We first met Starling last year when Ben visited Joe’s workshop in his back garden in Bristol. He rode Starling’s steel, home-made 27.5″ Swoop and was super impressed – clocking up some surprisingly fast times on the local trails.
Fast forward to 2016 and Starling Cycles’ Joe McEwan has just produced his second ‘proper’ bike – the 29″ Starling Cycles Murmur.
Here’s some choice cuts from Joe’s news anouncement about the new bike:
“The Murmur is based on the success of Starling’s original ‘Swoop’ frame. It takes the Swoop’s proven suspension design and tubeset, adapting it to create a fast, aggressive 29’er that is beautifully simple to ride and a breeze to setup and maintain. It is proudly built in steel for a fast, silent, solid ride that – many will be surprised to hear – weighs no more than a modern aluminum bike.”
“The Murmur is designed to take on everything from the biggest, nastiest Alpine pass to a quick lap of your local woods. It has 145mm travel at the rear, clearance for 2.35” tyres and a recommended head angle of 66°. Other key geometry numbers are -38mm BB drop, 445mm chainstays and 74.5° effective seat tube angle.”
“As with all of Starling’s bikes, the Murmur is built by hand by Joe McEwan in his workshop in Bristol, UK. Joe has brought together his love of mountain bikes and engineering and his expertise from the aerospace industry to create strong, fast, uncomplicated mountain bikes that are as tough and reliable as they are fun to ride.”
“Joe believes that a simple bike is a fast bike. By building a tough, strong, reliable single pivot with a linear leverage ratio Joe creates bikes that riders can quickly jump onto, understand and get stuck in to riding. That means more time going fast and less time setting up suspension, maintaining bearings and learning how to ride the bike. Starling Cycles are designed to eliminate complexity.”
“The Murmur is available with customisable geometry and as a frame only (with or without shock) or part of a complete, custom build. Customers are able to specify head tube angle, downtube length/reach and seat tube length. If you ask nicely he just might be able to accommodate special requests for extra customisation. “
