State Undefeated II Review: The Art Of Affordable Speed

The State Undefeated II is breaking ground for beautiful race bikes.

When we were given the opportunity to ride State Bicycle Co’s latest race machine, the Undefeated II, our team jumped all over the opportunity. Unlike most competition bikes, State’s sophomore offering is entirely race-ready out of the box — just dial in your pedals of choice to match a desired riding style.

Redesigned Frame

As its name entails, the Undefeated II is a redesign of its successful predecessor; the notable changes are in the frame design. The previous version — the Undefeated — used a more generic looking aero style frame; functional but not as attention grabbing as the Undefeated II.

This latest rendition ditches the popular aero-shaped lay up for classy, round and oversized tubes — beast-like with aggressive looking pursuit-style geometry. Being fans of the oversized head-tube, this frame resonated from the moment we unboxed it — the paint in stunning.

As a stock option, the matching full-carbon Essor USA fork further proves that the Undefeated II is ready to perform without the need for costly upgrades. Stiff, responsive and light. Finally a budget conscious bike that stretches far beyond the stereotypical confines of what a grand can get you in the cycling world.

Stock Build Options

State carried over many of the components from the original Undefeated including the Ritchey comp stem, seatpost and a Sram Omnium crankset. Don’t overlook this trustworthy build! Sram’s Omnium crank is well respected across the riding community, and is hard to beat in any price/value comparison — it looks speak volumes.

State also decided to pair the Undefeated II’s redesigned frame with the  Essor USA Bolt 31 track wheel set, which sports premium sealed bearings. At 1736 grams these wheels are plenty light for racing, but more importantly, bombproof on the pavement — crit ready without a doubt.

On paper the State Bicycle Co. Undefeated II is indeed race ready out of the box. So in reality, what did we think of the of the bike when the rubber met the road? It exceeded expectations and then some.

Rider Review Preferences

The stock build didn’t need much more than a few personal adjustments for our preferred comfort and fit. Our primary rider did swap out the stock bars — a classic deep-narrow, track-drop bar — for a shorter and shallow compact-bend drop. But this was merely a personal preference, not a requirement.

Upon checkout on statebicycle.com, you have the option to customize your bike a bit with three different bar options and six wheel set choices. A dream bike is literally only clicks away. Remember, your bike is your undisputed best friend; anyone who tells you that you don’t need another bike doesn’t deserve to be in your life.

Undefeated II Performance 

The impressive ride quality was the first noticeable characteristic about of the undefeated II. Specifically how smooth it rides over rough city roads. Oversized aluminum tubing doesn’t traditionally have a reputation for being the smoothest of operators when compared to such materials as carbon or steel.

This is a huge feat for a frame that’s not custom in build or price. Long before this bike showed up at our doorstep it was race-tested by stupid fast riders who lay it all down on the streets, designing a bike that will leave you nothing short of speechless. Pretty cool for under a thousand bones.

This brings us to the next part in the ride quality story; the stiffness. This bad boy is responsive! When paired with the spec’d Sram Omnium crankset and outboard bb the Undefeated II sprints with the likes of uber premium custom bikes.

So we have a smooth rolling, stiff, and affordable aluminum track bike here… must be heavy, right? Nope. Our build comes in at under 15.6 pounds, complete. This is most definitely attributed to the claimed 1739 gram Essor wheelset, full carbon fork, and lightweight Ritchey comp components. This sort of spec keeps the State Undefeated II right at home for both local group rides or the Tuesday night omnium at the velodrome. Just looking for a beautiful urban shred-sled? Opt for the flat-bar, throw on a pair of 25c tires and start grammin your new steed. Like it.