Maui, Riding Vacation

Questions about bike hire abroad and everything light bike related. No off-topic chat please

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geedawg
Posts: 150
Joined: Tue May 18, 2010 6:07 am

by geedawg

For the ride up (and down) Haleakala, aluminum would be fine. The slopes aren't too steep so once you get going steadily, a few grams won't weigh you down on the way up. On the way down, there are switchbacks near the top. It can be very foggy / wet as well as windy up there, so while carbon clinchers are definitely doable, I'd be just as happy with alloy wheels. Or the best combo (and I'll probably get shot by some): shallow to mid depth carbon clinchers with disc brakes are awesome =)

I'll be there March 2-11 and am planning on packing my bike again. I have a Pika Packworks bag that I've had great luck with because it's pretty inconspicuous. Usually I end up paying for a bike on the way out (from SeaTac airport in Seattle), but of the 4-5 times I've traveled to Maui, I've never paid a bike fee on the way back from Maui. It's important to already have paid for the bike as luggage BEFORE you check in at the counter (check in and pay for luggage online), as a lot of times the agent will be too lazy to re-do the work and have it re-tagged as a bike. Just declare the bike bag as bike parts if they ask (and beach gear in my case) at check-in, which is pretty much the truth. This last time I went in September they didn't charge me the bike fee either way. They just charged me $25 for the bike bag as another piece of luggage.

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Lelandjt
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Joined: Tue Jan 19, 2016 7:10 am

by Lelandjt

boots2000 wrote:I would use aluminum.
More for the descent than the climb. Also, for general knocking around on the island.
Does not pay to ride esoteric or foo foo stuff.

chazmtb wrote:For Haleakala, do would you suggest aluminum wheels. How crazy are the decends and what were your speeds. I drove the roads 10 years back but could not remember if there are any hair raising corners.

Agreed, but then again I've been riding China carbon clinchers on Maui for 5+ years without problem. So whatever you feel like.

boots2000
Posts: 1393
Joined: Mon Oct 15, 2007 9:28 pm

by boots2000

The roads are quite good.
Just suggesting that you don't bring "special" wheels.
Best to have the same wheels that you would knock around on at home.

Lelandjt wrote:
boots2000 wrote:I would use aluminum.
More for the descent than the climb. Also, for general knocking around on the island.
Does not pay to ride esoteric or foo foo stuff.

chazmtb wrote:For Haleakala, do would you suggest aluminum wheels. How crazy are the decends and what were your speeds. I drove the roads 10 years back but could not remember if there are any hair raising corners.

Agreed, but then again I've been riding China carbon clinchers on Maui for 5+ years without problem. So whatever you feel like.

OJ
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Joined: Wed Aug 02, 2006 5:25 pm
Location: Winterpeg

by OJ

Well...I'm from Canadian mid-west and ride a fair bit of gravel roads on my road bike, so I would be surprised if Maui roads are considerably worse. I was thinking to just run my existing 25mm Conti GP4000's that I ride everywhere, but I need to think about 4-seasons for better wet road grip and I guess they offer better puncture resistance as well.

Currently I have only one road suitable clincher set, so wheel choice is very easy. I'll just bring some spare spokes.
http://demarere.blogspot.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

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geedawg
Posts: 150
Joined: Tue May 18, 2010 6:07 am

by geedawg

Those GP4000s will be fine. I just leave my regular tires on for the most part (Schwalbe Ones) and don't have any issues. I even ran Vittoria Corsa's a few years back and they survived, no flats. The roads aren't bad, just a bit more glass in some places than I'm used to. Just keep your eyes out.

OJ wrote:Well...I'm from Canadian mid-west and ride a fair bit of gravel roads on my road bike, so I would be surprised if Maui roads are considerably worse. I was thinking to just run my existing 25mm Conti GP4000's that I ride everywhere, but I need to think about 4-seasons for better wet road grip and I guess they offer better puncture resistance as well.

Currently I have only one road suitable clincher set, so wheel choice is very easy. I'll just bring some spare spokes.

OJ
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Location: Winterpeg

by OJ

Travel fever is rising. As a result of Strava-geeking, I found out that there are some segments between Makena and Piilani Hwy and there has been guys riding these as recently as in 2016. One segment is this one https://www.strava.com/segments/1089838 and another one is this https://www.strava.com/segments/1563533 . My plan is to explore any trails there as that would make riding the East Maui loop whole lot more manageable.

