Winter is coming, and State Bicycle Co. is ready with an all-new affordable aluminum 6061 Trail+ Fat Bike. Hitting the same excellent balance of affordability and just enough performance that we love from State, their new alloy fat bike is everything you need to get hooked on winter snow riding, summer sand dune exploring, or just general mud-bogging… all for under a grand…
State Bicycle Co. affordable alloy 6061 Trail+ fat bike
It’s been many years since we’ve seen a fat bike from State, the last one I can really remember was the steel 4130 Megalith, the most recent gen which they debuted more than 7.5 years ago. What’s maybe interesting is that not a ton has really changed since then in fat bike tech (besides better tires), and State’s pricing isn’t that much more expensive either!
It’s sometime hard to justify that N+1 bike purchase. And a fatbike can feel so niche that it’s even harder to commit. But an affordable alloy State 6061 Trail+ fat bike might just make that purchase easier to rationalize. No matter if you are looking to explore soft sand, mud, or snow-covered trails.
Tech Details
State built their new 6061 Trail+ fat bike from a light but strong hydroformed 6061 aluminum tubeset. Then, they gave it a matching alloy unicrown fork, with a tapered 1.5″ steerer at least.
From a tech perspective, the 6061 Trail+ fat bike stays affordable by sticking with a bit older tech – both in standards and component spec. Although it does get pretty good 26″ x 4.5″ tire clearance, which would equate to about 27.5×4″ too.
Axles are quick release; 135mm front & 190mm rear. The bottom bracket is a 100mm BSA threaded BB, but comes with a square taper crank. It gets post mount disc brakes, but they are Tektro mechanicals. It uses a 31.6mm seatpost, but there’s no routing for a dropper post. Cable routing is internal in the front triangle, external out back, and there are 2 standard set of water bottle cage mounts.
It also curiously sticks with a very basic Shimano Altus 1x 9-speed drivetrain, with no clutch. But there’s a decent 11-42T cassette paired to the 28T chainring.
Fat Bike Geometry
As to the Trail+ fat bike’s geometry, it’s not especially progressive. But the steep angles should likely help keep a manageable ride offsetting the heft of the wide wheels and huge tire combo.
State stuck with a steep 71° head angle and a non-suspension corrected fork of just 451mm axle-crown (compare that to the 544mm length of my 120mm Manitou Mastodon). Potentially upgrading down the road to a suspension fork could theoretically slacken out the front end. But the bike already has a pretty high bottom bracket, so raising the front might sacrifice some stability too.
Frame Reach figures are generally old school too, meaning you might even benefit from sizing up. Double check the fit vs. any other mountain bike you ride to best pick your size. Stack heights are quite low, as is standover, so moving up a size shouldn’t be an issue.
State 6061 Trail+ Fat Bike – Pricing, options & availability
State Bicycle Co’s selling point is affordability. And even if it isn’t the most ground breaking, it’s hard to argue with getting a ready-to-roll fat bike for under a grand. That’s less than half the price of the latest and more modern alloy Trek Farley, updated this past spring. Or 60% less than the cheapest of the recently renamed alloy Salsa HeyDay!
For $999.99, pick up a 6061 Trail+ Fat Bike direct from State now in either Wildberry purple or Stone grey. There’s just one build 1×9 build kit to buy, with hollowed-out double wall alloy wheels and 26×4.5″ Kenda Juggernaut tires. Complete bike weight is claimed at 18.1kg/39.9lb for a medium fatbike.
And be ready to hit some snow packed trails any day now.
