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SOC17: The Fat Chance Chris Cross makes its return as fat tire gravel / cross monster

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It may have been in hibernation since the late 90’s, but the Chris Cross has made its return. While the new bike is built in the spirit of the original, obviously a lot has changed since those early days. Tires are bigger, drivetrains have morphed, and geometry has shifted into what we’re now referring to as gravel, adventure, or sometimes cross bikes. The new Chris Cross reflects those changes, but it’s still a Fat Chance through and through…

Built using a blend of Columbus and Reynolds steel tubing, the Chris Cross is hand built and painted in the U.S. with single color paint or team fades as an option. Like many gravel bikes, the Chris Cross will run 650b x 2.1″ tires or 700 x 40c with gravel geometry.

Built with a 12mm thru axle front and rear, a threaded 68mm bottom bracket, flat mount rear brake, and a tapered 1.5 – 1.125″ head tube, the frame has almost every modern standard you would want. Fender mounts are also included should you want to keep yourself clean. Shown with an ENVE carbon fork, Fat Chance provides a number of options including their new Yo Eddy steel fork below. Sold as a frameset or complete, there are a ton of options to consider with pricing starting at $2,195 with a Ritchey fork and headset. Available for preorder now, delivery should be around August 1st. For more details including geometry, head over to the Fat Chance site.

Fat Chance also announced the rebirth of the Yo Eddy segmented road fork – which was the first of its kind back in the day. The fork is back with a made in the USA build by Chris Igleheart in Portland, OR. Designed with a 1 1/8″ straight steerer, the fork blades are made form Reynolds 853 steel with an OX Platinum steerer.

Technical Spec:

  • Axle-Crown 368mm
  • 1 ⅛ inch Steerer
  • Reynolds 853 Blades
  • True Temper OX Platinum Steerer
  • 28mm Tire Clearance
  • 700c Wheel Size
  • Weight: 638g (22 oz.) 300mm steerer tube

fatchance.bike

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14 Comments
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mudrock
mudrock
6 years ago

I think it would be cool if someone offered a direct mount fork for Shimano (or Bontrager) brakes

John
John
6 years ago

Any bike with a twitchy enough geometry and high enough bottom bracket to make a great cross bike isn’t going to also be a great gravel bike, no matter how much the frame builders want to make people believe otherwise.

Kernel Flickitov
Kernel Flickitov
6 years ago
Reply to  John

What are you talking about? The geo is comparable to other ‘gravel’ race bikes.

Dinger
Dinger
6 years ago

This has less BB drop and a steeper head angle than most “gravel” or even some endurance-road bikes. Either it’s a compromise to accommodate 650b stuff, or this is a cyclocross bike, which can works fine for gravel. Cx bikes aren’t exactly “twitchy” compared to the average road bike.

Kernel Flickitov
Kernel Flickitov
6 years ago
Reply to  Dinger

Head tube angels are spot on for gravel race bikes, and a 65-70 bb drop is a pretty normal. For reference; two of the top five finishers at DK200 had a 65mm bb drop, bit less than the Chance. But who’s really going to split hairs over 2mm?

Dustytires
6 years ago

As John says,
real gravel is not even close to real ‘cross geo.

Kernel Flickitov
Kernel Flickitov
6 years ago
Reply to  Dustytires

Ultimately you’re talking about a few mm lower bb and a few mm longer wheelbase.. WHICH THIS BIKE HAS.. and you’re claiming “not even close” Pffft, C’mon. Is gravel elitism really a thing now?

Seraph
Seraph
6 years ago
Reply to  Dustytires

“Real gravel”? You mean a real made-up niche of cycling? Gravel grinding is just riding a road bike on a back road. It’s not a highly controlled genre of the cycling world. It’s also pretty new. I don’t think we can be calling anything “real gravel” yet.

Kernel Flickitov
Kernel Flickitov
6 years ago
Reply to  Seraph

Road, cx, mtb, doesn’t matter. ‘Run-what-you-brung’ That inclusivity has been apart of the gravel scene for a decade plus. Unfortunate that some people lose sight of that and feel the need to scoff at a degree here or a mm there. Like if your BB drop isn’t 70mm or more it’s somehow impure. Dumb.

Greg
Greg
6 years ago
Reply to  Seraph

“It’s also pretty new.” That is incorrect.

Seraph
Seraph
6 years ago
Reply to  Greg

Calling it “gravel grinding” is new. I’m not saying that riding a road bike on a dirt road is new.

Kernel Flickitov
Kernel Flickitov
6 years ago
Reply to  Seraph

So the phrase was coined around 2003. 15 years later and it’s still “niche” and “pretty new”. 15 years, man. USAC sanctions some gravel events, UCI has their Strade Bicanche, most progressive bike brands have a gravel option. By your concept of time I wonder how long it takes you to make breakfast. Have your hens even laid the eggs yet?

Brian Boucher
Brian Boucher
6 years ago

Bro do you even gravel?

satisFACTORYrider
satisFACTORYrider
6 years ago

You’re allowed to call it dumb but not call em dorks?

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