STARLING ROOST
£1,220 (frame)/MX 29-27.5in / starlingcycles.com
Is handmade really a feature? I suppose it is for an artisan baker and most definitely if you’re having a suit tailored to fit just so. But given that most performance mountain bikes, be they carbon, aluminium or steel, are all handmade, it’s not even worth mentioning on the spec sheet.
What’s more important, at least for some, is where those hands are actually located. So while Joe McEwan from Starling Cycles makes some of his steel mountain bike frames right here in the UK, the Roost is manufactured in Taiwan by Ora. That’s partly because one man can only produce so many frames by himself, so it makes sense to have helping hands overseas. Also Starling Cycles doesn’t have the expertise needed to work with
