Starling Cycles’ Murmur is a UK-made, steel-framed, 135mm-travel single-pivot bike, aimed directly at the trail/all-mountain segment. It’s claimed to be the antithesis of increasingly complicated bike designs.
Costing £7,000, this full build weighs 16.12kg and headlines with Öhlins dampers front and rear. The five-size line-up shares a 65-degree head angle, steep 78-degree seat tube angle and 445mm chainstays.
A soft, muted feel dominates on the trails; rattly, worn-out surfaces are glossed over impeccably. The bike’s coil shock, suspension design and frame construction work wonders to insulate you from unwanted chatter.
This composure enables you to push hard, but some deep-stroke hits aren’t absorbed as well as they could be. Here, it’s important to remember it’s a 135mm-travel trail bike, not a downhill shredder.
Its ride position is balanced and comfortable on both the ups and downs; it’s a very adaptable bike, riding well everywhere at all speeds, but also excelling in quite a few areas.
Starling Murmur frame and suspension
Built from Reynolds 853 steel, the front triangle’s slender outline is synonymous with the frame material.
With simplicity being a large part of Starling’s modus operandi, it’s no surprise brake and gear cables are routed externally, the bottom bracket uses a threaded BSA standard, and the head tube forgoes any tapering or complicated integration.
SRAM’s Universal Derailleur Hanger features at the rear end and there’s some light chain-slap protection. A pair of bottle bosses sit under the top tube.
Thanks to the single-pivot suspension design, there are only two pivot bearings, building on the premise of simplicity.
There’s 135mm of suspension travel on tap as standard, but this can be decreased or increased with different length and stroke shocks, utilising the alternative mounting points on the down tube.
The main pivot sits just above the front 32t chainring, positioned to create the Murmur’s kinematics.
Starling says the bike has a linear, almost constant leverage rate through its travel, providing a supple initial stroke and good mid-travel support, with the shock’s bottom-out bumper helping to cushion harsh landings.
It also has close to 100 per cent anti-rise throughout its travel, designed to reduce the impact of rider weight shifts on suspension performance when braking.
Combine this with the in-built flex of a steel swingarm and Starling’s convinced its bike is both smooth and fast.
Starling Murmur geometry
The five-size range starts at medium; its 450mm reach is designed for riders from 167cm to 177cm tall.
The range tops out at extra-extra-large, with a gigantic 545mm reach; riders taller than the smallest height recommendation should be able to find a Murmur to fit.
Each size shares a 65-degree head angle, 78-degree seat tube angle and 445mm chainstays.
Stack heights for the first three sizes (medium, medium-plus and large) are 629mm, but then increase to 638mm and 647mm for the XL and XXL respectively.
Its figures thrust it firmly into the trail bikes category.
| | M | M Plus | Large | XL | XXL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seat tube angle (degrees) | 78 | 78 | 78 | 78 | 78 |
| Head tube angle (degrees) | 65 | 65 | 65 | 65 | 65 |
| Chainstay (mm) | 445 | 445 | 445 | 445 | 445 |
| Seat tube (mm) | 410 | 430 | 440 | 480 | 510 |
| Top tube (mm) | 596 | 611 | 628 | 663 | 690 |
| Head tube (mm) | 110 | 110 | 110 | 120 | 130 |
| Wheelbase (mm) | 1228 | 1247 | 1260 | 1298 | 1328 |
| Stack (mm) | 629 | 629 | 629 | 638 | 647 |
| Reach (mm) | 450 | 465 | 485 | 515 | 545 |
Starling Murmur specifications
As the only full build available directly from Starling Cycles, it’s no surprise the Murmur’s decked out with high-performing parts.
Up-front is Öhlins’ RFX36 m.2 150mm-travel fork, matched with a TTX coil rear shock from the same brand.
It rolls on DT Swiss EX 1700 wheels, wrapped in 29x2.4in Michelin Wild AM2 tyres. Starling has fitted inserts to the tyres to improve puncture resistance.
