Fat City Cycles

Fat City Cycles
IndustryBicycles
Founded1982
Defunct1999
FateBought by a Holding Company and Closed
SuccessorIndependent Fabrication
HeadquartersSomerville, Massachusetts
Key people
Chris Chance
ProductsMountain, Cyclocross, and Road Bicycles

Fat City Cycles was an American bicycle manufacturing company. Fat City was started by Chris Chance in 1982. Fat City Cycles was one of the early builders of mountain bikes on the East Coast of the United States.[1] 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.[2]

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.

Fat City Cycles closed its doors in Somerville in October 1994 when it was sold to a holding company that had acquired another bike company (Serotta) in South Glens Falls, New York. The holding company moved the Fat City equipment to South Glens Falls.[2] Few employees remained with the company after the move.

Models

Below is a list of some of Fat City Cycles' bicycles.

Model Introduced Discontinued Material Type of
bike
Sizes
Fat Chance[3] Cro-mo steel Mountain bike
Fat Chance with 24" Rear Wheel[4] Mountain bike
Team Comp [5] Mountain bike
Monster Fat[6] 1991 1993 Cro-mo steel Mountain bike
Slim Chance[7] Cro-mo steel Road bike
Shock A Billy Full[8] 1994 Cro-mo steel Full suspension
mountain bike
Yo Eddy 1990 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. ^ The Mountain Bike Hall of Fame – Hall of Fame Inductees
  2. ^ a b "Independent Fabrication". Archived from the original on 2008-07-23. Retrieved 2008-07-07.
  3. ^ 1983 Fat Chance
  4. ^ 1987 Fat Chance w/ 24" rear wheel
  5. ^ "1987 Fat City Fat Chance". www.eandsweb.com. Archived from the original on 2007-10-26.
  6. ^ 1991 Monster Fat
  7. ^ 1992 Slim Chance
  8. ^ 1994 Fat Chance Shock A Billy