NAHBS 2016 – Black Sheep’s Deathsplosion ti fork, most expensive fenders & some cool bikes

Since Black Sheep’s bikes are pretty much all one-off custom creations to suit the customers’ needs, they often defy categorization. Or, at least, span too many to be easily defined.

One of the latest is their Adventure Fat Bike, which has a new rear end that, as they put it, has 25mm of “catastrophic” travel in case the tire bottoms out. So, yes, if that balloon on the back hits something so hard that you’re landing on rim, there’s a bit of give in the frame to help prevent damage.

Take a look at the rest of the bike, a matching “catastrophe” fork and some of the best head badges ever…

The bent stays and forward mounting position allow a little flex. Not suspension so much as insurance.

They make some pretty swell titanium handlebars, too. On the right is their standard truss fork, which have fore/aft flex to simply mute vibrations.

But on this fat bike, they build something new…

This Blade Runner / Deathsplosion fork got its working name because it’s so new they’re discouraging anyone to actually buy it yet (it needs more testing). It maxes out at 40mm of travel that’s really designed to just soak up the big hits that would otherwise destroy a tire. It’s built to have very stiff travel, not really be a suspension fork.

The bolt at the top of the seatstay yoke separates the rear end (along with the sliding chainstay design they use on a lot of their bikes) so you can more easily pack it for travel.

While we typically see just one 36er at Sea Otter, there were at least three sitting around NAHBS. This was one of them, and its purple accents ensured no one missed it (as if you could).

BMX cranks and chain. Me thinks I’d want some gears for turning those massive wheels over, but to each their own. It’s not the first 36er they’ve built.

This commuter is a shining example of what we’d want to ride around town on. Beautiful in every way…

…including the flat rolled titanium fenders. Price? Don’t ask. Custom carbon fiber mud guards would probably be cheaper.

This tank is meant to get you and your cargo an-y-where. The Shimano STEPS e-bike system gets a custom made titanium mount (other frame tubing suppliers don’t yet provide a titanium part to fit that motor).

As usual, Black Sheep gets artisans to do custom head badges on most bikes. This 3D buffalo was on the 36er, click to enlarge.

The climbing sheep is on the commuter, and the Silver Surfer adorned the e-Fat Bike.

Black Sheep’s frames start at $3,400 with straight tubes, and $3,800 with curvy tubes.

BlackSheepBikes.com