Warranty
Technical
Technical Questions Related to New Fat Chance Frames / Bikes.
For any questions related to your new Fat Chance please contact us here.
Technical Questions Related to Vintage Fat Chance Frames / Bikes.
For any questions related to vintage FAT’s we’d suggest consulting some of the many excellent online resources set up by FAT fans around the globe listed below. Fat Chance Bicycles in its current form does not carry out any form of repair / restoration / resprays / buying / selling of vintage bikes or components.
MOMBAT which also contains a list of vintage FAT serial numbers.
Fat City Cycles Facebook Group.
Long Term Maintenance of Steel Frames.
Modern steel frames use very thin walled tubing to build a frame that is both light, stiff, responsive and a joy to ride. Each tube is selected specifically for its ride characteristics and we go to great lengths to test the quality of all materials we use. We also build in frame design features to minimize the effects of rust and corrosion (for example using a fully sealed top / down tube with capped bottle bosses).
But with any modern steel frame, care should be taken to minimize the possibility of corrosion due to rust. Your new Fat Chance frame should last for many, many years BUT it must be cared for correctly in order to ensure that rust does not develop inside the frame. Any warranty requests on frames that show rust inside the seat tube will be refused for this reason.
The main area to pay particular attention to is the seat tube, we design the tube to very specific tolerances but water can always find its way into the top of the seat tube, and via the dropper seat post routing at the bottom. To protect the inside of the seat tube we treat it with a rust prevention spray prior to shipping but this is not a permanent solution and it’s your responsibility to repeat this application on a regular basis.
We’d recommend every 3 months (or more in especially wet or humid conditions) carrying out the following maintenance routine:
- Remove the seat post and leave the bicycle upside down overnight so that the seat tube can drain and dry. This is best done in a warm and dry environment not a cold damp basement. We recommend hanging your bike from the front wheel when not in use, just for safety’s sake.
- Before reinserting the seat post make sure that the interior is dry and spray an even coating of, Frame Saver or its equivalent into the seat tube. Make sure to cover the entire inner surface of the seat tube.
- Apply a light layer of grease to the seat post before you re-install it into your frame.
Aerotech Designs not only sell frame spray but also have this excellent video showing how to apply it to your frame.