Figured I would post a thread for my Kona Humu Humu Nuku Nuku Apua'A. A mouthful I know, but it just so happens to be the state fish of Hawaii, some of you may already know that...
I originally purchased this bicycle from the shop I wrenched at in New Orleans post katrina back in 2006, so it has been in my possession for 10 years now. Originally a 2005 model, here is the stock catalog photo:
And how I had it built shortly after purchase, I had swapped the bars for a basic riser to make it more of a SS MTB, more comfortable saddle, upgraded the brakes to Avid BB7s, custom Mardi Gras Chris King Headset to give a nod to its New Orleans origins (Black top-cap, Green upper race, Gold upper bearing, and purple lower), and added fenders:
This was how I had it built for many years. Used it as a commuter to get to and from work when I lived without a car. Bought a Bob trailer to tow groceries home and laundry to and from the laundromat. Even toured on it for three days through southern NH and central MA when I lived there towing tent and supplies in the Bob:
Being a bit of a nomad, I found myself back in CO a few years later still in possession of the Kona, I had bought and sold a few bikes in those years but could not let this one go. I heard rumors of an event happening up in Georgetown, CO being hosted by Red Bull called the "Road Rage". I figured a 26" wheeled fully rigid mtb with discs would be perfect for the event, just needed gears. So I sourced a decent wheelset, derailleur, and shifter from craigslist and built it up to race. I qualified but did not make the finals, fun event to participate in and the Red Bull guys were super hospitable. The official video, my Kona and I make a couple appearances, at the :05 second mark you can see my NOLA Police registration sticker and the 9spd drivetrain I had installed, and at 1:35 you see me in my girls pink skid lid railing into a hairpin chasing a faster guy on a 700c road bike. Larger wheels dominated that day:
Seeing that I had gears, and was living in CO, I decided to throw some knobbies on it and start MTBing the thing. I had been on it for over 5 years at this point, and knew how it handled. Riding rigid was interesting, got lots of praise from local riders for going back to basics:
Then I moved back to my hometown to take care of family matters, up on the north shore of MA. If you ever get a chance to ride your MTB up there I highly recommend it. Definitely not your average destination for mountain biking, but it will keep you on your toes with all the mud, rocks, and roots out there. Technical riding on par with Moab in some areas, and moisture to boot! Riding these trails made me long for suspension so I installed a Fox Vanilla 125 that I tuned to 100mm and rode it like that for a while:
Now I am back in CO and have decided to stop riding it as a MTB so I do not break it. It had a great run built like that, even owns a strava KOM to this day
But, I want to keep it with me and riding for another 10 years or more so I decided to convert it back to a SS commuter with a bit of a Klunker flair, inspired by the Klunker build off last Jan. I had recently reacquired an old Columbia frame with my old AMP research F3 fork on it, so that fork now resides on the Humu Humu:
So there it is. 10 years in the making. Has been to 6 state capitols (Used to have a series of pics of it in front of each capitol building) raced in a Red Bull event, toured for a long weekend, was a staple bike in the NOLA Social ride's infancy (used to tow a cooler full of beer in the trailer) MTBed around the country, dirt jumped at the Austin dirt jumps, been on top of the continental divide, and is still rolling...
I originally purchased this bicycle from the shop I wrenched at in New Orleans post katrina back in 2006, so it has been in my possession for 10 years now. Originally a 2005 model, here is the stock catalog photo:
And how I had it built shortly after purchase, I had swapped the bars for a basic riser to make it more of a SS MTB, more comfortable saddle, upgraded the brakes to Avid BB7s, custom Mardi Gras Chris King Headset to give a nod to its New Orleans origins (Black top-cap, Green upper race, Gold upper bearing, and purple lower), and added fenders:
This was how I had it built for many years. Used it as a commuter to get to and from work when I lived without a car. Bought a Bob trailer to tow groceries home and laundry to and from the laundromat. Even toured on it for three days through southern NH and central MA when I lived there towing tent and supplies in the Bob:
Being a bit of a nomad, I found myself back in CO a few years later still in possession of the Kona, I had bought and sold a few bikes in those years but could not let this one go. I heard rumors of an event happening up in Georgetown, CO being hosted by Red Bull called the "Road Rage". I figured a 26" wheeled fully rigid mtb with discs would be perfect for the event, just needed gears. So I sourced a decent wheelset, derailleur, and shifter from craigslist and built it up to race. I qualified but did not make the finals, fun event to participate in and the Red Bull guys were super hospitable. The official video, my Kona and I make a couple appearances, at the :05 second mark you can see my NOLA Police registration sticker and the 9spd drivetrain I had installed, and at 1:35 you see me in my girls pink skid lid railing into a hairpin chasing a faster guy on a 700c road bike. Larger wheels dominated that day:
Seeing that I had gears, and was living in CO, I decided to throw some knobbies on it and start MTBing the thing. I had been on it for over 5 years at this point, and knew how it handled. Riding rigid was interesting, got lots of praise from local riders for going back to basics:
Then I moved back to my hometown to take care of family matters, up on the north shore of MA. If you ever get a chance to ride your MTB up there I highly recommend it. Definitely not your average destination for mountain biking, but it will keep you on your toes with all the mud, rocks, and roots out there. Technical riding on par with Moab in some areas, and moisture to boot! Riding these trails made me long for suspension so I installed a Fox Vanilla 125 that I tuned to 100mm and rode it like that for a while:
Now I am back in CO and have decided to stop riding it as a MTB so I do not break it. It had a great run built like that, even owns a strava KOM to this day
But, I want to keep it with me and riding for another 10 years or more so I decided to convert it back to a SS commuter with a bit of a Klunker flair, inspired by the Klunker build off last Jan. I had recently reacquired an old Columbia frame with my old AMP research F3 fork on it, so that fork now resides on the Humu Humu:
So there it is. 10 years in the making. Has been to 6 state capitols (Used to have a series of pics of it in front of each capitol building) raced in a Red Bull event, toured for a long weekend, was a staple bike in the NOLA Social ride's infancy (used to tow a cooler full of beer in the trailer) MTBed around the country, dirt jumped at the Austin dirt jumps, been on top of the continental divide, and is still rolling...
