29″ / 27.5″wheels
Limited Run Only
Single Speed, Lo-Fi Lightning
90mm

RARE SPECIES: V3 Starling Cycles Beady Little Eye frame

Starling’s lo-fi full suspension single speed mountain bike. 100% UK-made with 90mm rear travel in Reynolds 853 steel. Updated to V3. Base price is for frame only, without shock.
Super limited run through our RARE programme. Orders are now closed. Contact us to register your interest for the next run.

£2,046.67

Choose your frame

RARE SPECIES
Beady Little Eye

Wake up Sheeple! Free your mind. Escape the herd, ditch the shifter, join the Beady Brood.

The V3 Beady Little Eye is the freakiest, fastest, weirdest beast in the Starling brood. Zero gears, tiny travel, steel frame, a shed load of lo-fi lightning.

It’s the choice of a special community of freaks and geeks. Ultra-distancers, bike-packers, XC-racers, dirt-jumpers, park-ratters, grown up-BMX’ers. The enlightened few that know the more you subtract, the more you add.

The Beady is a full-suspension, single-speed mountain bike. But think of it as a hardtail with more grip and less chatter.

The special sauce is that the swing arm rotates around the BB. That means zero chain growth and a simple, single-speed setup.

The chain line is offset from the pivot, meaning you run zero sag to stop pedal bob. That means hardtail geo, a super low BB, on-rails cornering.

The beady cranks like a hardtail, with the explosive punch of a single speed. Throw in a big hit, drop or compression and the suspension comes to life, working when you need it to. Just enough movement for silly, scary speed. Just enough for a raw, rowdy, lo-fi, pedal-all-day, one-of-a-kind ride.

It’s a weird bike for weird riders. Riders that don’t give a damn about gears. Riders that love the feel of steel and a bike that’s brutally simple, zero maintenance and absolutely flies.

The Beady is part of our RARE collection, meaning it’s small batch and LTD edition. Orders are now closed but contact us to register your interest for the next order window.

Review

Pete from Norway
“Fantastic blend of steel feeling, forgiving yet simple suspension setup and geometry that is rewarding when you to push it. Feels like a BMX but with forgiveness for bad landings.”

Review

Mikey from California
“It’s simple, its steel, and its a super playful bike to ride. One sentence, stupid simple sexy fun.”

Review

Joe from Bristol
“On paper it sounds rubbish, Pinkbike commentors won’t be able to contain themselves.  But in practice it results in the most fun, engaging and exciting riding bike out there.  Ask any owner; they love their Beadys! BEST BIKE EVER!”

V3. The Best Beady Little Eye Ever

Our bikes eliminate complexity.

They are the counter-argument to mountain biking’s obsession with ‘more’.

With more pivots and more space-age materials. More acronyms and more marketing bullshit. The misconception that more tech means more fun.

We make unapologetically simple bikes. We include only what’s necessary, nothing more. Zero marketing gimmicks and next-best-thing shithousery.

We’ve stripped away the bullshit and left tough, long-lasting, beautiful and hassle-free mountain bikes. Bikes made to ride, not polish and preen. Simple to ride and bags of fun.

But simple doesn’t mean basic, and it certainly isn’t easy. It takes a whole heap of experience, expertise, testing, refinement and raw passion to make bikes this good, and this simple.

The Beady Little Eye is made using high-end, recycled steel. The V3 Beady has a whole heap of improvements to make it the toughest, simplest and funnest full-suspension, single-speed mountain bike ever.

The frame has an updated BB solution for a stiffer main pivot, less bearing drag, improved wear and the ability to run 24mm cranks instead of custom Middleburn/Profiles on previous versions. Bearings can be easily replaced, a stainless BB is supplied and servicing is done with a standard Shimano BB tool. The Beady also features an updated, straight seat tube for longer dropper insertion and an aluminium shim to stop stuck posts. As a final touch, we’ve added the current-gen, swooped head tube gussets.

And to give you the confidence you need, our frames are covered by our 7-year warranty and crash replacement service. They can be repaired, refurbished, repainted and often upgraded to keep them charging hard for years to come.

