Fat City Cycles

Fat City Cycles
Industry Bicycles
Fate Bought by a Holding Company and Closed
Successor Independent Fabrication
Founded 1982
Defunct 1999
Headquarters Somerville, Massachusetts
Key people
 Chris Chance
Products Mountain, Cyclocross and Road Bicycles

Fat City Cycles was an American bicycle manufacturing company. Fat City was started by Chris Chance in 1982.[1] Fat City Cycles was one of the early builders of mountain bikes on the East Coast of the United States.[2] When Fat City moved from Somerville, Massachusetts to South Glens Falls, New York, many of the employees left behind went on to start Independent Fabrication.[3]

History of Fat City Cycles

Chris Chance began building frames in 1977. The company was financed amongst others by his wife Wendyll's family. Chance built his first mountain bike frame in 1982, The Fat Chance.[1]

Fat City Cycles closed its doors in Somerville in October 1994, when it was sold to a holding company which had acquired another bike company (Serotta) in South Glens Falls, New York. The holding company moved the Fat City equipment to South Glens Falls.[3] Few employees remained with the company after the move.

Fans and enthusiasts of the now-defunct Fat City Cycles and Fat Chance bicycles from around the world now share their bikes, stories and love of the brand at the web site Fat Cogs,[4] or the Fat Chance Owners Group — the club of Fat fans everywhere.

The most famous product that came from Fat City Cycles was without doubt the cult Yo Eddy. The Yo as it is often referred to is one of the most iconic and collectable mountain bikes of the early 90's. The famous Team Violet 1991 and 1992 versions with matching rigid "Yo Eddy" forks are often the most desirable and are often built with Ringle, Grafton, Bullseye, Syncros and RockShox parts. Owning a Yo is the pinnacle for most vintage mountain bike collectors and the value of these bikes in recent years has seen a significant rise.

Models

Below is a list of some of the bicycles that Fat City Cycles offered.

ModelIntroducedDiscontinuedMaterialType of
bike		Sizes
Fat Chance[5] Cro-mo steel Mountain bike
Fat Chance with 24" Rear Wheel[6] Mountain bike
Team Comp [7] Mountain bike
Monster Fat[8] 1991 1993 Cro-mo steel Mountain bike
Slim Chance[9] Cro-mo steel Road bike
Shock A Billy Full[10] 1994 Cro-mo steel Full suspension
mountain bike
Yo Eddy 1991 1999 Cro-mo steel Mountain bike
Titanium 1993 1999 Titanium Mountain bike
Yo Betty Cro-mo steel Mountain bike
Buck Shaver 1994 Cro-mo steel Mountain bike
Wicked Fat Chance 1987 Cro-mo steel Mountain bike
Fat F*ck'n Chance
Bro Eddy
Flaming Sea Cycles 1980
Random Tandem Tandem Mountain Bike

References

  1. 1 2 Fat Chance Museum
  2. ↑ The Mountain Bike Hall of Fame - Hall of Fame Inductees
  3. 1 2 Independent Fabrication
  4. ↑ http://www.FatCogs.com
  5. ↑ 1983 Fat Chance
  6. ↑ 1987 Fat Chance w/ 24" rear wheel
  7. ↑
  8. ↑ 1991 Monster Fat
  9. ↑ 1992 Slim Chance
  10. ↑ 1994 Fat Chance Shock A Billy


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