While Starling Cycles launched the Spur model a while back, it’s now available for purchase. If a balanced 170mm steel-tubed 29er with no derailleur to snap is on your wish list, this is the one. It retails for £3,330 with all the necessary transmission bits, and lead times are around sixteen weeks. Full builds and custom paint options are also available upon request.
The Spur frames come with an Effigear 9-speed gearbox that offers a 440% range and includes cranks, shifter, and cogs. The Reynolds 853 steel front triangle and swingarm are hand-built in Bristol UK, hinging together around a single high pivot at the front cog that allows for constant chain tension.
The three Spur sizes are said to fit riders from 5’6″ to 6’4″ in height, with reach measurements of 440, 475, and 505mm. The rear center measurement is a stabilizing 450mm across the size run, which fits with the bike’s stated intentions of park laps and high alpine festivities. The steeper 77° seat tube angle intersects the slack 64° headtube angle somewhere in the sky for a bike that should be a joy on any trail that warrants 170mm of travel.
The rear end uses custom dropouts that allow for consistent chain tension as the wheel is removed and replaced. Out back a 142x12mm single speed hub spacing should bring rear wheel weight down, keeping most of the bike’s mass low and central. Check out our article on gearboxes for a little look at the Effigear system.
