26”wheels
Limited Run Only
26″ wheels for riders that never stopped believing
160mm

RARE SPECIES: Starling Cycles Dive Frame

Just when you thought 26” was gone for good, Starling Cycles brings it diving back.

Super limited run through our RARE programme. Price is for frame-only, without shock.
Batch-made. Orders open till 30th April. Available in 8-12 weeks from closing date.

£2,456.00

Choose your frame

Fox DHX2 Factory (Metric 230x65mm)
£645.00
Hope Headset
Hope Headset
£90.00
Hope Seatclamp
Hope Seatclamp
£22.00
Clutch Handmade Steel Stem
Clutch Handmade Steel Stem

Out of stock

£175.00
Stainless Steel Stem Spacer
£7.00

Add extras

RARE SPECIES
Starling Cycles Dive 26"

The Starling Dive is the ultimate retro-modern, old-school vs new-school combo. Handmade steel frame, timeless single-pivot suspension, loads of travel and the most iconic wheel size in MTB history. 

Why? Because 26” still rips.
And cos the haters say our bikes are straight out of the 90s, so why not just run with it?

The order book is OPEN for 10x Dive frames only. Get them whilst you can.

The Swoop is part of our RARE collection – our lesser-spotted, small batch, get-them-before-they’re-gone bikes. We open the books for a short time, make them in a small batch and when they’re gone, they’re gone.

Thanks to our partners for this super-special Dive build – complete with Hope build kit/wheels/brakes/crankset, Schwalbe tyres, Fox suspension (via Silverfish), BikeYoke dropper, Renthal bar and grips and more.

Review

Boosted Bryn
“FINALLY THE BIKE STARLING SHOULD HAVE MADE FROM THE START! “

Review

Mr J McEwan
“Just like my first British single pivot that I used to race back in the day! Little wheels, loads of travel, one pivot. Dreamy!”

Review

26Inch-Bicycle-Magazine.com
“A tour de force. A symphony of two-wheeled perfection. The perfect synthesis of retro and modern. The bike the bike industry needs right now. “

Starling Cycles V3 Frame Design

Our bikes eliminate complexity.

They are the counter-argument to mountain biking’s obsession with ‘more’.

With more pivots and more space-age materials. More acronyms and more marketing bullshit. The misconception that more tech means more fun. 

We make unapologetically simple bikes. We include only what’s necessary, nothing more. Zero marketing gimmicks and next-best-thing shithousery.

We’ve stripped away the bullshit and left tough, long-lasting, beautiful and hassle-free mountain bikes. Bikes made to ride, not polish and preen. Simple to ride and bags of fun.

But simple doesn’t mean basic, and it certainly isn’t easy. It takes a whole heap of experience, expertise, testing, refinement and raw passion to make bikes this good, and this simple.

Our full suspension frames are made using high-end, recycled steel. They have a smart and simple adjustable shock mount to vary travel. They have an aluminium seat-post insert to eliminate stuck seat posts. There’s a tough-as-nails anti-flare headtube, a neatly integrated chain guide, a machined main pivot piece that’s strong, stiff and easy to maintain. And they have SRAM UDH hangers, of course.

And to give you the confidence you need, our frames are covered by our 7-year warranty and crash replacement service. They can be repaired, refurbished, repainted and often upgraded to keep them charging hard for years to come.

Features

  • Super limited edition (10x frames available)
  • V3 frame design with updated technology.
  • 26″ wheels.
  • 160mm rear travel.
  • 170mm front travel, using 27.5″ fork.
  • Front triangle hand-built in Bristol, UK, using Reynolds 853 heat-treated tubing.
  • Rear triangle hand-built in Taiwan, using heat-treated Chromoly.
  • UDH derailleur hanger.
  • Up to 200mm rotor.
  • Fits standard tapered forks.
  • Boost rear axle spacing (fits non-boost with spacer).
  • Stainless & numbered dropper port.
  • Starling headtube gusset.
  • Bottle mount in frame on medium & above.
  • Bottle mount under downtube on small frames.
  • 7-year warranty/crash replacement service.
  • Frame repair, refurbishment and repaint service.

Starling Cycles are made by real flesh-and-blood humans. The perfect blend of precision and passion.

Our frames are hand-crafted with quality, lightweight steel for an unmistakable feel and undeniable speed.

Our single-pivot suspension design eliminates complexity. A blast to ride and a breeze to maintain.

