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Podcast: Joe McEwan – Starling Cycles. 10 years. new ways and staying true.
While the podcast will give you an insight to Starling Cycles the company itself is about to change – but not like you might think it will. There won’t be carbon frames anytime soon. Joe and his team will still provide you with the frames made out of Reynolds 853 the steel lover is a fan of. But they will get help.
Shortening lead times to serve customers quicker, providing demo rides and teaming up with bikeshops to have the bikes on the floor will mark a huge step forward for the brand. While starting literally in the shed behind the house Joe now teamed up with Fort Frames in the Czech Republic to be able to fulfill demand. A couple of years back Starling started to source the rear triangles of their core models out of ORA in Taiwan.
Unchained bicycles – Enduro. The future. Made in Switzerland.
Bonding lugs and tubes is making a comeback and is now considered an established manufacturing method. Numerous manufacturers use it both for prototyping and for production frames. The technique offers several advantages over welding but is more expensive.
Unchained 1.0 is not yet a production model and continues to be refined. Axel and Laurent are committed to uncompromising development and their own hands-on riding impressions, since they are already riding the frame themselves. With 7075-T6 tubes at a wall thickness of 2 mm, the frame shrugs off even the worst abuse. This wall thickness is unusual for production bikes, which means there is still significant potential for weight savings in a future production model. They designed the lugs to their own specifications and had them custom-made. Currently, the entire frame is “Made in Switzerland.”