You don't have to be an engineer to appreciate the benefits that carbon fiber brings to just about any industry. But there's a catch; carbon fiber is typically expensive, and most cyclists that want a carbon fiber bike are typically pushed away by their price tags. Well, here's State Bicycle Co., looking to break that idea with a $2,000 piece of carbon fiber designed to go anywhere you can make out a road or path.
Ladies and gentlemen and lovers of the most beloved eco-friendly two-wheeler on the planet, gather round, grab your checkbooks, and start picking up the phones, sending e-mails, or hopping on State Bicycle Co.'s website to see what the fuss is all about; a $2,000 (€1,800 at current exchange rates) gravel and road bike from a brand based in our own backyard, Tempe, Arizona to be precise, a place I know all too well.
Why such a big fuss over the bicycle you see in the gallery? Well, now's the time to view those images, if you haven't done so already, and then come back to the text so that we can both marvel at what I could very well be putting on this year's Christmas list.
Now, State's All-Road lineup is one we've presented before, but the previous models were all crafted from aluminum; this is the first and only present All-Road crafted from carbon fiber for this brand, and aside from the fact that it's only $2K, it's actually built to handle quite a bit of abuse, all made possible by T800 carbon fiber. This results in a frame that weighs 2.5 lbs. Yes, the fork is carbon fiber too.
From here, we need to consider the sort of tire size this frame can handle. Luckily for gravel and light off-road lovers, 650x55c and 700x45c tires can be dropped onto this thing. This allows future owners to customize their riding experience based on the level of grip and softness they want from their tires.
Photo: State Bicycle Co.
More on the frame and the sort of adventures and rides you can undertake with this baby leads us to the countless mounts found on the frame tubes, fork, and seat stay. What does this mean for you and me? Aside from having the hydrations stations we need for long rides, if said rides happen to leave us on the edge of town for the night, racks and cargo bags can be thrown on, ensuring you have food, drink, a little tent, and even a change of clothes.
Think about that for a second, and really picture yourself owning this $2,000 piece of carbon fiber on wheels. Imagine heading to work on a Monday, throwing your laptop bag in one of the bags on the rear of your bike. Hop on and ride off; all the while, that carbon frame is absorbing some of the hits the road throws at you. After the work day, head home, maybe even pick up some groceries along the way.
However, once the weekend rolls around, the All-Road is bound to show you why it's named the way it is. You'll hop on again, but this time with those pannier bags filled with food, drink, and tools, while a frame bag houses the tent in which you'll be sleeping. Let's not forget about the racks mounted onto the fork.
As you ride along, you'll feel the pull of a proprietary 1x11 drivetrain with 11-42T. Optionally, you can go for SRAM's freshest gravel-specific drivetrain, the XPLR. But that'll cost you an extra $1,000. Here's a tip, start with the basic setup, and if you don't like it, drop the cash on something else later. Just note that the XPLR groupset is wireless.
Photo: State Bicycle Co.
As part of the whole customization process, State also offers two colorways for this machine placed on opposite ends of the visible spectrum. One is black, and one is white, but both showcase a four-tone progression from yellow to red, depicted on the seat tube and seat stay. Just a little something-something to catch the eyes. If you're a Toyota fan, this has TRD all over it!
The rest of the All-Road is covered in proprietary gear too. The handlebars are from State, the standard brakes are from State, and those mentioned above, and this leads me to my next point, State Bicycle Co.'s recent explosion in activity.
If you've been keeping up with the next, the past two to three years have found this brand in the papers on countless occasions. From events aimed at the community to spitting out new components and, most recently, a plethora of bikes, State has been busy.
What does this mean for you and me? Well, it means keeping our eyes peeled for other affordable two-wheelers to help us get into whatever cycling trends are happening at that time, and it also means that State is looking to seize a place alongside other already-established bicycle manufacturers.
For now, on the other hand, let's just let the truth sink in for a bit; a carbon fiber gravel bike with the ability to handle "All-Roads" for low bucks is possible, and State Bicycle Co. is the crew that's doing it.
A bit of a nomad at heart (being born in Europe and raised in several places in the USA), Cristian is enamored with travel trailers, campers and bikes. He also tests and writes about urban means of transportation like scooters, mopeds and e-bikes (when he's not busy hosting our video stories and guides). Full profile
Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?
Google News