British steel single pivot maestros Starling Cycles have extended their five year warranty and crash replacement schemes by two years.
Starling Cycles have extended their warranty and crash replacement for all their customers, not just the new ones.
Read the full press release below.
Starling will now offer new and existing customers a full seven-year warranty and crash replacement service on its frames.
The update applies to all owners of Starling’s V3 ‘Core’ Murmur, Swoop and Twist frames.
Existing customers will receive an extension on their existing warranty – and new ones will receive the full seven-year policy from the point of purchase.
The UK-based manufacturer of beautifully simple, steel mountain bike frames has experienced zero failures on its V3 frames to date. That means that no frames have failed under any circumstances since V3 was introduced in November 2022.
The updated V3 design added a revised, stronger main pivot assembly, an anti-flare headtube, an anti-seize seat post insert and various other small updates to improve the longevity and ride quality of frames. With no snapped, cracked, flared, broken or bent V3 frames on record, Starling is keen to emphasise its commitment to its customers and its confidence in its products.
Starling Cycles handbuilt, steel mountain bike frames are, the brand says, built to last and designed to counter throw-away culture and the bike industry’s ‘new bike every season’ mindset. Many of its customers are riding bikes that are several years old, dating back to the early days of the brand with many owners on bikes that are 7 or 8 years old and still going strong.
The frames are designed to be tough enough to last indefinitely but to be repairable and refurbishable. Starling offers its warranty to all customers, covering manufacturing failures and also a crash-repair service and frame repair, repaint and refurbishment services.
Should a frame fail or be damaged, it can often be repaired in-house and returned to the customer in nearly good-as-new condition. Frames can also be refurbished, repainted and often upgraded to keep them running beautifully year after year. Because the frames are steel, almost all damage can be repaired rather than the whole frame being scrapped.
The warranty will now cover customers for seven years, applying to original owners. Non-original owners are also welcome to contact Starling with any issues, with the brand’s frame repair and refurb service available to them.
Starling owner Joe McEwan said:
“We’re really confident in our frames, and zero failures to date on V3 just proves that we’re doing something right. In an industry of throw-away products and high failure rates, we’re committed to doing things differently – partly because of the environmental benefits, but also because it just makes good sense. Why should you throw away a frame you love after a year because a small piece of it is dented or damaged?”
“This is a particular issue with carbon where it is almost impossible and certainly cost-prohibitive to fully check frames after manufacture. The critical aspects of the manufacturing process are hidden within the internal structure. You’d be surprised how much filler is used to make carbon frames look smooth. With a steel frame, before paint, everything is visible, giving a high level of confidence.”
“There are scores of brands right now going out of business and leaving their loyal customers high and dry, or simply failing to honour warranties. This current situation has driven us to make the change.”
“Starling is here to stay and we want to give our customers confidence that we’ll keep their bikes running. Our community is our most important asset and we’re committed to giving them the best possible bike and experience that we can”.
But it’s not just V3 customers. Starling is keen to make sure that older-gen frame owners don’t miss out.
McEwan added:
“We love seeing those V1 and V2 frames still going hard 8+ years after they were made and older gen customers won’t be forgotten about.”
“Get in touch if you have any issues and we’ll make sure you’re looked after – the longer you’ve had your bike, the more keen we are to keep it on the trails. We’re proud of our longest-standing Starling owners, including those who bought our frames second-hand”.
