State Bicycle Co. is best known for their single-speed and fixed gear city bikes, having built an established fanbase in the urban and commuter markets. This time around, they’re leveraging that demographic to get their feet in the mountain bike space in the form of the Pulsar.
Built in collaboration with Cadence Collection founder Dustin Klein, it’s an entry-level mountain bike designed for city riders who want to get a taste of riding their steeds on rougher terrain. No, it won’t stand up to $5,000 rigs built for hardcore mountain bikers, but it should handle the backwoods well enough, while incorporating elements familiar to urban riders.
The State Bicycle Co. Pulsar is a mountain bike built on a 4130 chromoly steel frame with a moderate and versatile geometry. It comes in two variants: standard and deluxe, both of them in single-speed configurations that allow for both a simpler ride and a lower price (with much less potential maintenance). Aside from sharing the same frame, both are fitted with the same 29-inch WTB SX rims, WTB Vigilante tires, and WTB Rocket saddles.
The deluxe, however, gets a higher-end fork with front suspension (Rockshox Recon Silver TK versus a rigid chromoly steel fork), crank (2015 SRAM GX 1000 versus Truvativ E 400), and brakes (Avid BB6 versus Avid BB5). Each one comes with cable guide hardware for converting into a geared bike if you wish to upgrade later.
Pricing for the State Bicycle Co. Pulsar Mountain Bike is set at $649 for the standard and $1,099 for the deluxe.