Features

  • V3 frame design with updated technology.
  • Choose 27.5, mullet or 29 wheels.
  • 90mm rear travel.
  • 110mm suggested front travel, works with 110mm-140mm.
  • Updated with new-style headtube gusset.
  • Updated with straight seat tube for longer dropper insertion.
  • Updated with alloy shim meaning no stuck posts.
  • Updated BB to give stiffer main pivot, lower drag, improved bearing performance.
  • Updated to allow any 24mm cranks for 73mm BB.
  • Unique dropouts mean rear wheel can be removed without adjusting tension.
  • Front triangle hand-built in Bristol, UK, using Reynolds 853 heat-treated tubing.
  • Rear triangle hand built in the UK, using heat-treated Chromoly.
  • Up to 200mm rotor.
  • Designed for single-speed 142x12mm rear hubs.
  • 8mm allen adjustment for eccentric dropouts.
  • Fits standard tapered forks.
  • Seat tube reinforcing strut on XL frames.
  • 34.9mm seat clamp.
  • Stainless & numbered dropper port.
  • Starling headtube gusset.
  • 7-year warranty/crash replacement service.
  • Frame repair, refurbishment, repaint service.
  • Contact us for full build options.
  • Note: Images show adjustable shock mount, but, BLE is 90mm travel only.

Starling Cycles are made by real flesh-and-blood humans. The perfect blend of precision and passion.

Our frames are hand-crafted with quality, lightweight steel for an unmistakable feel and undeniable speed.

Our single-pivot suspension design eliminates complexity. A blast to ride and a breeze to maintain.

Geometry and sizing

Frame SizeMediumLargeXLMediumLargeXL
Front Wheel27.5″27.5″27.5″29″29″29″
Rear Wheel27.5″27.5″27.5″29″29″29″
Shock210×55210×55210×55210×55210×55210×55
Rear Travel909090909090
Max Rear Tyre2.6″2.6″2.6″2.6″2.6″2.6″
Fork Length130mm130mm130mm130mm130mm130mm
Rider Size Range5’6″ – 5’10”5’9″ – 6’1″6’0 – 6’4″5’6″ – 5’10”5’9″ – 6’1″6’0 – 6’4″
167cm – 177cm175cm – 185cm183cm – 193cm167cm – 177cm175cm – 185cm183cm – 193cm
Reach440475505440475505
Stack611611621632632641
Head Angle65°65°65°65°65°65°
Seat Tube Length410440480410440480
Head Tube Length120120130110110120
Chainstay428428428440440440
Recommended Gear Ratio32:1732:1732:1732:1832:1832:18
Wheelbase113711711248115111861220
BB drop
(relative to front wheel axle)
353535505050
Eff. Seat Angle77°77°77°77°77°77°
Eff. Top Tube *581616648585621653
Max Post Insertion280310350280310350
* Effective ST Angle measured at 750mm from BB Centre.

Mullet geometry is the same as 29″ geo throughout, except that it has 27.5″ chainstay length.

Technical

Travel 90mm
Shock 210x55mm metric
Headset Top ZS44/28.6
Headset Bottom EC44/40
Seat Tube 31.6mm
BB Unique Starling stainless (supplied).
Easily serviced MR2437LLB bearings.
Uses standard Shimano tool.
Seat Clamp 34.9mm
Chain Device None
Cranks Requires 24mm axle cranks, e.g. Shimano or Middleburn for 73mm BB.
Bash Mount None
Rear Axle 12mm bolt through UDH
Max Tyre 2.6″
Brake Mount IS
Max Disc 200mm
Front Shock Hardware 30x8mm
Rear Shock Hardware 35x8mm
Main Pivot Bearings