Might be bit tricky on a road bike, but we'll see how goes.
http://demarere.blogspot.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

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GonaSovereign
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Location: New Zero Kanada 43° 40' 0" N, 79° 25' 0" W

by GonaSovereign

Maui is fantastic. I’ve stayed in Kihei and ridden all around the island. It’s no problem riding from Kihei up Haleakala and back, but it’s a long day.

The ride from Kihei and around West Maui Loop is a solid ride, and super nice. Stop for the banana bread.

The roads can be a bit frustrating: it’s ridiculous that there is no (public) connecting road between the Kula highway and Kihei/Wailea, but that’s the way it goes. There are a few connector roads on closer to Kahului and they’re worth checking out.

Haleakala is fun. Dress appropriately.

The East Maui road has some sketchy sections.

There are plenty of dead-end roads that are worth exploring.

For some reason, people in Maui LOVE to pitch their bottles out the window of their cars. Expect to get flats from the substantial amounts of broken glass.

I look forward to going back.

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Lelandjt
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by Lelandjt

It's not glass that gives me punctures but little pieces of wire that I assume are from steel belts in car tires that are being driven past the point of being bald. They look like individual strands of shift cable. Sometimes you'll find them stuck in the tire, other times you just have a tiny pin prick hole. It'll get really bad to the point that on nearly every ride my girlfriend or I flat and then they must sweep the side of the highway cuz I won't get a flat for months. My best advice is to avoid riding through patches of sand/gravel/debris on the shoulder cuz that's where all the little bits are hiding.

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boysa
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Location: Too far from my bike.

by boysa

Ahhh! I had two punctures last year from the strands of wire you describe, and for the life of me couldn't imagine where they came from. Makes sense.

I laughed, because some bonehead over here was "explaining" how puncturing is the rider's (i.e. my) fault. I asked him just how was I supposed to avoid tiny, staple-sized pieces of wire? A hawk wouldn't see them at 25mph!
Last edited by boysa on Mon Feb 20, 2017 8:59 am, edited 1 time in total.
"Deserve's got nothing to do with it." William Munny

boots2000
Posts: 1393
Joined: Mon Oct 15, 2007 9:28 pm

by boots2000

At least one of my flats (in Maui a month or so ago) was exactly as you describe.
In fact the piece of wire went all the way through the tire and was still lodged in the tube.


Lelandjt wrote:It's not glass that gives me punctures but little pieces of wire that I assume are from steel belts in car tires that are being driven past the point of being bald. They look like individual strands of shift cable. Sometimes you'll find them stuck in the tire, other times you just have a tiny pin prick hole. It'll get really bad to the point that on nearly every ride my girlfriend or I flat and then they must sweep the side of the highway cuz I won't get a flat for months. My best advice is to avoid riding through patches of sand/gravel/debris on the shoulder cuz that's where all the little bits are hiding.

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GonaSovereign
Posts: 550
Joined: Thu Nov 24, 2005 2:34 pm
Location: New Zero Kanada 43° 40' 0" N, 79° 25' 0" W

by GonaSovereign

OJ wrote:Travel fever is rising. As a result of Strava-geeking, I found out that there are some segments between Makena and Piilani Hwy and there has been guys riding these as recently as in 2016. One segment is this one https://www.strava.com/segments/1089838 and another one is this https://www.strava.com/segments/1563533 . My plan is to explore any trails there as that would make riding the East Maui loop whole lot more manageable.

Might be bit tricky on a road bike, but we'll see how goes.


Let us know how this goes. That would make a big difference on an East Maui Loop from Kihei.

OJ
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Location: Winterpeg

by OJ

So it looks like Maui has been hammered with storms. Any idea if any roads have been impacted?
http://demarere.blogspot.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

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boysa
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Location: Too far from my bike.

by boysa

Oh man, just had to look back at your op and I see you are coming this month. Is it soon? We're getting dumped on at the moment, at least here on Oahu, so I'm hoping you aren't arriving for at least another week or so.
"Deserve's got nothing to do with it." William Munny

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Lelandjt
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by Lelandjt

OJ wrote:So it looks like Maui has been hammered with storms. Any idea if any roads have been impacted?

While driving today I was looking at all the water washing off the road and thinking this is probably cleaning all the debris off the shoulder. So mo beta.
We haven't had rain for a few weeks but we're in the middle of about 48 hours of steady rain. There's some minor rock falls on the Pali and I'm sure on the road around the north side but they'll be cleared in a couple days.

OJ
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Location: Winterpeg

by OJ

We'll arrive on 16th, so I can give the road crews some time to clean up ;)
http://demarere.blogspot.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

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