Corey's "Budget" State Bicycle Co. Gravel Build
In a world of escalating bike prices and ever-changing “standards” and technological “advances,“ could I build a bike that is fun, capable, adaptable, and able to punch above its weight when comparing dollars to performance?
The goal
I wanted a gravel bike. After underbiking the hell out of SBT GRVL in 2021 on my almost “all-road” Fairlight Strael, I knew that a truer gravel/CX bike might be a better fit for potential future gravel races, off-pavement rides, and generally good vibes on wider tires. I have owned several cyclocross bikes over the years and fully considered going that route again, but I looked towards a gravel build as something that could be more flexible in use and more enjoyable to ride over the long haul.
The rules
Build a bike, that is capable, versatile, fun to ride, and doesn’t break the bank. I wanted a bike that was simple to put together, work on as needed and live with, no wild standards or exotica. I also looked at this as an opportunity to thin out the bottomless pit of accumulating spare parts in my home service course. The environmentalist in me would suggest this has the added benefit of reducing my carbon footprint by reusing those parts instead of buying new things, but my main motivation was to build something for as little additional outlay as possible.
The parts
Most of this bike, save for the brake calipers, seat post (more on that in a bit), and tires, were pre-loved. The far majority came from my own stash of items that I was overly delinquent on posting for sale on the Internets. After considering several options, I sourced the frame from State Bicycle Co. via its “warehouse deals” page. They use this section to unload un-new bikes and bits, and I was able to find one of their 6061 Black Label All-Road frames there with a trivial amount of wear and in a lovely shade of deep blue. While State’s normal pricing already feels like you’re getting away with some kind of fraud you can’t quite put a name to, their warehouse deals can feel like an outright steal.
Build Specs
Frame: State Bicycle Co. 6061 Black Label All-Road, Deep Pacific Colorway
Fork: State Bicycle Co. Black Label Carbon Fork
Seat post: FSA SL-K Carbon Seat post, 31.6 mm
Pedals: Crankbrothers Candy 3
Wheels: Hunt Gravel Race Disc
Tires: American Classic Kimberlite Gravel Tires, 700x40C
Brakes: Juin Tech F1 Cable-actuated hydraulic brakes
Groupset: SRAM Rival 22 (lovingly harvested from my beloved trash bike)
Gearing: Currently running a 46/36T Crankset with an 11-36 cassette using a SRAM Rival WiFli rear derailleur
Bottle Cages: Tacx Deva, Blue (not quite a perfect match, but I dig it)
Bar Tape: Cinelli Mash Parallax Handlebar Tape
Other Bits and Bobs: This frameset is designed largely for use with a 1x drivetrain. If I used electronic shifting, running 2x would have been less complicated as I wouldn’t have to think about how to managed the shift cable to the front derailleur. But running a mechanical setup necessitated a little bit of creative housing routing, adding a band clamp for my front derailleur, and sourcing a clamp on cable stop (Origin8 makes these) to make front shifting a possibility. Works like a dream.
The Outcome
While multiple bouts of Covid and some shifts in priorities put a bit of a damper on my grander gravel racing and riding plans, I’ve still been able put the bike through it’s paces as a commuter bike, on the gravel tracks for which it was birthed, and even an ill-advised CX race on gravel tires devoid of any noticeable grip. Overall, it’s pretty damn good. Champagne (gravel) lifestyle on a beer budget; it works for me.
What do I like?
I like that this bike largely fits the criteria I set before undertaking the build. I was able to use a fair amount of tried and true components that I had laying around and offer them new life on this bike for the roads less traveled. I like that I was able to put together a solid riding platform for a reasonable cost despite every bit of bike marketing telling me that “new new” bike day is better than “new to me” bike day. I absolutely love the color of this bike. While it appears dark blue in diffuse light, there’s a wonderful sparkle that unveils itself when the light hits it just right. Lastly, I love the simplicity of this bike. It is a bike that can be cleaned and serviced easily, which is properly befitting a ride that might see more rough usage than something more road-going.
What COuld be better?
State uses a 31.6mm diameter seat post on this bike (and several other of their performance oriented bikes). This might make sense if you wanted to fit a dropper post, as some folks choose to do in the gravel world, but the marginal additional flex offered by a slimmer seat post would add a non-zero amount of comfort to this chassis for long days in the saddle. Also, as much as I love the stopping power and modulation of the Juin Tech brakes, there seems to have been a quality control issue with this early generation model. While they are slated for use with 160mm brake rotors, I ended up needing to fit a 180mm rotor in the front (which fits with no clearance issues) in order for the brake pads to have ample surface area to bite on. I am likely to swap these out for a tried and true set of TRP Spyres soonly.
Parting Thoughts
As long as it fits, you could do a lot worse than the State All-Road. State offers this (and most bikes) in a limited amount of sizes. That business model helps limit their SKUs, and likely goes a long way in passing savings on to the consumer. So, I’d recommend doing some geometry checks and comparisons before deciding that this is the one for you. It’s also worth noting that State can sell you a complete build of this bike for a relatively low number of dollars, so piecing it together as I did may not be the most cost-effective or practical way to go. But, if you are looking for an adaptable, affordable, user-friendly, and good-riding gravel bike, and you also happen to have some spare parts collecting dust (much to the chagrin of your significant other), stalking the warehouse deals page of State Bicycle might land you a screaming deal on a solid bike.
I am a New York City based cyclist who hasn’t found a way to quit the sport in the 10+ years since I moved to the East Coast from the Midwest. Former, and occasional, runner, full-time high school teacher, bourbon and cat aficionado.
Instagram (especially if you love cats): @myvelolife
