Starling's New 170mm 29er With a Gearbox - Bespoked Show 2019
Another week, another Starling with an intriguing drivetrain system. This time, Joe McEwan has built up a new bike for a long term customer with an Effigear gearbox. Named after the talon on the back on a starling's leg, meet the Spur.
The blueprint of the Murmur is writ large on this frame despite the addition of the gearbox.
Effigear are a French company and Joe has fitted this new Spur with their 9 speed box. The box mates with the swingarm in a manner that means there's no chain growth. This, combined with a lack of derailleur and cassette on the rear wheel, apparently make for a super supple rear end. Another big advantage of the Effigear is that it can be fitted with a trigger shifter, unlike the Pinion which is gripshift only.
Joe fits one of these plates to every ride and they look stunning.
The Spur has the option to change the shock position, a first for Joe.
Joe has fitted the gearbox with a brute of a bike; like a Murmur on steroids, this is a 170mm 29er. The customer Joe made this for is a sizable gent so this bike has a reach of 520mm and 450mm stays. Basically, when the Spur gets trucking, it's going to take a lot of stopping.
The cable routing for a stealth dropper was supposed to go through the stainless steel plaque on the downtube, but wasn't needed thanks to the Magura Vyron spec. It's something Joe is working on for all future Starling bikes.
A singlespeed hub from Project 321 is all that's needed on the rear wheel.
Joe currently isn't planning on building anymore of these bikes but he has all the jigs and could make one up if a customer really wanted. Expect a frameset to cost around £2,000 if you're interested.
Trigger shifting is a big plus on the Effigear. Joe's Spur runs with a Sram GX shifter.
A custom headcap finishes off the build. #steelisreal is a community of British bike builders that hold an annual demo day for their ferrous bikes.
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Always thought the Effigear gearbox was cool though, especially because they have trigger shift, but honestly after 10 minutes on a Pinion with a grip shift, I prefer it much more to trigger shifters now.
I'd say that the effigear has a smoother functionning, and the shifter is also WAY better than this satanic gripshift.
Overall gearbox bikes are (to me) more balanced as the weight is centered on the bottom bracket and corner like Hell. Not mentioning that having no chain slapping your swing arm while giving'er is quite addicting...
i'm back with an old fashioned deraileur on my new trek slash, and miss the gearbox comfort shifting up or down and having the right gear instantly (without pedaling)
I hope i answered your question!
I've spec'd up Cavaleries many times on their website, but always thought that their bikes were ridiculously expensive for what they are.
I now own a Zerode Taniwha and I can honestly say that it's EXACTLY the bike I've been waiting for since 2008.
I thought I wouldn't like the grip shifter, and it delayed me from making the purchase for a long time, but now I think it's a far superior system to trigger shifters. I love being able to dump or grab as many gears as I want, whenever I want (except whilst putting down a lot of power, which just requires an adjustment to the shifting technique).
The quality of the grip shifter is brilliant. It's a far cry from the awful plasticy things that used to come on bikes in the 90's/2000's. The feel of the shifter is beautifully mechanical and precise.
Whenever I'm washing the bike after another trouble free ride I think to myself "Ah remember when we used to have those ridiculous fragile pieces of scrap metal derailleurs hanging of the back of our bikes?.. Oh wait, most people still do!" and I laugh to myself and then rinse and dry my bike and put it away in anticipation of giving'er more trouble free abuse.
I also like the silent running part, or at least I would except that I have Hope hubs! They're great hubs, but the rear one is stupidly noisy, and honestly without the rest of the clanking and banging that normally comes from a bike, the whizz just sounds like a hiss, and it's distracting because it regularly makes me think that I have a puncture.
Noisy hubs are so last decade.
Washing the bike and putting it in the garage without any chain lubrication is freaking awesome with the Cavalerie!
Thanks to GATES belt drive system
Then MTB is about weight, lower weight always sells better. Gearboxes will never be light.
Finally the poliferation of gearbox can only happen with sexy mainstream bikes using them, like Taniwha. I understand how steampunk things like this Starling are great designs and the build quality is excellent but they will never win hearts of the general public. It is the general public that pushes things forward in the end, slowly but it does. You can’t impose much on them.
So well, as you can see there are limitations to what genuine intellect can do.
I have a 34t chainring with a gx eagle cassette, and i likr it. I dont use it every ride but especially when i race i like to ride a higher cadence.
That being said . I cant notice that much of a difference from the 46 that i had, and only moved up to the 50 because it was the same price buying a gx groupset than buying a 11s with a 46t and xd driver that was what i had.
proper climbs and then we’ll see how you feel.
Not everybody climb flat trails like you do
I use SMP saddle for a reason
Wait.
no.
NO.
NO!!!
Where do you put a waterbottle??? DAMN YOU ALL TO HELL YOU TEASE OF A BIKE!!!
LOL jk
It looks awesome.
besides that: very cool bike
www.cavalerie-bikes.com/blackbird
Then what’s the gaping hole in the seat tube below the stainless steel plaque for?
What benefit will moving the shock make? Would it make the leverage curve more progressive / linear?
For the last few years it was "amazing," and then there was "the (insert superlative) ever, but I digress.
Just learn to think for yourself and write something devoid of oft-repeated tripe that everyone with a high e.q. latches onto.
end rant.
-Tighten handlebar and stem bolts top to bottom, ride it, and then tighten them bottom to top. you will feel it gives you a different handling, also if you tighten them left to right or right to left.
The "pros" have the right sequences that's why they are so good riders.
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