Buy Fatty’s Book (and Jersey, and T-Shirt), Win a Dream Bike, Help WBR Save the World

11.11.2014 | 8:00 am

A Note from Fatty: If really all you want from today’s post is a link to the online store, just click here. However, if you don’t read the whole thing, you may not find out that you won a tricked-out Ibis of your choice and also helped save the world.

Being the incredible writer I am, every single sentence I type is a precious gift to the universe. Each word is a beautiful, perfectly-formed gemstone, each essay a verbal gem-tastic mosaic.

At will, I can make you laugh. I can make you cry. I can make you shake your head in awestruck wonder.

I can say, in all humility, that I deserve each and every one of the Bloggies I have won.

And I have won a lot. Like, four of them. 

As you might expect, the greatest challenge I have had in compiling this, the second volume in The Best of FatCyclist.com (which I have whimsically named The Great Fatsby) is selecting what not to include. I have agonized. I have wrung my hands in anguish. I have considered making this into a 4200-page book.

But—showing remarkable strength and fortitude—I have done it. And here is the cover.

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About The Great Fatsby

Puffery aside, The Great Fatsby honestly is some of the very best humor writing I’ve ever done. That may be because it was during this period that Susan was fighting cancer; writing was a defense of sorts. (The serious posts from this same period, along with the rest of the story, will be Volume 3, which I plan to publish in a year.)

I picked out the top 5% of my writing from this period, gave each story a little bit of introductory context, added some new jokes, and footnoted the heck out of the thing. 

Like this:

Screenshot 2014 11 10 19 07 33

The stories are now grouped into topical sections (E.g., “Things You Already Know,” “Introspection and Fart Jokes,” “Strong Opinions On Trivial Matters”), and are, for the first time…edited. A little bit.

And perhaps best of all, Dan Wuori—the hilarious back-page columnist for Velo—wrote the foreword for the book. And the Backword. And the Middleword.

Yes, this book has a Middleword. I think every book should have one.

Win a Dream Bike, Help WBR Make the World a Better Place

The Great Fatsby is available as a pre-order right now, and will be shipped on or about December 10: plenty of time to get to you before Christmas. You can order just the book itselfa signed copy, or a copy with a personal inscription

It will also be available as a Kindle book, starting in mid-December.

But If I were you, I’d consider maybe reading on a bit further before deciding what you’re going to buy. Because I’ve got some awesome stuff and awesome deals that go with The Great Fatsby. 

And someone’s going to be winning the Ibis bike of their choice, completely tricked out with top-of-the-line SRAM components

For example, maybe you’d like to get the full-suspension, go-everywhere, do-anything Ripley 29 (which, built up with SRAM XX1, RockShox suspension front and back, and Rise, Roam, or RAIL wheels, would retail for more than $9000):

Screenshot 2014 11 10 19 52 41

Or maybe you’re more of a hardtail type rider. Maybe you want to try out singlespeeding, or maybe you would like to travel with your bike. In that case, maybe you’d like to get the exact bike that I got for myself, and have been riding and loving this year: The Ibis Tranny 29, similarly built up to the nines with SRAM parts:

Screenshot 2014 11 11 06 49 30

Or how about an Ibis Hakkalugi Disc go-anywhere CX machine, built to perfection with the SRAM Force CX1 groupset? 

Screenshot 2014 11 11 06 54 31 

I gotta say, that is a seriously tempting CX machine. If I had that bike, I might actually start racing CX.

Or you could get yourself any of the flavors of one of the most beloved mountain bikes out there: The Ibis Mojo

Why a Contest?

Wbrlogo proud supporter

Why is there a contest component to this pre-order? Because I like to give cool stuff away, for one thing. But more importantly, because 25% of the profits of this pre-order—including the book sales and the pre-order of everything else I’m about to show you—will go to World Bicycle Relief. 

I’ve seen firsthand how a bicycle donated to a student can completely change her life’s potential. I’ve ridden with a health care volunteer as she went from home to home, miles apart, meeting with  people she takes care of. 

