Primos Dame and State All Road: Two Affordable Steel Gravel Bikes

Introduction

Steel gravel bikes at the affordable end of the market usually ask for a compromise somewhere. The Primos Dame and the State All Road sit at a similar price and make a similar promise: a real steel frame, modern standards, and parts that can be serviced rather than replaced.

The Primos Dame comes from Primos, a very small brand based in Portland in the United States, founded by two people, Pascal and Carlos. It is the cheapest bike the company makes and it is built around a chromoly steel frame with disc brakes and through axles. The State All Road is a steel gravel bike at a comparable price that appears to be offered for the US market.

Both are worth understanding before you spend money, because the differences matter more than the price tags suggest.

What to Look For in a Steel Gravel Bike at This Price

At this end of the market, three things decide whether a bike stays enjoyable after the first few months of ownership.

The first is the frame material. Chromoly steel is heavier than aluminium or carbon, but it rides smoothly and it can be repaired by anyone who knows how to weld, which matters if you plan to keep the bike for years.

The second is the set of standards the frame is built around. Through axles, disc brakes, and a threaded bottom bracket are not decoration: they determine how easy the bike is to upgrade and maintain later, and plenty of affordable bikes still skip through axles entirely. The third is the wheel and tyre package. Tubeless-compatible rims and tyres are not guaranteed at this price, and generous clearance is what turns a road-oriented bike into something that handles gravel, fire roads, and easy singletrack.

Both bikes here are worth judging against those three points rather than against the spec sheet alone.

Primos Dame: A Steel Gravel Bike Built to Be Upgraded

The Dame is the cheapest bike Primos makes, and the specification is unusually complete for the money. The frame is chromoly steel with disc brakes and through axles. The size small model runs 650B alloy wheels with sealed-bearing hubs and tubeless-compatible rims and tyres, and it ships with Continental tyres around two inches wide that roll quickly down the centre and carry light shoulder tread for corners.

Tyre clearance is generous: 50 mm with 700c wheels, or 55 mm with 650B. That is wide enough to run genuinely soft pressures on rough ground, and paired with the steel frame it makes for a smooth, floaty ride. There are mounts for mudguards and racks, so the bike can be loaded up for commuting or multi-day trips.

Weight is 12.28 kg in size small, which is not a hill-climb figure, but it is the honest cost of a steel frame at this price. The design is deliberately upgrade-friendly, so brakes, wheels, and drivetrain can all be improved later without replacing the frame. Pricing is $899 in the US and roughly £675 in the UK, with a frameset option also available.

Drivetrain and Gearing: Microshift Sword in Practice

The Dame uses a Microshift Sword 10-speed mechanical groupset, a meaningful departure from the usual Shimano and SRAM options. The rear derailleur has a clutch to stop the chain slapping around on rough descents, and the levers include reach adjustment for smaller hands.

The gearing pairs a 40-tooth chainring with an 11-46 cassette. That is a wide range that will handle steep climbs, although riders carrying a load may want something easier still. The cassette and chainset are third-party parts rather than the official Sword items, which is a reasonable way to hold the price down, and the narrow-wide chainring works well in practice. The lever buttons feel slightly clunky and oversized, but that is a fair trade at this price.

Everything here is mechanical, which is an advantage for long-distance riding, since cables and derailleurs can be adjusted or replaced almost anywhere.

State All Road: The Closest US Alternative at the Same Price

The State All Road is the nearest thing to a direct competitor at the same price. It uses a steel frame, has big tyre clearance, and comes with what appears to be a rebranded drivetrain groupset. At $899 it matches the Dame almost exactly on price.

The catch is availability. The All Road appears to be sold in the US only, and the model does not appear on the brand’s website when it is accessed from elsewhere. If you are buying outside the United States, that makes the decision for you.

Sizing, Fit, and Frame Details

The Dame’s geometry is built around relatively short stems, which helps it suit a wide range of riders. A rider around 5’7” would be well served by the size small. That small is the smallest frame the company offers, however, and it is likely too long to be comfortable for a rider around 5’1”, despite what a sizing chart may suggest.

Component sizing scales with the frame, so smaller sizes get shorter cranks and larger sizes get longer ones. The flared handlebars measure 40 cm on the two smaller sizes but only about 36 cm at the hoods, so they are narrower in the position where you spend most of your time than they first appear.

For a very small brand working inside a tight price bracket, that level of attention to frame sizing and component scaling is better than you might expect.

Ownership Notes: Assembly, Support, and Tubeless Setup

Two small problems are worth knowing about before you order. The front brake mount has arrived bent on at least one bike, almost certainly from storage or transit, and a replacement part solved it. When asked how a regular customer would be handled, Primos said customers reach out directly, receive the replacement part, and have bike shop costs covered.

The second issue has been reported more widely: the bottle cage and rack mount bolts can be stuck in the frame because paint has made its way onto the threads. One bolt rounded off during removal, and the rest needed careful work with pliers and an Allen key. Primos says the batch involved had this problem on several bikes, that it is inspecting and supervising the next batch in person, and that it has covered repair costs at local bike shops for affected customers.

The wheels and tyres are tubeless-ready, but the bike arrives with inner tubes fitted. Converting to tubeless needs valves, rim tape, sealant, and either a high-volume pump or a compressor, so it may be a job worth handing to a shop. Going tubeless allows lower pressures without pinch punctures, and the sealant can close small punctures as you ride.

Buying Advice

The Primos Dame is the more thoroughly documented of the two, and the case for it is straightforward: a chromoly steel frame, through axles, disc brakes, tubeless-ready 650B wheels, and a wide-range 10-speed groupset at a price that is hard to match. It is also a sensible long-term purchase, because the frame can be repaired and every wearing part is mechanical and serviceable.

Budget for shipping if you are outside the US. Delivery is $50 within the United States, $200 to Japan, Australia, Canada, and South Korea, and $300 to the UK, with taxes and import costs included in those figures. Primos does not ship to the rest of Europe, but the company says it is worth getting in touch, because arrangements can sometimes be made. Even at the highest shipping cost, the total remains competitive.

The weakest part of the Dame is the braking. The mechanical disc brakes are safe and entirely usable, but they feel spongy compared with hydraulic setups. A higher-specification version of the Dame, and the Super Dame model above it, both move to hydraulic brakes at a higher price. If you ride in wet or hilly conditions and braking confidence matters most, that step up is worth considering.

If you are in the US and want a steel gravel bike with big tyre clearance at the same price, the State All Road is a reasonable alternative to look at, though there is far more specification detail available for the Primos.

Conclusion

Two steel gravel bikes at around the same price, built on the same broad idea: a durable frame, modern standards, and parts that can be fixed rather than thrown away. The Primos Dame stands out for combining a chromoly steel frame, through axles, tubeless-ready wheels, and a wide-range mechanical groupset, with direct support when something goes wrong. The State All Road is the closest US alternative, with a steel frame and generous tyre clearance of its own.

If you want the bike that is easiest to upgrade and keep running for years, and you can absorb the shipping cost, the Dame is the one to look at first.