Shimano’s XT M8100 drivetrain is paired with Hope cranks. Also from Hope are the Tech 4 E4 brakes, stem and headset.
There’s a BikeYoke dropper post with 185mm travel and Renthal Fatbar 30mm-rise bars.
Without pedals, the size-large Murmur test bike weighs 16.12kg.
How we tested
We’ve picked four bikes of this type with the most iconic suspension designs currently on the market.
Starting with Starling’s beautiful Murmur steel single-pivot, this traditional two-bar design forgoes any linkages or complications.
Scott’s Genius – while sporting a futuristic-looking hidden shock, shrouding the suspension design in mystery – uses the common four-bar Horst-link system.
Also commonplace is the twin-link, four-bar virtual-pivot design, first popularised by Santa Cruz’s VPP. It seems fitting, then, to have Santa Cruz’s all-new Bronson fly the flag for this system.
Finally, Atherton Bikes’ A.150 is one of few designs to use a true six-bar linkage with the DW6, building on the twin-link layout. As an extra bit of technological spice, the Atherton uses additive manufacturing for its frame’s lugs and carbon for the tubes.
While it’s impossible to standardise a bike test such as this – each design needs specific shock tunes, along with the suspension layout and frame geometry forming a part of each bike’s identity – we’ve ridden them all back-to-back on well-worn test loops to capture how each one rides, stating where it excels and where it doesn’t.
Bikes on test
Starling Murmur ride impressions
I took to the trails surrounding my home in Scotland’s Tweed Valley to test the Murmur.
Starting with trail-centre blue routes and hill-side double tracks, I ventured to the official downhill tracks at Innerleithen and enduro runs at the Golfie to get the full flavour of its performance.
Setup
Getting the Murmur’s dampers set up wasn’t particularly difficult, and having recent experience with Öhlins’ RFX36 fork with the same travel made it much easier.
For my 75kg kitted-up weight, I inflated the fork’s positive air chamber to 80psi and the ramp-up chamber to 240psi.
I added +8 clicks (from fully open) of low-speed compression damping and +1 click (from fully open) of high-speed compression damping. I fully opened the low-speed rebound adjuster.
Starling supplied the bike with a 434lb/in spring, which the brand said should be perfect for my weight and riding style – and gave me a healthy 29 per cent sag.
I added +3 clicks (from fully open) of low-speed compression damping and fully opened both the low-speed rebound and high-speed compression adjusters.
I inflated the Michelin tyres to my preferred pressures; 24-26psi front and 27-29psi rear. Their carcass stability was aided by Starling’s inclusion of inserts front and rear in my test bike’s wheels.
Starling Murmur climbing performance
Uphill, the Murmur’s seated climbing position is impeccable.
Your hips sit directly over the bottom bracket, which makes for a comfortable and efficient position. When pedalling, your legs move vertically up and down, rather than in front of you.
Consistent with its 135mm rear-travel figure, the Murmur has a traditional trail bike feel. The bar is neither too high nor too low. Combined with the seat tube angle, this shares your weight evenly between your hands and backside.
Hand and shoulder fatigue are reduced on longer rides and the bike’s adaptability is boosted; hunker down for high-paced efforts or sit more upright on steadier rides.
The front end’s stack, top tube length and seat tube angle represent a Goldilocks configuration other manufacturers should take note of.
Pedal-induced suspension bob is minimal; its rear end is controlled and taut feeling when you’re seated, no matter how fast or choppy your pedalling rhythm becomes.
Standing up to pedal causes the rear end to dip in and out of its travel, but only minimally and only when you’re cranking at lower cadences.
The chainring and main pivot’s relative locations – the top of the chainring sits at the same level as the pivot – are the key ingredients to this efficient and rewarding feel.
On the gas, the rear end remains impressively active; pedalling and suspension forces have a limited effect on one another.