In short, I’ve seen the power of the bicycle, and I’m proud to be donating a quarter of the profits from this book to World Bicycle Relief.

But here’s the cool thing: that donation will be anonymously matched. So it will actually be like half the profits from this book will go to World Bicycle Relief. 

Not bad, huh?

The Team Fatty Tecno-Merino Wool Long Sleeve Jersey

I’ve been friends and riding buddies with DNA Cycling—a high-end cycling clothing manufacturer that is HQ’d here in Utah, but manufactures its clothing in Italy—for years.

I recently struck up a conversation with them about, in short order, creating a really beautiful, incredibly comfortable Merino wool jersey that would look and feel great before, during, and after cool weather rides. 

This is what DNA Cycling designed for me. Let’s take a look at the front and back:

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Here are the details of this beautiful, beautiful jersey.

  • Tecno-Merino is a wool-poly blend that is incredibly soft and comfortable. You can wear it right against your skin without ever itching, at all.
  • Full Zipper, and 3 Pockets: In other words, this is a fully-functioning, hard-working jersey. Not a sweater masquerading as a jersey. But it’s so gorgeous you can (and will) wear it wherever.
  • Hidden Zipper Pocket: There’s an extra pocket in the back, to keep money, your credit card, and a key secure when you ride. You don’t need that stuff falling out on accident when you reach behind you to get out a gel.
  • Between Race and Club Cut: I recommend you treat this as if it were a race cut and go up a size. Maybe two, if you put on pounds during the winter like I do. Yeah, that’s right. I’m thinking I’ll get an XL.
  • There are Lots of Sizes Available. It’s bummed me out for a long time that I run a blog called FatCyclist, but don’t ever have jersey sizes past 3XL. Well, this jersey goes from 2XS to 5XL. Unisex sizing. [Note: Sizing info is at the bottom of the product description.]

Above all else, I am offering this jersey at a ridiculously killer price: $124.95. That’s $25 less, at a minimum, than you’ll pay for an equivalent jersey elsewhere. 

And if you buy it as part of a bundle with an autographed, inscribed book, the cost is $139.90: you’ll save $15 over buying them separately. [Fact: This is the best Christmas present in the whole world.] 

Or you can make me love you forever by getting the Super Bundle, containing the signed and inscribed book, the long-sleeved jersey, and the t-shirt shown below, and save $20.

And yes, this jersey enters you into the contest to win the Ibis of your choice. And 25% of the profits go to World Bicycle Relief.

The Great Fatsby T-Shirt

People will see you wearing this t-shirt, and they will wonder how it’s possible that you managed to make such a grievous spelling error .

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That is, of course, their own problem. Whether you choose to set them straight is up to you (but I think you should).

And here’s the back of the t-shirt: 

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This is a 100% ringspun, 4.3oz cotton, with a really nice hand feel. It’s not going to shrink unless you do terrible things to it, and it’s sized from Small to 3XL in both women’s and men’s cuts. 

You can get this t-shirt by itself, or get it with a signed book and save $5.00. Or get the Super Bundle (a signed and inscribed book, a long-sleeved jersey, and this t-shirt), with a savings of $20.

[Note: Sizing info is at the bottom of the product description.]

How the Contest Works

With every book, jersey, t-shirt, or bundle you buy, I’m donating $25% of the profits to World Bicycle Relief. Also, for each item you buy, you’re getting a certain number of chances in the random drawing I will make on December 10, 2014. The number of chances is specified in the item description, but roughly corresponds to the cost of the item. 

The winner of the drawing will get to choose any Ibis frame, in the color and size of her/his choice. You may have to wait if the frame/size/color of your choice is not in stock. 

No purchase is necessary. To enter the contest without making a purchase, write a cogent, well-reasoned on-topic essay of between 400 and 500 words describing why you think The Great Fatsby is either a good or bad choice for a book title. The essay quality will not be a factor in whether you win, but will be used as a guard against bot-generated entries. Use the subject line “The Great Fatsby Contest Entry,” and send the email to fatty@fatcyclist.com. 

Submitted essays become the property of FatCyclist.com, and may well be published, with or without commentary, whether you win or not.

