Starling Cycles have announced that they will have their Core range front triangles in Czechia, whilst their Rare range will still be hand-made in Bristol.
The move to production in the EU will give Starling a stock of frames that will cut lead times on the Core range. Front triangles will be made in Czechia, with rear triangles in Taiwan by ORA.
Rare range frames will still be made here in the UK, by hand in good old Brizzle.
Read the full press release below.
Starling is almost 10 years old. It started in the shed at the bottom of my garden and has gradually evolved into a ‘proper’ bike business with staff, an established workshop and customers all over the world. I’m really proud of it.
And now it’s time to take another big step forward. I want to make it easier for you to buy a Starling, keep the business strong and independent and stick around for another 10 years. No easy task in today’s bike industry!
From now on, Starling’s Core front triangles (the 29” Murmur and mixed-wheel Twist) will be handmade by Fort Frames in the Czech Republic, using Reynolds 853 tubing. Core rear triangles will continue to be manufactured in Taiwan by ORA.
RARE frames such as the Beady Little Eye, Swoop, and Sturn will continue to be built at home in Bristol, which we’re really excited about.
Moving Core manufacturing to the EU was a big decision, but is a really positive one. It allows us to build larger batches of frames, whilst staying true to our handmade ethos.
It means that we can finally hold stock of frames here at Starling, rather than building to order. No more waiting 12 weeks for your frame, no more hanging around and time off the bike. You can order, and we’ll have your lovely new frame in the post almost immediately.
We can also now build a network of Starling dealers around the world, something that’s really important to us. We know loads of you prefer to buy in person through a shop, custom-build and demo-ride. We couldn’t do that before, and now we can. Bike shops are great, support your local one if you can.
And this also means more time, energy and capacity to focus on our RARE bikes – our weird and wonderful, small batch and prototype stuff. We’ll focus the Bristol workshop on making stuff like the 27.5” Swoop, the Sturn DH bike and single-speed Beady Little Eye. Maybe we’ll even get to work on that gearbox bike you’re all asking for?
We’ll also continue to do all of our design, testing and ‘business stuff’ here in Bristol. All our assembly and frame prep will stay here in the UK, and we’ll keep running our repair and refurb services from the Workshop. Our staff will stay the same, and we’ll keep running Starling in exactly the same way as ever.
So, who is Fort Frames?
Fort is one of the world’s best steel frame builders. They’ve been making handmade mountain bike frames for thirty years, and already work with some of the most respected UK and European brands. They completely understand what we’re about and are masters of their craft.
We’ve visited them, seen them work and trust them to build a frame that’s exactly to our spec. They’re using Reynolds 853 as we’ve always done and are building to the exact same quality as we do here in Bristol. For the customer, it’s every bit as fun, simple, reliable and ‘Starling’ as ever.
This change isn’t about getting rich or taking over the world. It’s about keeping Starling strong and sustainable, without having to take on crazy investment, selling out to big business or reaching beyond our means.
It’s about setting Starling up for the future and being able to remain strong, independent and very “us” for years to come. All while continuing to make beautifully simple mountain bikes that are zero hassle and a blast on the trails.
And that’s it, it’s hopefully nothing too drastic, but is something we wanted to communicate clearly and honestly with the world.
Starling frames are due to land in stock in November 2025 in all sizes, available via StarlingCycles.com. They can be purchased with or without shocks, and complete builds are available on request.
