Here’s something you don’t see everyday—a hand-built full-suspension mountain bike made entirely of Reynolds 853 steel tubing. Founded by a former aerospace engineer, Joe McEwan, Starling Cycles is a small British manufacturer dedicated to fabricating bespoke mountain bike frames. Their 29-inch wheeled Murmur has received positive reviews in the last year with demand outpacing supply. McEwan’s trail bike features 140mm of travel, clearance for 2.5-inch tires, and a 148x12mm Boosted rear end shaped to fit a 200mm rotor. It’s a rowdy machine designed to appeal to the latest crop of hard-charging riders.
Until now, the Murmur 29 was only available as a custom UK-built frame. As a means of increasing production volume and lowering the price, Starling is now offering a new buying program with the release of the Murmur 29 Factory Edition frame.
The Factory Edition frame uses the same Reynolds 853 steel and proven designs but will be hand-crafted by ORA in Taiwan. After researching several options, McEwan determined ORA was the right choice. He felt they were the most aligned with his own manufacturing ethos. The Asian-made frames are still hand-built to Starling’s elevated standards.
Not to abandon the personalized buying experience, the new frames will offer some customization. Although the stock color is a reserved Primer Grey, customers can request custom colors for an extra £125.
Frames are available in three sizes with options for a Rockshox, Fox, or DVO shock. Complete bikes are available with build kits including parts from SRAM, Hope, Burgtec, Middleburn, and Maxxis.
If the stock geometry doesn’t fit the customer’s needs, McEwan will continue to build frames in his UK-based workshop. The Murmer 29 Factory frames will be available for £1850 in autumn of 2018. Pre-orders are accepted now with free part incentives for full payment. For more information visit starling cycles.