This contest, and pre-order period, ends at midnight, December 3, 2014.

Thank You

So, to recap and in general put the hard-sell on you, when you buy a book, jersey, t-shirt, or bundle during the pre-order, you get that cool thing, you get a chance at winning a cool bike, World Bicycle Relief magically gets a quarter of the profit turned into half the profit. 

I’ve been writing this blog for nearly ten years now. I still love it, and I put a lot of work into it. I hope you’ve enjoyed it too, and find it worth your money to pick up a copy of The Great Fatsby (and associated gear).

Thank you!

PS: If you have any questions, please ask in the comments section; I’ll do my best to answer right away.

37 Comments

  1. Comment by Dave T | 11.11.2014 | 8:49 am

    Wow this is the greatest one stop shopping experience I’ve every had. Thanks Fatty.

  2. Comment by wharton_crew | 11.11.2014 | 10:20 am

    Holy cow, I’m drooling at this moment! I’m sure my kids will understand why I am replacing their Santa list items with shirts and jerseys (in my size, not theirs, oddly enough).

  3. Comment by Laura | 11.11.2014 | 10:36 am

    Fatty, any chance you could ship to Canada this year?

    Thanks,
    Laura

    Yes! We are shipping internationally — not just Canada, either. Of course, shipping costs are higher, as you’d expect.

    The contest applies internationally as well, except where prohibited by law.

    - FC

  4. Comment by Corrine | 11.11.2014 | 10:55 am

    Wow! Wow! Wow! Too many choices. It is going to take me until Dec. 3 to figure out what I want to order and what bike I want when I win! Can’t wait.

  5. Comment by Tom in Albany | 11.11.2014 | 10:58 am

    Fatty, Can I buy something and still get an extra entry to the contest by providing 400-500 non-bot-generated words of witsdom?

    Gorgeous wool jersey, by the way…

    Yes you can. And also you’ll find that if you just want to donate (and therefore get an entry into the contest) WITHOUT buying anything , you can do that too. – FC

  6. Comment by davidh-marin,ca | 11.11.2014 | 11:40 am

    Fatty – can you link to a size chart for the jersey and tshirt?

    There are now sizing charts at the bottom of the product description pages for the jersey and the t-shirt. Thanks for asking! – FC

  7. Comment by NZ Ev | 11.11.2014 | 11:45 am

    Awesome!!! I can now tell my partner that my Xmas present is all sorted!! Thanks Fatty for doing this.

  8. Comment by Heidi | 11.11.2014 | 11:55 am

    Way to go, Elden! This will be a huge success.

  9. Comment by MaxUtil | 11.11.2014 | 12:02 pm

    Hey, can I donate directly to WBR, get an entry into the Ibis giveaway, but not buy any of your junk? :) Said with love…

    Yes you can. Here’s the link. – FC

  10. Comment by Jojo @ RunFastEatLots | 11.11.2014 | 12:41 pm

    Do I still get a contest entry if I buy the Kindle version of the book?

    I tried to figure out a way to do that, but couldn’t figure out how it would be possible. When you buy a Kindle version of the book from Amazon, I never receive any information about you; all I get from Amazon is how many copies have been purchased, and how much my commission is. So there’s no way I can draw your name, nor notify you that you won anything. I considered saying that if you forwarded me your receipt for the book I’d give you an entry to the contest, but that would have required me to do a ton of manual data entry. So in the end, no, buying the e-book version won’t get you an entry in the contest. – FC

  11. Comment by davidh-marin,ca | 11.11.2014 | 1:01 pm

    Reminder from yesterday: Buy two: 1 for riding and one for reserve (formal occasions, puppy chewed on your fave FC Jersey, change in ’size’)

    I know the family will love the Christmas picture of all of us in matching FC Jerseys!

    Really, I know they will, especially the 13 y.o.!

    Thanks Fatty, thanks anonymous donor, Ibis, and a big shout out to WBR!

  12. Comment by davidh-marin,ca | 11.11.2014 | 1:11 pm

    Brilliance, on Brilliance!