Geometry and sizing

SmallMediumLarge
Wheel size26″26″26″
Rider size range5’2″ – 5’7″5’6″ – 5’10”5’9″ – 6’1″
167cm – 177cm167cm – 177cm175cm – 185cm
Reach425mm450mm485mm
Stack602mm611mm611mm
Head Angle63.0°63.0°63.0°
Seat Tube Length375mm410mm440mm
Head Tube Length120mm130mm130mm
Fork Length170mm170mm170mm
Chainstay435mm435mm435mm
Wheelbase1193mm1223mm1258mm
BB Drop4mm4mm4mm
Effective Seat Angle77.0°77.0°77.0°
Effective Top Tube564mm591mm626mm
Max Seat Post Insertion250mm280mm310mm
Standover790mm812mm827mm
Effective ST Angle measured at 750mm from BB Centre.
Standover measured at top tube mid point.
Designed for 567mm axle to crown (170mm 27.5″ fork)

Technical

Travel 160mm
Shock 230x65mm
Fork Made for 27.5″ fork
Headset Top ZS44/28.6
Headset Bottom EC44/40
Seat Tube 31.6mm
BB 73mm Threaded
Seat Clamp 34.9mm
Chain Device Integrated 28T-34T
Bash Mount ISCG05
Rear Axle 148x12mm Boost
Max Tyre 26″ x 2.6″
Brake Mount Post Mount 180mm
Max Disc 203mm
Front Shock Hardware 30x8mm
Rear Shock Hardware 35x8mm
Main Pivot Bearings 6902 2RS
Derailleur Hanger Replaceable SRAM UDH T-Type Compatible

 

Reviews

Swoop photo review
Simon C
My most versatile bike. Its been a short travel single speed (until I finally got a BLE), a trail bike and currently big travel enduro. The adjustable...More
My most versatile bike. Its been a short travel single speed (until I finally got a BLE), a trail bike and currently big travel enduro. The adjustable travel lets you build it however you want and it’s so easy to swap between setups. And one of the few places you can still get a 27.5! I can’t recommend Starling enough, super friendly team and awesome bikes.
Murmur photo review
Nathan C
I’ve worked in bike shops for close to 20 years. I always tried a new bike every year from a variety of brands and was never truly impressed. I’ve bee...More
I’ve worked in bike shops for close to 20 years. I always tried a new bike every year from a variety of brands and was never truly impressed. I’ve been riding my Starling Murmur now for 5 years and it continues to make me smile. I now get more excited about swapping out suspension or drivetrain components to only enhance the joy this bike brings. I’m hoping it lives longer than I do. It’s a keeper!
Mega Murmur photo review
Marcos C
Juste incroyablement confortable, stable, tout en restant fun et facile à rouler! Je remercie aussi l’équipe Starling pour tous les conseils sur la ta...More
Juste incroyablement confortable, stable, tout en restant fun et facile à rouler! Je remercie aussi l’équipe Starling pour tous les conseils sur la taille et les réglages de l’amortisseur. Une pure merveille!

"Just incredibly comfortable, stable, while remaining fun and easy to ride! I also thank the Starling team for all the advice on shock size and settings. A pure marvel!"
Mega Twist photo review
Marvin
I am simply blown away by the MegaTwist. It hast phanomenal grip, handles steeps like a champ and is planted and fun at the same time. Thanks Joe...More
I am simply blown away by the MegaTwist.
It hast phanomenal grip, handles steeps like a champ and is planted and fun at the same time.
Thanks Joe and the great Team behind the scenes for a simply awesome mountainbike and the good times!
Swoop photo review
Assaf
When I ordered the bike I was sure it would be a big fail but couldn’t resist this thin tubes 😂 After 3 months it arrived and that’s the most close t...More
When I ordered the bike I was sure it would be a big fail but couldn’t resist this thin tubes 😂
After 3 months it arrived and that’s the most close to perfect bike I can think of for me and I rode the last years on Canfield balance,
The swoop hits you hard in the face with all the shit this industry feed us for years, it’s like the frame run naked in the forest and laughing out loud on all the other companies best efforts to make a good bike , like the pre sale support told me before I ordered them - it’s not one measure/ angel/matireal , it’s how all those things talk to each other, that’s the starling experience
Steve
I have one of the Murmur LTD frames. It was a handmade version of the 'Factory' model. I guess it's reasonably similar to the v2? Whilst I'm sure tha...More
I have one of the Murmur LTD frames. It was a handmade version of the 'Factory' model. I guess it's reasonably similar to the v2?
Whilst I'm sure that the v3 is an improvement I really can't find anything wrong with mine. It's the best bike I've owned & the best full sus bike I've ridden by a long way. The ONLY thing that could be better is the fact that bottle mounting is tight! I solved it with a fidlock bottle that will change shape a bit with boiling water and some pressure, then cold water! I'd probably sacrifice a little bit of standover to solve it but then that may reduce dropper travel. I think the newer frames have less of an issue with this though.
It climbs, pedals, descends and corners great and so far seems as tough as they come. I would have another Starling anytime I have the cash to spare!
I run mine 650+ which isn't a common setup, but I prefer it to 29. Going to try some of the new Schwalbe radial tyres on the 29er wheels but I really like the feel of the plus set up... The newer frames take slightly wider tyres in 29" through so that may make 650+ less relevant.
Oh and Cushcore - use them! Better everything, no real downside!
Beady Little Eye photo review
Simon C
I can’t get enough of this bike. I set it up as a trail bike and have been riding it everywhere I’d normally ride my Swoop. It is so much fun. It goes...More
I can’t get enough of this bike. I set it up as a trail bike and have been riding it everywhere I’d normally ride my Swoop. It is so much fun. It goes like a rocket around the Ashton Court/Leigh Woods motorway type stuff encouraging you to pump and pop just about anything and on the natural stuff, for how I like to ride, I really think this is as good as it gets.

