apply).
We’ve also promised, scout’s honour, that we won’t ever, ever say the name of our old company in public ever again, either in person or online. And we’ve been asked to politely request that our customers and members of the press, dealers or distributors respect this request and make the same commitment.
We’re working hard on launching the new Puffin website this week, and you should start to see content appear online from Friday 31st UK time.
In the meantime, stay tuned to Starling Cycles’ Instagram for updates.
We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.Ok