6807LLB

Derailleur Hanger None

Reviews

Mega Twist photo review
Marvin
I am simply blown away by the MegaTwist. It hast phanomenal grip, handles steeps like a champ and is planted and fun at the same time. Thanks Joe...More
I am simply blown away by the MegaTwist.
It hast phanomenal grip, handles steeps like a champ and is planted and fun at the same time.
Thanks Joe and the great Team behind the scenes for a simply awesome mountainbike and the good times!
Swoop photo review
Assaf
When I ordered the bike I was sure it would be a big fail but couldn’t resist this thin tubes 😂 After 3 months it arrived and that’s the most close t...More
When I ordered the bike I was sure it would be a big fail but couldn’t resist this thin tubes 😂
After 3 months it arrived and that’s the most close to perfect bike I can think of for me and I rode the last years on Canfield balance,
The swoop hits you hard in the face with all the shit this industry feed us for years, it’s like the frame run naked in the forest and laughing out loud on all the other companies best efforts to make a good bike , like the pre sale support told me before I ordered them - it’s not one measure/ angel/matireal , it’s how all those things talk to each other, that’s the starling experience
Steve
I have one of the Murmur LTD frames. It was a handmade version of the 'Factory' model. I guess it's reasonably similar to the v2? Whilst I'm sure tha...More
I have one of the Murmur LTD frames. It was a handmade version of the 'Factory' model. I guess it's reasonably similar to the v2?
Whilst I'm sure that the v3 is an improvement I really can't find anything wrong with mine. It's the best bike I've owned & the best full sus bike I've ridden by a long way. The ONLY thing that could be better is the fact that bottle mounting is tight! I solved it with a fidlock bottle that will change shape a bit with boiling water and some pressure, then cold water! I'd probably sacrifice a little bit of standover to solve it but then that may reduce dropper travel. I think the newer frames have less of an issue with this though.
It climbs, pedals, descends and corners great and so far seems as tough as they come. I would have another Starling anytime I have the cash to spare!
I run mine 650+ which isn't a common setup, but I prefer it to 29. Going to try some of the new Schwalbe radial tyres on the 29er wheels but I really like the feel of the plus set up... The newer frames take slightly wider tyres in 29" through so that may make 650+ less relevant.
Oh and Cushcore - use them! Better everything, no real downside!
Beady Little Eye photo review
Simon C
I can’t get enough of this bike. I set it up as a trail bike and have been riding it everywhere I’d normally ride my Swoop. It is so much fun. It goes...More
I can’t get enough of this bike. I set it up as a trail bike and have been riding it everywhere I’d normally ride my Swoop. It is so much fun. It goes like a rocket around the Ashton Court/Leigh Woods motorway type stuff encouraging you to pump and pop just about anything and on the natural stuff, for how I like to ride, I really think this is as good as it gets.

Single speeds are my favourite type of bikes and that little bit of give that you get over a hardtail is just enough to let you really push it and leave you with a little bit of wiggle room on the drops and jumps or when things get steep and rooty. It was definitely worth the wait!
Murmur photo review
Travis
Now that I've got a few hundred kilometers on this rig, I wanted to chime in. Man! Believe the hype! I commute 50-60km each day on gnarly fire roads w...More
Now that I've got a few hundred kilometers on this rig, I wanted to chime in. Man! Believe the hype! I commute 50-60km each day on gnarly fire roads with over 1,000m of climbing. The MM is the ideal rig for this terrain. I can super comfortably peddle the steeps in the morning and rip into some singletrack coming home. This bike is perfectly poised on everything I like to ride. Thanks a million to Joe and the Starling team!
Murmur complete bike photo review
Flo
German Version below. I love this bike so much. It is beautiful, simple and rides wonderful. The grip that is provided at the rear end of the bike i...More
German Version below.
I love this bike so much. It is beautiful, simple and rides wonderful. The grip that is provided at the rear end of the bike is unbelievable. The "simplicity" of the linkage combined with the frame material is absorbing everything super comfortable, makes the rear wheel stick to the ground and the travel feels endless. Everything routed externally, almost every screw can be reached without disassembling parts, this bike is super simple, if it needs maintenance. Completely in love!

Schockverliebt. Das Rad ist wunderschön, einfach und fährt sich wunderbar. Der Grip am Heck des Bikes ist unglaublich. Die „Einfachheit“ des Hinterbaus in Kombination mit dem Rahmenmaterial sorgt für super viel Komfort und absorbiert alles, lässt den Hinterbau am Boden kleben und der Federweg fühlt sich endlos an. Alle Leitungen und Züge sind außen verlegt, fast jede Schraube ist ohne das man irgendwelche anderen Teile abbauen muss zu erreichen, das Bike macht es einem echt einfach, wenn es mal repariert werden muss. Einfach in Love mit dem Hobel.

1 review for Beady Little Eye

  1. Beady Little Eye photo review
    Simon C
    I can’t get enough of this bike. I set it up as a trail bike and have been riding it everywhere I’d normally ride my Swoop. It is so much fun. It goes...More
    I can’t get enough of this bike. I set it up as a trail bike and have been riding it everywhere I’d normally ride my Swoop. It is so much fun. It goes like a rocket around the Ashton Court/Leigh Woods motorway type stuff encouraging you to pump and pop just about anything and on the natural stuff, for how I like to ride, I really think this is as good as it gets.

    Single speeds are my favourite type of bikes and that little bit of give that you get over a hardtail is just enough to let you really push it and leave you with a little bit of wiggle room on the drops and jumps or when things get steep and rooty. It was definitely worth the wait!
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