Single speeds are my favourite type of bikes and that little bit of give that you get over a hardtail is just enough to let you really push it and leave you with a little bit of wiggle room on the drops and jumps or when things get steep and rooty. It was definitely worth the wait!
Murmur photo review
Travis
Now that I've got a few hundred kilometers on this rig, I wanted to chime in. Man! Believe the hype! I commute 50-60km each day on gnarly fire roads w...More
Now that I've got a few hundred kilometers on this rig, I wanted to chime in. Man! Believe the hype! I commute 50-60km each day on gnarly fire roads with over 1,000m of climbing. The MM is the ideal rig for this terrain. I can super comfortably peddle the steeps in the morning and rip into some singletrack coming home. This bike is perfectly poised on everything I like to ride. Thanks a million to Joe and the Starling team!
Murmur complete bike photo review
Flo
German Version below. I love this bike so much. It is beautiful, simple and rides wonderful. The grip that is provided at the rear end of the bike i...More
German Version below.
I love this bike so much. It is beautiful, simple and rides wonderful. The grip that is provided at the rear end of the bike is unbelievable. The "simplicity" of the linkage combined with the frame material is absorbing everything super comfortable, makes the rear wheel stick to the ground and the travel feels endless. Everything routed externally, almost every screw can be reached without disassembling parts, this bike is super simple, if it needs maintenance. Completely in love!

Schockverliebt. Das Rad ist wunderschön, einfach und fährt sich wunderbar. Der Grip am Heck des Bikes ist unglaublich. Die „Einfachheit“ des Hinterbaus in Kombination mit dem Rahmenmaterial sorgt für super viel Komfort und absorbiert alles, lässt den Hinterbau am Boden kleben und der Federweg fühlt sich endlos an. Alle Leitungen und Züge sind außen verlegt, fast jede Schraube ist ohne das man irgendwelche anderen Teile abbauen muss zu erreichen, das Bike macht es einem echt einfach, wenn es mal repariert werden muss. Einfach in Love mit dem Hobel.
Roost photo review
Jamie E
Big fan of my custom Roost, built with Microshift, Manitou and various other shed-found bits. It's really capable and feels very confidence-inspiring ...More
Big fan of my custom Roost, built with Microshift, Manitou and various other shed-found bits. It's really capable and feels very confidence-inspiring on technical terrain. I really enjoy jumping onto the Roost for trails I'd usually ride on my Murmur, it adds a bit of challenge (but not as much as I thought it would!) and makes for a low-stress, low-maintenance bike. It's going to be great through the winter when I want to keep my full suss tidy.
Murmur complete bike photo review
DR
I love my Murmur - recently refurbished by the team at Starling with 135mm/160mm travel and it rides so well. Use it for everything from local steeps,...More
I love my Murmur - recently refurbished by the team at Starling with 135mm/160mm travel and it rides so well. Use it for everything from local steeps, bike parks to cross country epics. Got a weekend in the Peaks and Golfie later this year for some big days out, the Murmur will be perfect for this. Climbs really well, descends amazingly. Size XL and fits a 750mm bottle in there no problem with the Fox shock.
Swoop photo review
John
From day one I’ve always loved the look of starling cycles frames, Simple design with an old school look. I demo’ed one back in 2019 and love it f...More
From day one I’ve always loved the look of starling cycles frames,
Simple design with an old school look.
I demo’ed one back in 2019 and love it from the get go

Have now been riding the swoop now for 5 years and couldn’t ask for a better trail bike.
STRONG , FAST AND FUN
Murmur photo review
Jamie
Love my Murmur - a crazy capable, versatile and reliable bike.

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