State Bicycle's Undefeated II - 2019's best looking track frame

State Bicycle Co. has just released its Black Prism edition Undefeated II frame - an update to their Undefeated I - a track-inspired frame with aero tubing and race geometry that was popular with track riders and commuters.

With the second gen, the bike gets lighter 7005 aluminium tubing, a beefier over-sized tapered head-tube, a black paint job that glitters spectacularly in the sun and a noticeable improvement in ride quality, with stability to spare and the feel of akin to many modern metal geometries.

Fixed-gear crit riders will love this ride. As advertised, the stock build is race-ready, and with a 5mm torque wrench, is assembled and ready in about 45 minutes. The stock Essor USA bolt wheelset is subtle and feels sturdy. To make the bike more road-ready, the company sells the frame with a rear flip-flop hub, front and rear brakes and other features, too, making it immediately versatile as well.

While many will look at the bike and consider it a crit-race machine only, doing so is a mistake. The Undefeated II is a pleasure to ride on asphalt; fast when you put some energy into it and responsive when cornering, too.

While it rides well as a stock bike, many who invest in it will want to upgrade some of the parts. The standard saddle shipped with our test bike, for example, should be swapped for one of the others on offer or an old saddle from a previous build. As a taller rider at 6’1 on the 57cm frame, the 90mm stem shipped with the bike also isn’t great for reach. Trading up for a stock aluminium 110mm stem made the ride a lot more comfortable. Recommended max tire clearance with the frame is 25c in the front, 28c in the rear - plenty for riding this bike, be it on road ride, crits or on the track.

This is a quality ride that is also inexpensive (~925 in the UK). Once the set-up is dialed, which is easy to do with even average wrenching skills (the company recommends having it checked out by a professional mechanic - definitely double check and tighten all the bolts before taking it out), it’s the ride you want if you’re after versatility - a fast commuter, a perfect winter/poor weather training bike, a crit-race machine. With so many options available from State to customize it, you’ll find it a staple for whatever scenario you ride it in.