Remember that sick Black Sheep we shared last week? Well, the owner of that bike, Sam, has been tinkering in his garage and building some really unique bikes. Granted, he calls them “hunks of steel” and “kinda weird,” but as a cycling photographer I couldn’t pass up shooting his 135-millimeter-spaced Rohloff fat bike.

First off, Sam shared his rigid 29er with me. It reminded me of a Brooklyn Gangsta Track with its unique seat tube cluster. There’s nothing really crazy about this one, save for Works Components headset, that allows Sam to adjust the head angle on the bike and the Middleburn cranks that provide the ideal chainline…

The real treat is this wild fat bike. Sam is not a builder, or an engineer. But, he’s been riding bikes his whole life and he is a bike mechanic. He’s wrenched on, and ridden, a number of bikes and he wanted to try something different with this bike—his first fat bike.

The most noticeable detail here is the elevated chainstay, that barely clears the cranks, but on the non-drive side, the stays move around the 5-inch tire and the wheel is offset, dished to accept his 135-millimeter Rohloff hub. Sam had this hub already and really wanted to put it to use on the bike, so rather than selling it and upgrading to a wider spacing, he warped the seat stay. This created a bit of visual mindfuckery, but—as I told Sam—I’ve seen sillier ideas in a much more professional package over the years (read: at NAHBS. ;-) IYKYK).

Like his rigid 29er, this fat bike uses a Works Components headset, allowing Sam to experiment with the head angle. He has plans to chop it up and change a few things in the future. That’s what those little nubs are on the top tube; the seat stays used to be brazed in that location but it was rubbing Sam’s legs…

We’re always inspired by curious creatives who decide to take bike matters into their own hands, regardless of professional training. Don’t miss the gallery here for a closer look at this alternative take on a fat bike!