Groovy’s Kauai 6.5.0. is a titanium surfer inspired bike that takes cues from the old Woody SUVs, made to easily transport the owner and his surfboard to and from the beach…and the trail and the store, all without harshing its chill beach vibe.
The foundation is a titanium frame, built up with house-made titanium racks, cranks and a titanium-and-wood truss fork. Drivetrain is a Gates Belt Drive turning a Rohloff gear box hub. Those parts and materials make for a corrosion free ride that’ll hold up to the sandy beaches, salt water and ocean air.
When it’s time to hit the trail, the rack and fenders, which are all integrated into single pieces, have hidden bolts that make them fully removable. Pull them off and you’re left wtih a mountain bike, pure and simple…
It’s built around 27.5″ tires, but has the space to fit 26+ (26×3.25) tires when the racks aren’t attached.
Fenders are made by Cody Davis of Woody’s Fenders in Oregon.
The wheels, light casings and fork trusses are white oak wtih maple accents.
The rims are made in house, from harvesting to steaming, rolling around forms, finger jointed together and then milled out. They’re robust enough to handle any swelling caused by temperature and humidity changes, too.
Rody works with a local Amish man that makes wooden wheels, and these aren’t the first wood rims he’s made.
Lastly, there’s the finish. The customer wanted a paint scheme that reflected his passion for the ocean.
He’s got ankle to hip tattoos of octopus tentacles that wrap around his legs, so the bike’s paint matches that artwork.
The Brooks saddle was hand carved by Ken Poulsen based off a photo of the customer surfing.
All of the hard work won him a Best of Show award!
Another bike sitting by was an existing customer’s 29er mountain bike that had been converted to a wide drop bar gravel road bike.
He also had his Groovy Space Bike on hand, which we covered at the Philly Bike Expo.