    When you get your Jersey (before Christmas?) Let’s get everyone to go visit the mall Santa for a picture. Individual, or groups, it would make for a lot of fun. I just may get one for Santa as well. )I can’t tell you how excited my family is for this idea, I really can’t)

    DaveT, Amy, and RobT, SteveB, Yann and Family, If you’re ordering, let’s plan a group picture…with pie! ChrisD, I invite you to join but the concept of a ‘Fat Cyclist’ jersey on you is the definition of ‘absurd’, (though DaveT is pretty much in that category as well).

    Happy shopping everyone. Let’s get those pictures to share!

    That’s an awesome idea. Anyone who wants to send in a photo, I’ll post it. – FC

  13. Comment by MattC | 11.11.2014 | 1:26 pm

    Fatty…just ordered the signed book + inscription, but there was no place available to enter our inscription…did I miss something?

    It should be right there on the product description page. Is that not showing up for you? Regardless, email me after December 3 with what you want the inscription to say and I’ll do my best to remember! – FC

  14. Comment by ScottR | 11.11.2014 | 1:29 pm

    Second the request for a jersey size chart, pretty please.

    So even the awesome jerseys can be preordered up to Dec 3rd?

    I’ve updated this post to indicate that there are now sizing charts at the bottom of the product description pages for the jersey and the t-shirt.

    And yes, you can pre-order the jersey up to December 3.

    Thanks for asking! – FC

  15. Comment by Bicycle Bill | 11.11.2014 | 1:52 pm

    Would like to order the T-shirt/book combo, but notice that there seems to be no option for the book to be signed and/or inscribed.  Can you add those additional options?

    -”BB”-

  16. Comment by Bicycle Bill | 11.11.2014 | 1:57 pm

    I bow before you, humbled and hanging my head in (partial) error.  I see that the book would be signed, but not inscribed.

    My question, therefore, about adding the option to get the book inscribed as well still stands.

    -”BB”-

  17. Comment by Turn The Damn Cranks | 11.11.2014 | 2:06 pm

    Do we get a copy of the album as part of the super-bundle?

    ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1415736222&sr=8-1&keywords=the+great+fatsby

  18. Comment by Turn The Damn Cranks | 11.11.2014 | 2:06 pm

    Nuts. My attempt to put the image in my previous post failed. Click here to see what I’m babbling about:

    http://www.amazon.com/Great-Fatsby-Leslie-West/dp/B001Q8IXQI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1415736222&sr=8-1&keywords=the+great+fatsby

  19. Comment by Mike Kennedy | 11.11.2014 | 2:10 pm

    Great stuff! Do not laugh too hard at the inscription that I chose; it is a line you wrote in one of your stories that stuck in my head and in fact a line that had many folks here in Boise emailing me with regards to it. : )

    Cheers!

  20. Comment by davidh-marin,ca | 11.11.2014 | 2:26 pm

    @Turn…

    I want an album too!

    leslie-west-fatsby-10.jpg

  21. Comment by MattC | 11.11.2014 | 2:48 pm

    Hey Fatty…I must have missed the inscription block when I was ordering…it’s right there in plain sight on your link. I’ll make an outlook reminder to email you my inscription after Dec 3rd…sorry about the hassle.

  22. Comment by ClydeinKS | 11.11.2014 | 3:57 pm

    My credit card company loves you but my budget balks when the statments come through. I LOVE the jersey and hope to find some wiggle room, but am definitely in for an inscribed book and will leave it open to your creative mood at the time. THANKS!!!!

  23. Comment by ClydeinKS | 11.11.2014 | 4:13 pm

    Having bought bicycles for WBR the past two years, will there be another fundraiser drive separately or right now is the time to purchase bikes through the donate option? I still have people needing gifts who may again appreciate knowing a gift was made in their honor. Or I could go with the super bundle for gifts for me and proceeds of a bike donation for them. Hmmmmm OPTIONS! Haha

    This is it — my last big fundraising effort for the year. – FC

  24. Comment by MattC | 11.11.2014 | 5:21 pm

    Ahhh…I was thinking the same question ClydeinKS…nice. I’ll have to hold off and donate another bike before Dec 3rd. Thanks for clearing that up Fatty!

