Quick drool: Starling Cycles Mega Murmur

God, Murmurs really are bloody ace looking, would love to have a go on one.

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

I do like the look. No way do I (think I) want a steel, single pivot, no linkage FS bike but it has a style I like the look of

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

I don't like the look of steel full suspension frame much.  The look a bit 'noodley'.

The suspension design and paint job make it look a bit like a turn of the millenium Halfords Apollo.

Apart from that, it's lovely!

Yeah it does actually look like someone has knocked it up in a shed. Mismatching back end, old cranks* out of the parts bin, manitou swinger rear shock off an old Orange five....

Reckon if it was all just black or silver it'd look quite nice and stealthy.

*I know they aren't old, but they look like they are.

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.

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

Mine looked incredible… Which was about all it had going for it sadly! Couldn’t get on with it at all, sold it to cheezybeanz from this forum who loved it for a good few years to be fair. I think his history of Orange 5’s probably helped mind, where my previous full sus MTB’s all had quite progressive shock linkages rather than the falling rate on the Murmur.

Shame really, wanted to love it but just couldn’t get on with it. Glad it went to a loving and deserving home! Have since chatted with more than one former Starling owner who has said the same as me, and ended up back on more mainstream bikes with a more progressive suspension design too…

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.

For such an expensive high end shock, that EXT air kind of locks like a cheap energy drink can

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.

For such an expensive high end shock, that EXT air kind of locks like a cheap energy drink can

Haha, I don't disagree - and their coil shocks are the best-looking dampers in the biz IMO.

I've got a Murmur. It goes really fast in some situations - and the steel comfort thing is very real - but as an overall package it does have limitations.

I'm also an Orange owner/fan and some of the limitations are the same, but some are quite different. Both also do (different) things that no other bike can quite do IME.

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!

+1 on the colour choice and graphics not doing it for me.

But the general outline of the frame I'm good with.

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.

I like middleburn cranks on any build.

I agree actually, I'm thinking of putting some on my Cascade. Unfortunatley on that build they just seem to add to the parts bin special look.