An Introduction to Independent Fabrication

by Pete Kotses

Not many of my customers know that I have a degree in history from Ohio University. Why am I mentioning this? Because I'm about to give you a history lesson on Independent Fabrication.

Back in Boston in the early 1980s, framebuilder Chris Chance teamed up with former Aerosmith roadie Gary Helfrich. (Yes, I know this is a different kind of roadie than we are all accustomed to.) Originally Chris was building lugged frames but with Gary they started experimenting with building steel mountain and road bike frames using TIG welding. Fat City Cycles was born.

During the early years of mountain biking, most of the bikes available were being designed by West Coasters for their trail conditions. With the Fat Chance and Yo Eddy frames, Fat City catered to East Coast trail demands like tight, twisty rock- and root-infested singletrack. Like many independent framebuilders, Chris Chance found that running a successful business while producing top-notch products was difficult. In an attempt to keep the company in the black, Chris moved Fat City in with Ben Serotta and frame production moved from Somerville, Mass., to South Glen Falls, N.Y. in 1995.

The move left enough skilled workers behind to start up their own frame company. Independent Fabrication was formed and today has evolved into a premiere custom frame building shop producing works of art in steel and titanium. No two human frames are alike, so why would someone who spends countless hours on a bike settle for stock geometry? To get the most bang for your buck, a custom steel frame is hard to beat. The ride characteristics and lifespan of the material result a top-quality frame that will last for years. Combine that with a frame geometry that is designed specifically for YOUR frame and voila -- a bike you will love for many, many years.

The path to owning an IF involves lots of measuring and decision making, but the time investment pays off the moment you step on your bike. Is custom expensive? If you're already looking at high-end stock ti and carbon frames, you might be surprised to find out how reasonable the custom option is. And the custom geometry offers benefits to the rider that no wundermaterial produced for the masses can replicate. Contact me if you're interested in finding out more about the IF custom process.

Wondering about other custom bike options at Athens Bicycle? Check out Lynskey Performance.

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