ASI CEO Pat Cunnane (left) and former Phat Cycles Owner David Menahem (right) after signing the acquisition deal. 

Advanced Sports International (ASI) has acquired Phat Cycles, the California-based beach cruiser brand. The purchase also includes the Sterling bicycles brand.

“I've been in conversation with David [Menahem, owner of Phat Cycles] for a long time,” said 
Advanced Sports CEO Pat Cunnane March 16. “We'd meet every year, and I'd ask, 'Are you ready to have a discussion?' I know David loves Phat and his staff, and I am glad he chose ASI to take the business to the next level.”   
 
Menahem, who will continue as a consultant for ASI while the transition is completed, said, “I feel that I am selling the business to a company that has the resources, vision, and commitment to the authenticity of its brands to really allow Phat and Sterling to grow.”
 
“It was important to me that we do a 'seamless' deal because I did not want to disrupt our customers' business in any way,” added Menahem, a dealer himself who operates and will continue to operate Bicycle Discovery shops in Huntington Beach and San Diego. “I have had the honor of working with some of the best retailers in the industry, and I want to say thank you to each one of them for helping Phat Cycles become a reputable company and a respected brand known for innovative and fun bikes.”   
 
With these acquisitions, ASI answers the demands of niche markets previously unrepresented in its portfolio. Parent company to brands Fuji, SE, Kestrel, Breezer, and Oval Concepts, Phat will enable ASI to bolster its offerings in the growing cruiser segment. And with Sterling, ASI looks forward to launching a new line of lifestyle bikes, kids, and family bikes for gateway consumers.  
 
ASI will keep Phat's office and warehouse in Southern California, and the brand's nine employees will be incorporated into ASI's team. In the meantime, however, 
current customers should continue to contact Phat Cycles for Phat & Sterling inquiries at 714-891-0096 and ASI for Fuji, SE, Kestrel, Breezer, and Oval Concepts inquiries at 1-800-631-8474 until the transition is complete. 
   
ASI is a privately held American corporation headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – with additional sales offices in Mutlangen, Germany; Taichung, Taiwan; Durban, South Africa; and Huntington Beach, USA. ASI now owns seven premium cycling brands: Fuji, SE, Kestrel, Breezer, Phat, and Sterling Bicycles, as well as Oval Concepts components. ASI manufactures, markets, and distributes its products through a global network of specialty bicycle retailers that reaches 80 markets worldwide.