Roost

My Murmur.
It’s been ridden. And ridden some more.
I’ve ridden a lot of different bikes over the years and by far its the best trail/down country what ever you want to call it that I’ve ever had the pleasure to ride.
Just completed a full strip down and clean ready for another day out on the trails.
Thank you Starling Cycles.

My Murmur.
It’s been ridden. And ridden some more.
I’ve ridden a lot of different bikes over the years and by far it the best trail/down country what ever you want to call it that I’ve ever had the pleasure to ride.
Just completed a full strip down and clean ready for another day out on the trails.
Thank you Starling Cycles.

I finally got to try out “seriously” my new bike. A full day in Finale Ligure on technical trails with loose rocks, roots, and jumps, and a second, easier day in the woods of Piemonte, on the border with France.
The mega twist is spectacular, surprisingly pedalable uphill, ready for any route, it eats up all the obstacles it encounters: the real limit is the driver's capabilities…WONDERFUL

Incredible bike!

I got a murmur from 2021, didn’t knew exactly what to expect from it as I never rode any single pivot or steel bikes...
After a few changes like putting a 230x65mm EXT storia, upgrading the fork for a 170mm fork with a Vorsprung Smashpot inside and putting a 27.5 rear wheel I can tell it is the coolest bike I ever rode! Really suitable for my style of riding and my expectations!
It’s also perfect for maintenance, no worries, just send it!
The bike is a weapon of choice for riding whatever trails from alpine adventures to steep freeride trails without being compromised when you go to the local bike park ;)

Starling is making bikes that are working exactly how they should and that are mechanic friendly ;)

Thanks guys!

I feel sorry for the people that haven’t had the opportunity to ride one of these bikes. It’s like watching people drink Carling while you’ve got a Guinness.

This bike does not care what you want to ride, it goes up like an xc bike, goes down like a big rig. The only limitation to this machine is the person piloting it.

Stop looking at the reviews now, just buy one, it will make you a better rider

I'm about a month in to owning my murmur. So far it's fulfilled roles as an adventure bike, pub cruiser and enduro rig. I love it. Definitely a do it all, no nonsense bike. I've setup in enduro mode for 150 mm rear travel. I might never change from this but it's cool to have the option with the adjustable shock mounts if I ever do get the urge. The bike rides beautifully, looks great and is easy to work. Really looking forward to spending more time enjoying my Murmur

I’ve always loved a short-travel bike. I enjoy the direct feel, fast acceleration, and being more in touch with the terrain than on longer-travel bikes, which also means you have to be a bit more focused with line choice. Too often though, short-travel bikes feel out of their depth on the descents, with geometry designed for tamer XC trails — not my Mini Murmur.

My local trails are a combination of fast, flowy XC and steep, techy, normally muddy and loose terrain. My Starling feels fast and efficient on XC trails and for big days out in the hills, but then takes on a totally different persona when you point it down something steep and technical — crazy capable, stable, and most importantly, fun. If you are ever lucky enough to have go on one of these I guarantee you'll rail turns faster than any bike you've ever ridden. If you want an XC bike you can ride down, around and over anything, this is the bike.

Side note, but of utmost importance to me: I’m up there with the world’s laziest bike owners. Do not underestimate the joy of servicing your bike’s back end with a simple two press-fit bearing swap — less time in the workshop, more time to ride.

I’ve been riding my Starling Murmur for about three years and I have nothing but great things to say about it and smiles on face post ride. As a part owner in a full suspension bike company that uses a “fancy” suspension design I’d have a hard time telling someone they need anything but what Starling offers.

Love this new Murmur!
I've been through a lot of carbon bikes & wanted something different - something unique, fun & special. This is it. easy to build up, Simple to fall in love with & mint on the trail. The Murmur is a great, versatile platform to customize - I'm looking forward to many more miles!

