STARLING ROOST
£1,220 Stainless steel shredder from boutique Bristol brand
Bristol-based Starling are famous for hand-welding bespoke steel frames in-house, but for this super-special stainless steel hardtail, owner Joe McEwan has farmed the work out to ORA in Taiwan.
THE FRAME
The stainless steel they’ve chosen possesses the same strength and sti ness as the Reynolds 853 chromoly used on Starling’s other frames, but it doesn’t rust, so can be left raw with laser-etched graphics for a stunning finish like no other. Starling’s novel chainstay yoke design means the Roost’s aesthetics will be recognisable to riders familiar with their full-suspension o erings. The bike has geometry optimised for a mullet set-up, with a 140mm-travel 29er Pike fork up front and a 650b wheel at the rear, connected to the bike via chainstays that increase in length as you go up in frame size.
Five years ago, the Roost’s low BB, long reach and slack head angle would have appeared crazy, but such is the speed of change in the MTB world – particularly among agile smallbatch frame producers – that this frame’s geometry looks progressive, but sensibly so. The head tube sits at 64 degrees and you get a 440mm reach on the medium frame.
External cable routing means fussfree maintenance, while Boost dropouts and ISCG-05 tabs let you run modern hubs and chain guides. The bottle bosses above the down tube stand proud of the cables, which is a nice touch. There are gussets at the top and down tube junctions with the head tube, which hint at the Roost’s hardcore potential. Our frame was preproduction and had some blemishes, but Joe assures us the finish will be flawless on customers’ bikes.
THE KIT
Starling can supply anything from frames to full builds. They recommend running a 140mm fork, but the chassis is rated for use with one with between 120 and 160mm of travel. Our test bike came with a RockShox Pike Ultimate. Funn supplied the short stem, wide bar, grips and large flat pedals. The long BikeYoke dropper oozes quality, and Shimano’s 1x12 XT drivetrain is a stalwart. The Hope headset and gorgeous Middleburn RS8 cranks and chainring are UK-made and complement the lines of the frame.
THE RIDE
The Roost’s geometry is bang-on, providing straight-line composure and
mid-corner control, while the mullet wheel set-up helps the bike maintain stability on the straights yet keeps it easy to flick over sideways and eager to turn once it’s started. In this case, it really could give you the best of both worlds. The bike is predictable enough that we felt confident to hit the Full Moto pro line at Black Mountains Cycle Centre on our first run down, yet it didn’t feel unwieldy in the tight berms of the Rabbit Run blue trail. Its low BB gives a surefooted feel, especially once it’s on the back wheel or in the air – a process made easier by the short rear end and smaller rear wheel.
Up front, the Pike Ultimate fork is a class act. Its low-stiction breakaway means it finds traction everywhere, yet there’s still good support from the Debonair spring and low-speed damping. The steering feel is great, too, thanks to the sti , low-o set fork chassis working in tandem with the Roost’s short stem, wide bar and slack head angle. While the Shimano shifting was reassuringly precise, the Magura brakes on our bike felt spongy and uncommunicative, but did have good power. The rest of the build felt solid, to say the least.
Dense Michelin tyres combined with substantial CushCore inserts meant our test bike had a lot of rotating weight. On one hand, this seemed to calm the skittish feel inherent to hardtails, keeping the bike more planted than expected in the rough stu . On the other, it made the Roost more sluggish to sprint than its light-ish frame had led us to expect. Combined with the short chainstays, small rear wheel and moderate 76-degree seat tube angle, it also made the bike feel a bit of a handful on the climbs, although this was improved by moving the saddle fully forward on the zero-layback post, centralising rider weight.
A 29er hardtail with more traditional geometry would o er extra traction and feel more planted on the way up, but less fun on the way down. The Roost is a bike aimed at keen descenders, and e ortless climbing is a sacrifice many winch-and-plummet riders will be willing to make. Where it really comes alive is when it’s going fast. Here, the long cockpit and short chainstays make for a stable yet playful-feeling bike. Add the burly wheel set-up, and the Roost was an absolute hoot at speed, whether we were riding one of BikePark Wales’s speedy blue trails or a choppy black (something we’d usually avoid on a hardtail). The Starling just encourages the hooligan in you to keep pushing harder and faster than ever, and you’re rewarded with massive grins. Will So e www.starlingcycles.com A modern, progressive, hardcore hardtail with scintillating good looks and exclusivity to boot