The bike industry loves a good April Fool’s Day joke, though if all goes well this year, UK-based steel bike brand Starling may be having the last laugh. The Starling Dive is an all-new steel enduro bike with 170/160mm of suspension travel front and rear, which the brand assures us is not just an existing frame built with 26″ wheels.
“We designed and made the Dive for real, creating a brand new 26″ Starling frame,” according to a release. Ten limited-edition frames will be sold in sizes small, medium, and large.
“The haters say our bikes are straight out of the 90s, so f*ck it, let’s just run with it!”
| Frame Size | Small | Medium | Large |
| Reach | 425 | 450mm | 485mm |
| Stack | 602 | 611 | 611 |
| Head Angle | 63.0° | 63.0° | 63.0° |
| Seat Tube Length | 375mm | 410mm | 440mm |
| Head Tube Length | 120mm | 130mm | 130mm |
| Chainstay | 435mm | 435mm | 435mm |
| Wheelbase | 1193mm | 1223mm | 1258mm |
| BB drop | 4mm | 4mm | 4mm |
| Eff. Seat Angle | 77.0° | 77.0° | 77.0° |
| Eff. Top Tube * | 564mm | 591mm | 626mm |
| Max Post Insertion | 250 | 280 | 310 |
| Standover # | 790 | 812 | 827 |
* Effective ST Angle measured at 750mm from BB Center.
# Standover measured at top tube mid-point.
$ Designed for 567mm axle to crown (170mm 27.5″ fork)
Modern frame specs and geometry
Starling Dive frames are made with Reynolds 853 steel tubing and feature modern touches like UDH-compatibility and Boost spacing. Looking at the photos, the rear triangle appears to offer enough room for a larger diameter wheel, perhaps a 27.5. Compared to a 2010 Specialized Enduro with 26″ wheels, the Starling Dive has longer chainstays, clearance for tires up to 2.6″ wide, and a longer reach and wheelbase for a decidedly modern fit and handling. The 63° head tube angle is slacker than a 2000s-era 26er by a long shot, too.
With the smaller wheel size, Starling recommends a maximum rider height of 6’1″ for the largest size large frame. The Dive is said to fit riders starting at 5’2″, which could make it a popular choice for young shredders who missed out on 26ers the first time around.
The wheels truly make it a 26er
Obviously, the biggest thing that makes a bike a 26er is the wheelset, and Starling is not skimping on the featured build. (It appears the bike is sold as a frame only, so the photos and spec described here are just to give an idea.)
Starling built up their Dive with Hope Fortus 26″ wheels and Schwalbe Magic Mary 26×2.5″ tires. If that tire isn’t your jam, you’re in luck, as Continental just added a 26″ Kryptotal to the line, and of course, Maxxis has always offered the popular Minion DHF and DHR II tires in the 26″ size.
Sourcing a high-performance 26″ fork was a challenge, so in the end, Starling decided to use a 27.5″ Fox 38 fork with 170mm of travel for their build. To avoid going too modern, Starling specced a 10-speed Saint drivetrain over a modern 12-speed setup. But again, buyers can do whatever they like thanks to the modern frame specs.
The Dive is priced at £2,046.67 (about $2,650 USD) for the frame only without a shock. Get more details or order one of the ten limited-edition Starling Dive 26er bikes online before they’re gone.
What do you think: Is the Starling Dive just a gimmick, or is it a bike you’d consider buying? Sound off in the comments below!
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