Murmur, my second Starling.
The previous one, a Swoop from the beginnings in the Shed, i rode for almost nine years. What a great ride! Agile, fast and very comfy bike. Lot of fun and memories.
This one comes from the Trade-in and Upgrade programm.
While the first bike was like a fighter jet, this one is fuckin' spaceship!! 👍🤣
Soo much better...
Cheers, Joe and Starling team! ✌️

I have just built up my V2 Beady Little Eye with old components (a well used Rockshox Deluxe shock & Pike fork).

Wow. What a fun, fun bike! All of the stiff, snappy response of a hardtail but with enough rear compliance to soak up the worst of rooty, rocky crud. Running minimal sag encourages proactive riding, pushing into compressions forcefully and popping hard off crests to engage the rear suspension. Flicking the damping from fast (downhill) to slow (climbing) seems to be the cheat code for having your cake and eat it: descending fun and climbing efficiency. I'm sure that the lightweight rear end, devoid of cassette and derailleur help the back tyre track the ground more effectively than a heavy geared bike.

This bike makes me feel like the hardtail hero that I'm not! It addresses the limitations of a hardtail with very little compromise.

Thanks Joe, James and all at Starling for making such a game-changing design and the top customer service.

My first Starling and my first full-suspension bike, so I'm not the most knowlegable reviewer. A superbly involving bike - carbon and aluminium bikes feel dead in comparison. I'm told it's the first customer bike so has had a good innings. The photo was taken above Molini on an epic 5-day holiday. The Murmur received more admiring comments that all of the other carbon bikes in the group put together!

Love my Beady! I've built mine for days on the south downs, and long distance rides. It climbs like a hardtail, but the rear is so compliant on the bumpy stuff.
Such a confidence inspiring ride, it wants to go fast. (We won't mention my 2nd ride crash where I've fractured some ribs due to a speed vs skill ratio that wasn't in my favour!). Looking forward to a summer on this thing once I'm healed up!

All of 2024 I was looking at different short travel fullies to replace my hardcore hardtail, which was simply too much of a bike for the trails I ride the most. I considered getting a Santa Cruz Tall Boy, Norco Optic and the Dawley T16. Then the Mini Murmur dropped and it was pretty much a no brainer. Starling's reputation, combined with the ability to still run other suspension platforms on a beautiful steel frame sealed the deal.

I built mine up mostly with parts from my old bike. Had to tweak the fit with a longer stem and rolled my handlebars forward to get more weight on the front. After some tweaks to suspension, this thing is dialed. I have never been riding this much. I just love how zippy, fun and capable it is. It really feels like the perfect bike for my needs and taste. Great work guys!

Having put over 4000km's on this thing I can safely say it climbs and descends with absolutely no fuss! It's so playful on the descents and brings me so much joy that I got rid of my other bikes (including an e-bike) because this things just ticks all the boxes!

Had my Twist for a bit over three years now. Still loving how it performs. How quiet it is. How easy it is to work on. Ride it 3-5 times a week and it always makes me smile. No idea why just feels right.

A fistful of Birds.
"When a person's got a Starling in their pocket, they begin to appreciate peace."

After selling my Light-Eebs and getting a CX powered EBike I got tired of riding and missed the feeling of gratification. I felt as if there was no fidelity left with all that high-tech, like listening to your favorite tune through a tin-can turned up to 11.

This bike turned all this around. It's exactly as advertised: LoFi bike for HiFi fun - as long as you don't mind the bit of extra pain for a lack of gears.

After 10 rides I can confirm it really is the forever bike - floats like a butterfly and stings like a bee if need be.

My most versatile bike. Its been a short travel single speed (until I finally got a BLE), a trail bike and currently big travel enduro. The adjustable travel lets you build it however you want and it’s so easy to swap between setups. And one of the few places you can still get a 27.5! I can’t recommend Starling enough, super friendly team and awesome bikes.

I’ve worked in bike shops for close to 20 years. I always tried a new bike every year from a variety of brands and was never truly impressed. I’ve been riding my Starling Murmur now for 5 years and it continues to make me smile. I now get more excited about swapping out suspension or drivetrain components to only enhance the joy this bike brings. I’m hoping it lives longer than I do. It’s a keeper!