I’ve recently begun commuting to work by bike (7 miles round trip, mostly flat pavement) and am looking to get something to replace the ancient Panama Jack I’m currently using. I was looking at the State Bicycle Co. city bikes and have been hearing some mixed reviews. I was curious if anyone here had experience with the brand or had any opinions based on the website information. I’m still a newbie, so any and all help is welcomed.
https://www.statebicycle.com/collections/bicycles/products/city-bike-the-black-tan-single-speed
I had a single speed 4130 from them for several years. It was fun and had no issues besides the paint chipping easily. I bought it through a local bicycle shop and they put it together for me and added brakes. The seat that came with it sucked but that usually the case.
I commuted around town on one of their fixed gear bikes for 5 years without issue. I swapped in new brakepads, and lubed the chain every few weeks in the rainy winter outside Vancouver BC. It was way cheaper to purchase that bike than to do the maintenance required to commute and train on my regular road bike
I had no issues with mine and sold it before a move to a hilly town for around 50% of the purchase price.
Pros: Cool paintjobs, parts tend to be of ok quality.
Cons: Frames are less than perfect and may have alignment issues. Buying a bike on the internet means you are getting something lazily slapped together and thrown in a box, so if you are not a skilled bicycle mechanic, parts will likely wear out quicker than normal due to poor adjustment. The model you are looking at is missing a front brake, so you will be unable to stop if the chain falls off.
