After many years out of the bike industry, legendary founder of Fat City Cycles, Chris Chance, returned with a new, updated version of the Fat Chance Yo Eddy back at the 2015 Sea Otter.
After more ‘creative’ criticism about tyre clearance and chainring clearance, Chris returned last year, showing off the Yo Eddy 2.2 and the new Slim Chance (2.0) road bike frame.
Well, now he’s back again, and this time with a new version of the Fat Chance Wicked (or is it the Wicked Fat Chance? We know that someone will know for sure… Or is it just the ‘Wicked’?)
The Wicked was always the more radical bike in the Fat Chance range. And back then, in the 1990s, that meant steeper head angles, not slacker. With that all going on its head these days and slack being the new radical, the Wicked now comes with a 65° head angle and 74° seat angle, compatible with a 140mm fork.
The bike here takes chunky 27.5in tyres, but there will be a 29in version with room for 27.5+ too. As you’d expect from a ‘modern’ geometry bike, the top tube is lower for better standover (while the headtube is a little taller than the Fat Chance Yo Eddy). Chainstays are a pretty short 425mm and the back end is 148mm Boost.
Chris has a deep history in mountain biking and was inducted into the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame in 1990. And who can forget Dave Hemming riding his blue and green Yo Eddy in the UK in the mid-90s. Having disappeared from the East Coast, where Fat Chance used to be (and various companies he influenced, like Merlin Metalworks and Independent Fabrication), Chris reemerged in Marin County, where he’d set up as a holistic healer, but five years ago made a return to the bike world, first with a Kickstarter campaign for his new bikes and then as a pukka bike company once again. And with rumour of collaborations with WTB’s Steve Potts in the works, we’ve not seen the last of him…
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That is an extremely handsome bike