1983 Fat Chance (SN 8370)

Very nice Fat Its always nice to watch the evolution of Fat bikes over the years. They always seemed well ahead of the bell curve.

M-Power":wyx4vcbu said:

Very nice Fat Its always nice to watch the evolution of Fat bikes over the years. They always seemed well ahead of the bell curve.

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Thanks

That they were, and many great, and still relevant, (currently building), names passed through those doors. That's a legacy that can't be denied.

I see some of the Surly bikes, now, and feel they took some of their stuff from these early FAT bikes

GoldenEraMTB":2uvf7g1k said:

M-Power":2uvf7g1k said:

Very nice Fat Its always nice to watch the evolution of Fat bikes over the years. They always seemed well ahead of the bell curve.

Click to expand...

Thanks

That they were, and many great, and still relevant, (currently building), names passed through those doors. That's a legacy that can't be denied.

I see some of the Surly bikes, now, and feel they took some of their stuff from these early FAT bikes

Click to expand...

Yes, very true. Apart from their bikes being so beautifully welded and riding like they were a living thing, I liked the fun way FCC advertised their product and the Yo Eddy moniker is still fresh even today. All the others with the exception of Gary Fisher at the time banged on about their superior technology etc

I saw a 70s Skateboarding movie http://youtu.be/oCMHKTXNywA ( see about 19m.11sec) a few months back and the main protagonist had Fat City Racing on his BBC. I wonder if that's what inspired the company name

Now that's Cool, and the condition is amazing, exceptionally so.

DONT edit your pictures, the more the merrier, we all want to see them. If not for this place and contributions like this, we would never see such hidden treasure. (Fact).

M-Power":k7digdbj said:

GoldenEraMTB":k7digdbj said:

M-Power":k7digdbj said:

Very nice Fat Its always nice to watch the evolution of Fat bikes over the years. They always seemed well ahead of the bell curve.

Click to expand...

Thanks

That they were, and many great, and still relevant, (currently building), names passed through those doors. That's a legacy that can't be denied.

I see some of the Surly bikes, now, and feel they took some of their stuff from these early FAT bikes

Click to expand...

Yes, very true. Apart from their bikes being so beautifully welded and riding like they were a living thing, I liked the fun way FCC advertised their product and the Yo Eddy moniker is still fresh even today. All the others with the exception of Gary Fisher at the time banged on about their superior technology etc

I saw a 70s Skateboarding movie http://youtu.be/oCMHKTXNywA ( see about 19m.11sec) a few months back and the main protagonist had Fat City Racing on his BBC. I wonder if that's what inspired the company name

Click to expand...

Fat City, I always assumed was, like "Wicked", just indicative of the boston/cape cod slang. Fat City meaning living large and Wicked, again about emphasizing that it was great, all in chowda head way.

Independent Fabrication would carry on that tradition of building into the company, the local flavor and phrase usage.

I could be wrong, as I've never looked up why "Fat City"; guess that's the problems with assumptions.

sinnerman":k7digdbj said:

Now that's Cool, and the condition is amazing, exceptionally so.

DONT edit your pictures, the more the merrier, we all want to see them. If not for this place and contributions like this, we would never see such hidden treasure. (Fact).

Click to expand...

Thanks man

The condition is deceiving, just a bit, as is well documented, these early Fats were plagued by internal rust issues; this one is not completely free of that issue. That said, it's not bad, from what I can tell, at least in the tubes that I have easy access to, and nothing has come through to the surface.
If I was keeping this one, the next step after finalizing the build, and making sure everything works and fits the way I intended, is to break it back down; polish each part, treat and rust proof the frame, then back together again.

This was bought from the original owner, a gentleman named Don, from Cape Cod, so considering it has lived its entire life in coastal Mass, it's in excellent condition. I have no idea how the salt water didn't get to it. No dents; no dings, and decals are all accounted for, if not just a bit weathered. If this was just an inch and a half larger, it would not be leaving my collection.

Really lovely bike!
I would love to have such an early one.

Oh my that really is a bit special another top drawer bike bud!

Jamis Diablo":aevt8hmg said:

Really lovely bike!
I would love to have such an early one.

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Thanks

kaiser":aevt8hmg said:

Oh my that really is a bit special another top drawer bike bud!

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Thanks man B-)
It's been a while since I've come close to completing a project, and posted in the reader's ride section. It won't be nearly as long for my next one, and it will be one that will stay with me.