  25. Comment by Marshmallow | 11.12.2014 | 8:01 am

    Whoo hoo! And my copy is pre-ordered. Thanks for supporting WBR with your Bloggie-having uber-fame!

  26. Comment by Sarah Barber | 11.12.2014 | 11:56 am

    Fatty, I intend to order two books today or tomorrow. I really want personal inscriptions on both. One is for me, and one is for a friend. But I want you to say what you want to say, based on some personal information I give you about myself and about the person I’m getting the other book for. Will that be possible? You can write as much as you want–the longer the better. So excited to read! Also, my grandpa’s name was Elden, so that’s pretty cool.

    Thank you! And I’ll be happy to riff off whatever you’d like in the inscription. In the inscription field, when you order, just let me know what you want me to talk about. – FC

  27. Comment by pbrmeasap | 11.12.2014 | 12:43 pm

    Are you moving away from Twin Six?

    No, they moved away from me. – FC

  28. Comment by Karena | 11.12.2014 | 4:06 pm

    LOVE love love love the jersey, but am making a very sad face that it only comes in men’s sizing. (I know you claim “unisex” but looking at the cut and sizing, that is a man’s jersey, and for some of us, that just isn’t going to work.) Putting in a little plea for women’s options too in the future!

    (Seriously men, it makes a difference–go to the women’s clothing page on Competitive Cyclist or Rapha or something, and imagine you’re being presented with that as “unisex” and see how well that works for you…)

  29. Comment by Linda | 11.12.2014 | 10:43 pm

    Check out this bicycle that MAKES WATER AS YOU RIDE! It’s Perfect for WBR because it takes care of transportation and lack of water in those countries! Booyah!

    http://www.citylab.com/tech/2014/11/this-magic-bicycle-bottle-generates-water-from-the-air/382653/

    The problem isn’t actually lack of water, it’s lack of a means to transport water. They need to be able to get water for their whole family for the whole day to their homes, not just enough to supplement them on a ride. – FC

  30. Comment by Corrine | 11.13.2014 | 12:28 am

    What size jersey would the Hammer wear? I have found that I usually wear the same size top as you mention she wears with your jersey sales.

    That’s a great question; sometime soon I’ll take some shots of us wearing various sizes of these jerseys. That might help. Right now I’m planning on getting her a size Medium. – FC

  31. Comment by Jeff Dieffenbach | 11.13.2014 | 10:37 am

    Fatty and the Hammer FASHION SHOW!

  32. Comment by Mark in Bremerton | 11.13.2014 | 12:18 pm

    I plan to donate to get into the contest (personal motive; bikes to WBR is ALWAYS the real motivation) but was wondering if I can get into the contest if I donate through The Hammer’s Team WBR page. She’s done an over the top job of fund raising and I’d like to be part of that, too.

  33. Comment by Cycling Fan | 11.14.2014 | 11:25 am

    “The Grat Fatsby” – love it!

  34. Comment by cbj | 11.15.2014 | 9:45 pm

    Screwy sizing chart…I’m going to have to measure some of my jerseys and figure this out. Sorry to hear about TwinSix. If they moved away from you should I move away from them? I’ve always liked there stuff but not if they are not also good people.

  35. Comment by Mitch | 11.17.2014 | 1:44 pm

    Second on the baffling sizing charts for the wool jersey … I’m used to thinking in terms of circumference. Any idea, for example, what size would fit a 42″ chest?

  36. Pingback by Good News, Good Reviews | Pro Cycling Reviews | 11.18.2014 | 1:21 pm

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  37. Pingback by My Best Superpower: Randomly Selecting Inspiring Winners | Pro Cycling Reviews | 12.8.2014 | 1:35 pm

    [...] at its strongest when I am furthest from a yellow star, because I drew names for the winners of the Great Fatsby pre-order contest last weekend as we near Winter Solstice, and this power manifested itself in extraordinary [...]

 

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