While their standard all-mountain Murmur got a travel upgrade last autumn, now Starling Cycles goes full enduro with an even-bigger MegaMurmur. Much the same great made-in-the-UK steel single pivot mountain bike, but now more capable than ever with 165mm of rear wheel travel paired to 170mm forks for this burly new 29er.
Starling MegaMurmur 165mm all-UK-steel enduro bike
Starling debuted their new longer-travel enduro bike at the UK’s Ard Rock Enduro over the weekend, and now we have the details. An expansion to the regular trail & all-mountain Murmur, this mega features a longer now-steel swingarm and with it, longer 165mm travel out back. But like the standard Murmur, it also is available in a shorter travel setup – 140mm here in trail mode – making the longer rear end also a nice option for taller riders looking for more stability inside of a longer wheelbase.
An added bonus, that newly-steel rear end is now also UK-made, an in-house shift away from the Taiwanese alloy rear triangle of the standard Murmur.
What’s new?
Longer chainstays. Longer 165mm or 140mm rear wheel travel depending on shock length/stroke via 2 positions of the forward shock mount. A chromoly steel rear triangle. And now the entire single-pivot Starling MegaMurmur 29er enduro bike is entirely handmade in the UK.
The bigger travel MegaMurmur gets incrementally slacker geometry – leaning back with a 64.1° headtube in enduro mode paired to a 77.2° seat angle. But it seems that Starling was already happy with the latest geo updates to the v3 Murmur last fall, instead relying on more travel for riding tougher terrain. The new MegaMurmur does add an extra centimeter to the new 455mm chainstays, which is intended to increase stability at higher speeds, and boost the planted ride feel in the bikepark and on DH tracks.
A real side benefit of that mega longer, more stable ride is a more balanced fit in the center of the bike for the taller riders of their XL & XXL frames.
With the bigger 165mm travel out back, Starling suggest pairing 170mm forks to the new MegaMurmur. But it’s also rated for a dual crown fork for riders looking to go even bigger.
Tech details
Besides more travel at that longer UK-made rear end, the MegaMurmur gets the same v3 Murmur updates. For the Reynolds 853 front triangle made in Bristol, that includes the newly machined main pivot, anti-seize alloy seattube insert, improved headtube gussets, “anti-flare” headtube, and moving the 2 big bearings at the main pivot outboard into the swingarm for better stiffness.
The MegaMurmur has a Boost-spaced rear end – but can be set up old school non-Boost with spacers too, if you are repurposing old kit for the build. It has a 44mm headtube for a tapered steerer fork, a 31.6mm seatpost, BSA threaded 73mm bottom bracket, ISCG05 tabs, external cable routing, includes a direct-mounted chain guide for 28-34T chainrings, and has clearance for up to a 29 x 2.6″ tire. Shock sizing compatibility is 230x65mm for 165mm travel in Enduro mode or 210x55mm for 140mm travel in Trail mode.
Starling MegaMurmur – Pricing, Options & Availability
The new MegaMurmur is available to order starting today, direct from Starling Cycles. Availability-wise, Starling is calling is a limited edition that they’ll be building in-house in small batches, giving the longer-travel enduro bike up to a 16-week lead time – meaning you may wait til mid-November to get a bike you order now. The Starling MegaMurmur is sold exclusively as a frameset in standard light grey front/black swingarm paintjob withOUT a rear shock starting at £2330, but also including a Hope headset and seat clamp. They also do custom paint, and can also set you up with a shock & a partial build kit, once you figure out which travel you want – Trail or Enduro.
Put your order in now by reaching out to the Bristol bike maker:
