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v
Upon arrival, this bicycle explodeded it's way out of the box and sprang to life like an anthropomorphic vehicle from a Michael Bay franchise. In no time(very minimal assembly required), I was absolutely crushng my local streets like a killdozer. I got arrested for property destruction by municipal law enforcement, but there was Thunderbird, waiting at detention to bail me out. After a few beers and laughs, I commented on the Thunderbird's sexy lines and rock solid build, which led to an all night ride. This one's a keeper.
I'm 5'11" and the 55 fits great.
Fast shipping and good customer service.
M
For the price tag I was expecting much more than a nice paint job. After ~200miles rear hub already needs to be greased. Brakes are hard to adjust as well. Replaced saddle immediately because of how uncomfortable it was. The crank is constantly coming undone and I've needed to tighten it 3 times already.
C
After doing the research looking for a single speed gravel/cyclocross bike that was both affordable and easily upgraded, I decided to go with the State Bicycle Thunderbird. I spent my money on this bike and these are my observations.
The bike came ridiculously fast, 2 days from Phoenix to Denver! It was a straightforward build, it came well packed and there were no issues putting it together. While assembling the bike I noticed there was some paint chipping off near the rear dropouts, but that was luckily the horrifically colored pink which I planned on painting anyway.
The components are decent middle of the road quality. I purchased the size 55cm, it came with 40cm bars and 170mm cranks which are too small for that size bike. I swapped them out for 44cm wide bars and 175mm cranks. The bottom bracket is high enough, there is no reason to go with such short cranks. The seat looks nice and seems to fit my butt, I realize that is subjective though.
The bike isn't light, but isn't a tank either. A few things that would drop some weight: A good quality tubeless wheel set (with lighter folding tires), better quality crank set, swap the BB5’s for BB7’s (more adjustable, sealed from the elements and lighter), swapping out the 1/8" chain for for a 3/32" and a carbon post would improve ride quality and drop some weight.
I now have almost 200 miles on my Tbird and the bottom line is when asked the question "would you buy it again?" and the answer is yes, I would buy it again.
(Should be a 4.5 star review)
Pros-
Industry standard 135mm rear & 100mm quick release wheel spacing
Lightweight aluminum frame & carbon fiber fork
Eccentric bottom bracket for chain tensioning
Good quality Ritchey Logic components
Sram/Avid brakes & levers
More than 1 water bottle mount
Cons-
Heavy non-tubeless, no-name rims laced to low end Joytech/Novatec hubs
Narrow 40cm bars on the size large frame
Short 170mm and heavy no name crank set
Obnoxious color choices
T
Gravel, asphalt, single track...the State Bicycle Company Thunderbird absolutely shreds it all! This bike is a great price with extremely solid components. I went with the 58cm frame and it weighed almost 23 lbs out of the box. The bits that come on it are great for everyday rides but yeah a little heavy for racing. So I threw on some carbon wheels, carbon seat, and a new sick handlebar/stem combo and it’s down to a very respectible 20ish lbs. I’ve also been very pleased to find that a set of 27.5 wheels with 1.75” Specialized Sawtooth tires adds tons of volume for the flowy single track. Get one before they’re gone!
W
Great looking, easy build, but the hub on back wheel has issues after 4 rides, already has side to side play and something clanging around inside the hub. Kind of a bummer.
J
Purchased this bike in may, I’ve been racing it and beating crap out of it for 5 months now. 2-300 miles in (mostly a cx race bike ) and this thing hasn’t missed a beat. I’ve had no issues and only replace a chain and brake pads.(northeast cx races get muddy) the bike is a great entry level race bike or even a gravel bike to rip around your local paths and roads your afraid to take your road bike down. You can’t beat the price point on this bike esp. with the ritchey components. 10-10 but this bike and do rad stuff!
B
This is truly the best bike for the minimalist who wants it all-Gravel,CX,Road,Singlespeed.Dont tell my wife tho or I gotta get rid of all my other bikes.
S
On the whole, I really like the bike. I immediately swapped out the tires to shake the bike down on some road rides to get a feel for how it handled. I was a little disappointed that after about 70 miles of riding, a very annoying creaking sound developed and I quickly determined that it was the BB. When I finished the ride, I had to extract the crank set and removed the non-drive side BB cup which seemed to be torqued pretty well. When I put the tool on the drive side cup, it was loose to the point that I was able to remove it by hand. I put a little bit of lube on the threads of both sides of the BB and re-installed the cups and crank, all was good on my next 30 mile ride. I guess if someone who doesn't have the tools or knowledge to troubleshoot the creak, would have incurred additional cost taking the bike to a shop for such a simple issue. Cheers
S
I bought this to be my crappy weather city bike. I swapped out the crank for the SRAM Force CX 1, to go a little taller gears, higher end crank. So far so good. Been handling the wind and rain in Tel Aviv, and I don't feel like I'ma eat it on every turn like on my fixie in wet weather. Super comfy, and eats up city bumps with ease.
Quick tip: If putting in the SRAM crank, swap out the rear sprocket. I believe it came 36-19, I am now 42-18. you can't sync it up correctly with the 19T rear sprocket.
M
Purchased the frame second hand and went to town with all the components. Love the ability to run gears on it. Running a Force 22 drivetrain. Taken it on a couple of Gravel Grinders and ride it around town. Performs as it should and rides like a dream. Weighs 24lbs with the bargain wheels and 2xll drivetrain but intend to shave off a couple more pounds with the addition of better wheels and going tubeless. Would definitely recommend to anyone looking to get into gravel riding.
Thunderbird - Gravel / CycloCross Bike: Black & Pink
Grind Gravel & Conquer Cross!
Our deluxe race-ready Single Speed Cyclo-Cross bike, the Thunderbird, boasts the versatility and power any serious SSCX rider needs: lightness, agile maneuvering, a 6061 aluminum frameset that begs to be punished, serious stopping power, custom-graphics by Johnny Hsu, and some of the most trusted components in Cross. Want to ride geared? The Thunderbird frame can be converted to accept gears!
$999.99
PURCHASE RISK FREE: IF YOU AREN'T 100% SATISFIED, WE'LL SEND YOU A LABEL AND EXCHANGE IT FOR FREE!
Check out The Radavist's review of the Thunderbird
- Frame: 6061 Aluminum Frame
- Fork: Carbon Fiber
- Brakes: Avid bb5 Disc Brakes
- Bottom Bracket: Eccentric
- Cockpit: Ritchey Components (stem, handlebars, seatposts)
- Levers: SRAM S500
- Tires: Kenda Small Block 8
- Design: Custom graphics by Johnny Hsu
RETURNS & Exchanges: State Bicycle Co. proudly offers FREE RETURNS for EXCHANGES - please see details of our Return Policy here.
SHIPPING: Most in-stock items ship within 1 business day! Tracking information is provided upon shipment. Learn more about our Shipping Policy
ASSEMBLY: Complete Bicycles will ship 90% built and require only basic tools and knowledge to complete the build. However, a fully assembled bicycle also needs to be tuned and adjusted (oftentimes with specialty tools). We strongly encourage having your bike professionally assembled to validate your warranty and to ensure a safe and lasting ride.
WARRANTY: Warranty activated when you submit proof of professional assembly.
- 5-year Warranty on all bicycle frames
- 1-year Warranty non-consumable parts
- 2-year Warranty on Essor USA products
Learn more about our Warranty Policy.
Size Charts and Specs: Detailed Size Charts and Specs can be found here: Size Charts & Specs.
SUPPORT: We pride ourselves on having a friendly and knowledgeable staff. Contact us and we'd be happy to help you out in any way we can.
v
Upon arrival, this bicycle explodeded it's way out of the box and sprang to life like an anthropomorphic vehicle from a Michael Bay franchise. In no time(very minimal assembly required), I was absolutely crushng my local streets like a killdozer. I got arrested for property destruction by municipal law enforcement, but there was Thunderbird, waiting at detention to bail me out. After a few beers and laughs, I commented on the Thunderbird's sexy lines and rock solid build, which led to an all night ride. This one's a keeper.
I'm 5'11" and the 55 fits great.
Fast shipping and good customer service.
M
For the price tag I was expecting much more than a nice paint job. After ~200miles rear hub already needs to be greased. Brakes are hard to adjust as well. Replaced saddle immediately because of how uncomfortable it was. The crank is constantly coming undone and I've needed to tighten it 3 times already.
C
After doing the research looking for a single speed gravel/cyclocross bike that was both affordable and easily upgraded, I decided to go with the State Bicycle Thunderbird. I spent my money on this bike and these are my observations.
The bike came ridiculously fast, 2 days from Phoenix to Denver! It was a straightforward build, it came well packed and there were no issues putting it together. While assembling the bike I noticed there was some paint chipping off near the rear dropouts, but that was luckily the horrifically colored pink which I planned on painting anyway.
