State Contender II Keeps It Real With Steel

I fell in love with State’s bikes when I saw them at my first Red Hook Crit. The team was racing the Undefeated in silver, which looked quite classy under the lights. Fast forward to a few months back, and I was throwing my leg over my own State, the Contender II.

The Contender has been one of the brand’s most popular bikes. The price point was accessible to many people and provides a decent bike for the money. With the Contender II, the bike was upgraded to a higher grade of steel, while keeping the geometry, price, and quality build spec that has made it so popular.

 

 

The first thing I that caught my eye on my demo bike was the paint. I requested the black and green version, which had a very traditional British racing look to it. The inside of the fork had some nice detailing with the State name masked to reveal the fork’s carbon legs. The all black State branded wheels and unbranded black stem, bars, grips, seat post, and saddle gave it a stealthy look with the pop of darker green on the frame. It just looked like it wanted to be ridden.

At 6′ tall, I requested the 55cm frame. I personally tend to like smaller frames, but for the Contender II, there is something you’ll want to think about when looking at size, the saddle to bar drop. The Essor USA carbon fork comes with its aluminum steerer already trimmed to an already slammed position on a 105mm head tube. Add in a negative rise stem and the drops of the bull bars, the bike felt more race than commuter. Flipping the stem upwards and moving to flat or drop bars would help to raise the position a little, but in the end, it all depends on what you are looking to use the bike for.

Speaking uses, the Contender II is pretty versatile. If you are looking for a bike to cruise around the city in, it rewards you with its durable and comfortable Reynolds 520 double-butted chromoly steel frame. Steel has long been known for its comfort, and the Contender II does not disappoint. While the geometry is aggressive, it didn’t feel overly twitchy when riding on the road. If you are looking for something try out the track on, the frame felt pretty rigid under hard efforts on a 190 lb rider. It would be a great bike for the occasional track bike crit or alley cat as well.

Beyond the frame, the wheels and crank add to the bike’s versatility and value. On the back wheel, both sides of the hub are threaded to handle thread-on cogs or freewheels. If you want a single-speed, just add a freewheel, which is available as a $14.99 upgrade at the time of the purchase. Since you’ll need to stop, the bike comes with rim brakes and everything you’ll need to mount and run the cables, and the wheels are rim brake compatible. When you want to take it to the track, just flip the wheel around, take off the brakes, and have at it. If you’ll be flipping the wheel often, the integrated wheel tensioners will come in handy. The SRAM S100 track crank really adds to the value too, and I couldn’t feel any flex when testing on a road crit course.

Now, if you are looking for a hardcore track bike, you might need to look at something like the 6061 Black Label or the Undefeated. My 55cm weighed in at about 21lbs, which seemed a little heavy considering it was a single gear and no brakes. Since I wasn’t racing though, I’m happy to accept a higher weight for durability. Upgrading the wheels will go a long way in putting the Contender II on a diet, but by no means are they junk. They are solid for commuting and spirited riding, just a little on the heavy side. The only thing I would consider replacing off the bat is the tires, but that is personal preference.

If you are ready to get out and try some fixed gear riding, there are plenty of options for the Contender II. Six frame sizes (46, 49, 52, 55, 59, and 62) are said to fit between 4’10” and 6’2″. The frames are all available in black, with accent colors of green, red, blue, and silver. The bike comes standard with bull bars, front and rear brakes, and flat pedals, but you can upgrade the wheels (Essor USA and Mavic options from $199 to $1149), pedals (multiple colors of flat and clipless – $17.99-79.99), pedal straps (multiple colors – $56.99), saddles (Turbo, Brooks, and Fizik – $55-119.99) and water bottle cages (metal and carbon in a few color options – $8.99-29.99). Even further, you can buy additional bars, stems, seat posts, tires, grips/tape, and plenty of other accessories to add style and functionality to the bike.

I’ll miss having this zippy little fixie in the stable. For me, a track bike isn’t terribly practical, but man, was the State Contender II fun.

State Contender II – $649.00

www.statebicycle.com