Starling Mini Murmur
Wheel Size: 29”
Travel: 120 mm rear / 120 mm front
Geometry Highlights:
- Sizes Offered: Medium, Medium Plus, Large, XL, XXL
- Headtube Angle: 66.2°
- Reach: 485 mm (Large)
- Chainstay Length: 445 mm
Frame Material: Steel
Price (including VAT):
- Frame without shock: £2,150
- Frame with DT Swiss R535 One shock: £2,549
- Complete: £7,650
Intro
Starling’s Murmur made an outsized splash when it arrived on the scene a few years ago. Born in founder Joe’s garden shed, the Murmur was a long, low and slack Trail / Enduro bike whose steel frame and single pivot stood out in a world of multi-link, carbon competitors.
Starling has continued to evolve the Murmur frame to bring in some modularity, allowing multiple bikes (like the more recently announced Mega Murmur) to be based on the same front triangle.
The Frame
We tested the standard Murmur back last year and found its unique looks to be accompanied by a unique ride. The Mini Murmur uses the same frame as the 135 mm travel Murmur but swaps in a shorter 210 x 50 mm shock to ratchet back the rear travel to a sportier 120 mm, placing it firmly in the Cross Country / Lightweight Trail realm. While we spend a lot of time here at Blister riding steeper and chunkier trails, a 120 mm travel bike can be quite the palette cleanser with the right combination of sharp handling and capable suspension, and it sounds like the folks at Starling agree.
As for the finer details, the Mini Murmur front triangle is still made of Reynolds 853 steel and brazed in the UK by Starling, while the Chromoly rear triangle is made overseas by ORA in Taiwan. Like all of Starling’s frames, the Mini Murmur gets SRAM’s UDH hanger standard and has an adjustable forward shock mount. Swapping to a longer shock can turn it into a Murmur, and a swingarm swap can convert it to a Twist (Starling’s mixed wheel bike) or a Mega Murmur (a 165 mm travel Enduro rig).
Fit & Geometry
Due to its 29” wheels, the Mini Murmur is advised for riders 5’6’’ / 167 cm and up. The smallest size is a Medium, with 4 additional sizes going all the way to XXL. At the midpoint, the size Large gets a 485 mm reach, rather low 602 mm stack, 66.2° headtube angle, and substantial 46 mm bottom bracket drop. Perhaps the standout geometry figure is the 79.2° effective seat tube angle — that’s very steep, especially on a bike that’s likely to see a lot of riding on flatter, more rolling terrain.
Full geometry is included in the chart below:
The Build
Being a small boutique brand, it’s probably fair to assume that a lot of prospective buyers will opt for a custom build from the frame. Starling offers just one build with the Mini Murmur, but that build is rather high-end, with DT Swiss suspension, carbon DT Swiss XMC 1501 wheels, Hope XCR 4 Piston brakes, a Bike Yoke Divine dropper, and Shimano XT drivetrain. The rest of the finishing kit is rather British as well, with Renthal bars and Hope providing most other odds and ends, including their rather attractive carbon cranks in a 165 mm length.
That’s a flashy set of parts — though at an asking price of £7,650 incl. VAT, one would expect that. Full details are below:
- Drivetrain: Shimano XT
- Brakes: Hope XCR 4 Piston (w/ 180 mm Hope rotors)
- Fork: DT Swiss F323 (120 mm)
- Shock: DT Swiss R535
- Wheels: DT Swiss XMC 1501
- Dropper Post: Bike Yoke Divine
Some Questions / Things We’re Curious About
(1) The Mini Murmur relies on short-shocking the regular Murmur, giving it some interesting geometry numbers. Does it still feel like a cohesive package on the trail?
(2) We’ve ridden 120 mm travel bikes that feel like XC whips, and others that feel like shrunken Enduro bikes. Where does the Mini Murmur fall on that spectrum?
Bottom Line (For Now)
Starling emphasizes the Mini Murmur’s focus on fun, and in a world of ever-increasing capability among the ranks of Trail and Enduro bikes, a short travel bike can be an absolute riot. The Starling Mini Murmur is an interesting show of the core Starling frame’s modularity, and we hope we can get a bit of time on one to see how this shortest travel configuration feels on dirt.
So much good going on here, but the STA and BB drop are pretty outrageous for a 120 mm bike.