Riding in Style – The Electric Ride that Started in Colorado
It’s not about biking more, it’s about driving less. Kenny Fischer and Victoria Brunner are the founders of Fat Tire Electric Bikes, or FATTE-Bikes. They launched the company to provide customizable bikes as an alternative to cars.
“We’ve designed our electric bikes to be capable of taking cars off the road—getting you from A to B effortlessly. Hills don’t exist, you don’t sweat, and you don’t get as tired, but it’s still all the fun of a bike,” said Fischer.
FATTE-Bikes is one of 40 vendors that will be at the Physical Product Showcase at the Denver Pavilions on October 8 from 11:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Sponsored by B:Side Fund, this headline event is part of Denver Startup Week. Entrepreneurs will show off their new products including food, fashion, skincare, energy, tech, geriatric, health, pets, smart city gadgets, and outdoor recreation.
The e-bikes have the telltale fat tires, accelerate up to 27 miles per hour, and can navigate all terrains for a safe ride. They get up to 60+ miles per charge and run on lithium-ion batteries. FATTE-Bikes paints the bikes with powder-coated colors made in Colorado. All models start at $1,999 for each bike, which he considers the affordable range of e-bikes. The cost can increase when people add on customized features. FattE-Bikes are accessible to a range of consumers for maximum impact in micro mobility. Since they are built in Denver, this allows them to be one of the most customizable e-bike companies available.
Since their start in 2017, growth happened gradually for FATTE-Bikes. The greatest road bump they overcome was telling people how electric bikes worked. Fischer and Brunner regularly hosted events throughout Colorado to demonstrate their products. Then a global pandemic changed things.
“Post covid—it blew up. The bicycle world exploded for all the right reasons. People realized the outdoors existed once again after being cooped up for so long,” Fischer said.
Fischer and Brunner just traded their 2,000 square foot warehouse for new digs with 7,000 square feet. FATTE-Bikes headquarters are now located near 8th Street and I-25. In addition to taking orders and customizing bikes, they’re working on a tall order from the City of Denver. They’re assembling and delivering 70 e-bikes for a grant-funded program that gives electric bikes to low-income workers. The bikes are completely assembled in the United States, which distinguishes them from companies that ship products overseas.
Fischer and Brunner’s new headquarters are located half a block from the Platte River Trail. They anticipate new traffic riding right up the shop, now located at 2596 W Barberry Pl. in Denver. Talking with customers is one of the best parts of their job. Fischer is planning a membership to offer customers rides, events, and the extra service that comes with the FATTE-Bike brand.
“You come in, you design the bike of your dreams, and we’ll bring it to life. Better yet, the bikes come with us,” Fischer said.
Visit FATTE-Bikes at the Physical Product Showcase on Friday, October 8, from 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. FATTE-Bikes will be located on the ground floor, and over 40 more vendors will be upstairs on the second floor of the Denver Pavilions. Register for this free event to get the latest updates.