Barrelling into a web of embedded tree roots shows how well this disconnect works. The rear shock moves smoothly into its travel, absorbing each bump well.
This level of performance is archetypal of multi-link bikes, so it’s impressive to see on a single-pivot. The eagerness of the rear suspension is clearly helped by the coil shock, with no stiction or hesitancy to compress.
Up bump size further and there’s plenty of plushness available; even deeper-travel hits don’t generate any noticeable pedal kickback, bolstering the Murmur’s smooth ride quality.
Despite the adaptable ride position, the Murmur is not a high-paced climber. Cruising comfortably and sedately seems to be the best way to get to the trailhead; it doesn’t have the immediacy of other bikes with similar travel figures.
Starling Murmur descending performance
As on the climbs, the Murmur has a velvety, buttery feel on the descents.
It numbs the trails, isolating chattery, buzzy feedback from entering the bar and pedals, helping you concentrate on riding quickly or having more fun.
With ample grip on tap – small-bump absorption is excellent – you can stick lines across cambers, charge over rough terrain, and swap lines confidently and decisively without fear of getting bucked off-line.
You’re never fighting the bike; it works with rather than against you. Pedal kickback is non-existent, amplifying its helpful attitude.
It’s got a soft and gentle, rather than rigid and harsh character, ideal for tackling a wide range of terrain types.
On buzzy trails, it defies its travel figures and design preconceptions; it feels as good as the most advanced and best designs on the market.
Whether this excellently muted feel is thanks to the pivot’s placement, the shock and its tune or the frame’s steel construction is hard to say. More likely, it’s a combination of factors complementing one another.
Push a bit harder and some chinks appear in its armour; successive deep-stroke hits aren’t dispatched with quite as much competence.
The bike uses its travel generously to absorb impacts – which feels great on one-off hits – but it struggles to recover higher into its travel quickly enough for the next bump.
The rear wheel hooks up and transfers those impacts into the rider, slowing you down.
Although a lighter shock-rebound tune would help the rear end recover quicker on rough, choppy terrain, the Murmur is best ridden actively and lightly rather than used as a blunt instrument. Pushing and pumping into the terrain is the best way to extract the most performance.
On low-speed compressions, the front and rear dampers work well to resist dive, maintaining its dynamic geometry. Compensatory weight changes for abrupt geometry shifts aren’t needed, doubling down on its predictably smooth feel.
Open the taps and it's easy to reach high speeds, but the limited travel (135mm) and trail-bike geometry (65-degree head angle) put a glass ceiling on how fast you can ride comfortably.
The bike’s handling quickens and the harsh hits aren’t blunted quite as well as they are at lower speeds.
There’s clearly plenty of performance left in the Murmur’s chassis – you can fit a longer shock to morph it into a Mega Murmur, the brand’s 165mm-travel bike. If you think you’ll max out the standard Murmur’s capabilities regularly, you might want to up-shock for more travel.
On-the-brakes performance is on a par with most single-pivot bikes; the rear end firms up when you slam on the anchors, resulting in the rear wheel skipping over terrain rather than tracking it smoothly.
Remaining positive and firm with the bike, and dropping your heels when braking, helps prevent control slipping from your grasp.
Starling Murmur bottom line
The Murmur is a glowing example of a trail bike; it handles rough and smooth terrain, and the fast and slow with equal competence. Like any trail bike, it has limits, but pushing beyond these doesn’t see performance drop off a cliff edge.
Instead, the steel-frame construction, damper tunes and coil-spring feel culminate in a forgiving ride, where you can take liberties with just how much its 135mm of travel will do.
To boost deep-stroke performance, having the option to spec a progressive coil shock or an air shock instead of the stock model would be a win, but it’s far from necessary.
What the Murmur lacks in speed on the climbs, it makes up for in comfort and suspension efficiency – both essential for all-day epics.
The Murmur is a fuss-free performer that proves there’s plenty of life left in a single-pivot design, if done correctly.
