This steel singlespeed 29er DH bike delights and confuses all at once

This Bristol-made prototype DH features some amazing tech

We got our hands on a prototype version of the Sturn back in 2018.

Jack Luke / Our Media

Jack Luke

Published: December 11, 2018 at 3:15 pm

We take a closer look at this amazing steel prototype DH bike from Starling

There's probably not many people crying out for a steel 29er singlespeed downhill bike that uses a heady mix of traditional DH and BMX components, but that hasn't stopped Bristol-based Starling Cycles from making exactly that.

In our latest video, Jack ditches his organically-sourced earth-boy-beanie in favour of a downhill-approved snapback cap to channel the energy of downhill racing and talk us through this truly unique and amazingly well-crafted bike.

This isn’t the first bike from Starling that has passed through the hallowed halls of BikeRadar HQ, we’ve also spent time on and reviewed its Murmur and Swoop trail bikes.

Jack Luke

Deputy editor

Jack Luke is the deputy editor at BikeRadar and has been fettling with bikes for his whole life. Always in search of the hippest new niche in cycling, Jack is a self-confessed gravel dork, fixie-botherer, tandem-evangelist and hill climb try hard. Jack thinks nothing of bikepacking after work to sleep in a ditch or taking on a daft challenge for the BikeRadar YouTube channel. He is also a regular contributor to the BikeRadar podcast. With a near encyclopaedic knowledge of cycling tech, ranging from the most esoteric retro niche to the most cutting-edge modern kit, Jack takes pride in his ability to seek out stories that would otherwise go unreported. He is also particularly fond of tan-wall tyres, dynamo lights, cup and cone bearings, and skids. Jack has been writing about and testing bikes for more than six years now, has a background working in bike shops for years before that, and is regularly found riding a mix of weird and wonderful machines. Jack can also often be seen zooming about with his partner aboard their beloved tandem.
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