Is Chris getting back in the bike biz - 2014?

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zonq

Member
and I'm waiting for the fatbike frame.

But in the mean time, I'm happy to put up the $250 for a nice new jersey, a couple shirts, and some stickers. Not sure I can get all the way out to California for the event, but I'll bet it'd be great.


I'm glad he's doing it on Kickstarter, and retaining ownership of it. I feel much better about him doing it the way he knows best, rather than taking investor $ and being beholden to external pressures and all that mayhem.
 
DocChill

DocChill

Member
Fat Chance 2.0

zonq said:
...in the mean time, I'm happy to put up the $250 for a nice new jersey, a couple shirts, and some stickers. Not sure I can get all the way out to California for the event, but I'll bet it'd be great.
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...I'll do the same ;)! At the moment I can't bring the asked $ 2.500 for a new frame because we'll get our 2nd child in May 2015. So my preferences are a bit different at the moment... I would be very happy to go the event, but the way from Germany to California is far... we'll see :)!
 
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fiatjeepdriver

New member
I'll be doing the $250 option as well. I thought I'd have more time to get money for the frame but since I just got a new custom frame I'm tapped out. Good news is I'm only about 6 hours north so I'll be able to make the launch party.
 
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WWC

New member
jpicard616 said:
I hope it works out for him, but I'm waiting for a full suspension model before I drop that kind of cash.
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Agreed.

When I ride modern I like FS.

That's rich for HT frame only when that money will buy a nicely built period eddy...
 
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zonq

Member
At first I thought, a month isn't very long, and you don't get a do-over on kickstarter. I hope they didn't screw themselves over with that ambitious timeframe, & being in the off-season, but, the fund has had pretty good performance so far, for only being up for a couple days. It does seem that usually the lions share of the buy-in happens up front and then the last remaining percent takes 10x longer to roll in. ...still I can't help think if they'd add a $2750 option for a Fatbike frame/fork, even if it didn't ship til late fall, all that capital and locked-in pre-orders wouldn't hurt.
 
Retro Dude

Retro Dude

Member
I just wish there was an intermediate level.

I'm in for a wickedly expensive t-shirt ($50), but $250 for a jersey + 2 t-shirts? I believe in Chris and really hope that he pulls this off - I would like to own a new Fat after we know what they really are.
 
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mainlyfats

mainlyfats

Member
Retro Dude said:
I just wish there was an intermediate level, $2500 is pretty steep for a big unknown (manufacturer, quality, performance, etc.)


I'm in for a wickedly expensive t-shirt ($50), but $250 for a jersey + 2 t-shirts? I believe in Chris and really hope that he pulls this off - I would like to own a new Fat after we know what they really are.
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Pretty sure they are being built by Ventana. So quality-wise, I don't think there's an issue.

That is steep for a stock steel frame with - as yet - no fork.


(That said, would you want a 100mm+ suspension corrected steel fork? Fugly...)
 
mainlyfats

mainlyfats

Member
laffeaux said:
Is that a guess, or is there some inside knowledge on this?
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It's a guess based on the December 5th, 2014 Facebook post where they...

"took a field trip to Ventana Mountain Bikes USA. Thank you to Sherwood and Teresa for the tour of their awesome facility!."

No other field trips AFAIK.

I wonder if he spoke with Mike Flannigan - before the Seven move - to see if he wanted to build production bikes. That would have made for an interesting narrative.
 
mainlyfats

mainlyfats

Member
tvcreative said:
ventana makes a nice alum bike

but i have never seen any steel offerings

Fats with electric sex welds?
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Ventana are making the new Koski steel frames too (as per Facebook). Seems like a very cool, dynamic production/business model if it that can absorb - or not - this kind of work.
 
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zonq

Member
Well it wouldn't surprise me. Ventana's its own brand, but more importantly is a full-featured state of the art production shop whose bread and butter has been building frames for other bike companies for the last couple decades. They picked up all the domestic short-run production business as the stateside small production shops all shut down, and it really doesn't get better than their dedication to quality. Chris working with Ventana to build his frames is a best case scenario.
 
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dan_hudson

New member
tvcreative said:
but i have never seen any steel offerings
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There are steel pics on their website! Ventana offers a coupled version of their tandems as a standard item and they are steel.

The spouse and I have each had a Ventana for a time (Karen still) and they make a fantastic bike. I'd think Mr. Chance might get a few more frame sales if this was true + he shared the news.
 
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Scottp

New member
zonq said:
Well it wouldn't surprise me. Ventana's its own brand, but more importantly is a full-featured state of the art production shop whose bread and butter has been building frames for other bike companies for the last couple decades. They picked up all the domestic short-run production business as the stateside small production shops all shut down, and it really doesn't get better than their dedication to quality. Chris working with Ventana to build his frames is a best case scenario.
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Agreed. This seems like a very viable way to go. - no question. You're going to get Chance's design and all the features that make it unique - make it a Fat Chance...and if it is Ventanna doing the production, you're gonna get top-notch execution.

A lot of the skepticism/criticism in this forum seems very strange to me. Times change and crowd funding as opposed to a bank loan for the sake of accountability is acceptable. I'm willing to take the gamble because I want to see this brand live. I want to ride a rigid Yo Eddy 29" for years to come.

Kickstarter goal has been achieved. I don't need a picture of a new bike to motivate a sale. I believe...I know what I'm signing on for. First look will be a NAHBS. Cheers!
 
mainlyfats

mainlyfats

Member
That would be very interesting... I've read that there are rules about contract-made bikes at NAHMBS, so it could be that that display prototype is actually made by Chris on borrowed equipment.
 
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Stingercut

Active member
mainlyfats said:
That would be very interesting... I've read that there are rules about contract-made bikes at NAHMBS, so it could be that that display prototype is actually made by Chris on borrowed equipment.
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Are you seriously suggesting Chris will actually fire up the torch/welding gear ? I expletive hope so. He started all this. Da Vinci had his helpers but he could still paint a pretty picture when he had to :beer:
 
mainlyfats

mainlyfats

Member
Stingercut said:
Are you seriously suggesting Chris will actually fire up the torch/welding gear ? I expletive hope so. He started all this. Da Vinci had his helpers but he could still paint a pretty picture when he had to :beer:
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Is he going to the show? Scottp has the intel. apparently.

Ritchey brazed a 650b prototype a few years ago to comply, didn't he?

When I think Chris, I think brazing too. I had a lugged road bike and the earliest Fats were brazed. Imagine that... If the "I'm back" bikes are all fillet brazed by Chance himself. If so, he'd better have already started to toughen up the ol' hands...

:beer:
 
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