Quick drool: Starling Cycles Mega Murmur

Really… i can’t say the looks do anything for me at all.

Not enough cables or hoses passing through bearings for my taste. Externally routed cables would ruin my aero as I potter through the woods.

Don’t like the colour combo or the logos either, the graphics don’t suit the style of frame I think, they’d be perfectly at home on something with more modern looks/chunkier tubes, but this has those gorgeous slim lines. But still, it is a lovely bike and I totally want it, just not in those colours. A single colour, simple graphics, would suit it so much better.

I wouldn’t have those cranks myself but they do suit the bike I think. Or they would if there was any sort of colour coherence about it, black would have made all the difference. Obviously it’s a frame they’re showing off not the build but the build doesn’t flatter it at all imo. It does look exactly like I built it with bits off my last bike, “here’s those XTR M970 cranks I got for my Soul back in 2010… Here’s that saddle that looks like crap but which is really comfy and they don’t make any more…”

Which is fine! When I first saw a Ragley Ti it was Brant’s own bike and the buid was his own bits, this feels the same. The “here is a real example” thing can work great. And I think it works pretty well in the brewery photoshoot. It’s just not what I’d use for the Big Launch of a £2300 frame-without-shock. Roll it out with the pornographic best-possible-example pictures, there’s a reason everyone else does that.

Mine also looked amazing and I also sold it!  It was great on fast rough stuff where you could be off the brakes.  On the steeps of the Tweed Valley I found it quite hard work.  That probably says more about me that the bike though.   I had mine set up enduro-y, 160mm fork, coil, heavy tyres, inserts blah blah.  I later changed it to “trail” spec, 140mm up from, lighter tyres, I really felt it was a much nicer bike in this spec. For the riding I do, the Privateer has been much better for me and the Whyte possibly even better-er.

manitou swinger rear shock off an old Orange five….

Definitely doesn’t help that the massive external reservoir seems to be painted in vantablack against a black soft focus background.

I like middleburn cranks on any build.

I do think they could have pimped it a bit more though, stick some yellow crossmaxes on it, and some garish hope anodizing. After all the people buying it are probably slightly older and nostalgic.

I had a Murmur in Enduro coil/coil spec….sold to fund an Eeb.  I really enjoyed it, rode well, was quick, and geometry suited me in XL size.  IMO it was much nicer to ride than my carbon Megatower.  I’d buy it back if it didnt end up in the USA!

I personally think they look amazing.  Never owned a full susser and while I think the price of them is reasonable, I think it’ll be out side of my budget for the foreseeable.  Pity as they look stunning.