The components are decent middle of the road quality. I purchased the size 55cm, it came with 40cm bars and 170mm cranks which are too small for that size bike. I swapped them out for 44cm wide bars and 175mm cranks. The bottom bracket is high enough, there is no reason to go with such short cranks. The seat looks nice and seems to fit my butt, I realize that is subjective though.
The bike isn't light, but isn't a tank either. A few things that would drop some weight: A good quality tubeless wheel set (with lighter folding tires), better quality crank set, swap the BB5’s for BB7’s (more adjustable, sealed from the elements and lighter), swapping out the 1/8" chain for for a 3/32" and a carbon post would improve ride quality and drop some weight.
I now have almost 200 miles on my Tbird and the bottom line is when asked the question "would you buy it again?" and the answer is yes, I would buy it again.
(Should be a 4.5 star review)
Pros-
Industry standard 135mm rear & 100mm quick release wheel spacing
Lightweight aluminum frame & carbon fiber fork
Eccentric bottom bracket for chain tensioning
Good quality Ritchey Logic components
Sram/Avid brakes & levers
More than 1 water bottle mount
Cons-
Heavy non-tubeless, no-name rims laced to low end Joytech/Novatec hubs
Narrow 40cm bars on the size large frame
Short 170mm and heavy no name crank set
Obnoxious color choices
T
Gravel, asphalt, single track...the State Bicycle Company Thunderbird absolutely shreds it all! This bike is a great price with extremely solid components. I went with the 58cm frame and it weighed almost 23 lbs out of the box. The bits that come on it are great for everyday rides but yeah a little heavy for racing. So I threw on some carbon wheels, carbon seat, and a new sick handlebar/stem combo and it’s down to a very respectible 20ish lbs. I’ve also been very pleased to find that a set of 27.5 wheels with 1.75” Specialized Sawtooth tires adds tons of volume for the flowy single track. Get one before they’re gone!
W
Great looking, easy build, but the hub on back wheel has issues after 4 rides, already has side to side play and something clanging around inside the hub. Kind of a bummer.
J
Purchased this bike in may, I’ve been racing it and beating crap out of it for 5 months now. 2-300 miles in (mostly a cx race bike ) and this thing hasn’t missed a beat. I’ve had no issues and only replace a chain and brake pads.(northeast cx races get muddy) the bike is a great entry level race bike or even a gravel bike to rip around your local paths and roads your afraid to take your road bike down. You can’t beat the price point on this bike esp. with the ritchey components. 10-10 but this bike and do rad stuff!
B
This is truly the best bike for the minimalist who wants it all-Gravel,CX,Road,Singlespeed.Dont tell my wife tho or I gotta get rid of all my other bikes.
S
On the whole, I really like the bike. I immediately swapped out the tires to shake the bike down on some road rides to get a feel for how it handled. I was a little disappointed that after about 70 miles of riding, a very annoying creaking sound developed and I quickly determined that it was the BB. When I finished the ride, I had to extract the crank set and removed the non-drive side BB cup which seemed to be torqued pretty well. When I put the tool on the drive side cup, it was loose to the point that I was able to remove it by hand. I put a little bit of lube on the threads of both sides of the BB and re-installed the cups and crank, all was good on my next 30 mile ride. I guess if someone who doesn't have the tools or knowledge to troubleshoot the creak, would have incurred additional cost taking the bike to a shop for such a simple issue. Cheers
S
I bought this to be my crappy weather city bike. I swapped out the crank for the SRAM Force CX 1, to go a little taller gears, higher end crank. So far so good. Been handling the wind and rain in Tel Aviv, and I don't feel like I'ma eat it on every turn like on my fixie in wet weather. Super comfy, and eats up city bumps with ease.
Quick tip: If putting in the SRAM crank, swap out the rear sprocket. I believe it came 36-19, I am now 42-18. you can't sync it up correctly with the 19T rear sprocket.
M
Purchased the frame second hand and went to town with all the components. Love the ability to run gears on it. Running a Force 22 drivetrain. Taken it on a couple of Gravel Grinders and ride it around town. Performs as it should and rides like a dream. Weighs 24lbs with the bargain wheels and 2xll drivetrain but intend to shave off a couple more pounds with the addition of better wheels and going tubeless. Would definitely recommend to anyone looking to get into gravel riding.
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