Maui, Riding Vacation

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

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boysa
Posts: 1430
Joined: Sun May 04, 2008 10:03 pm
Location: Too far from my bike.

by boysa

Road crews. Haha. That's a good one!
"Deserve's got nothing to do with it." William Munny

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chazmtb
Posts: 231
Joined: Tue Sep 25, 2012 7:08 am

by chazmtb

Looks like I'll be in Wailea. It's going to be a hike to get to Paia to do the traditional assault on Haleakala There are some other roads that cut across some mountains. It not a gradual climb though. Gonna have to start training hard. No mountains here in Florida.

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

by geedawg

I'm here on Maui now, and on the west side (Ka'anapali / Napili / Kapalua) the roads look good. Drove up near Kahakuloa today and the fresh pavement is beckoning. Shoulders look pretty free of debris. Can't wait to do some riding. . .

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boysa
Posts: 1430
Joined: Sun May 04, 2008 10:03 pm
Location: Too far from my bike.

by boysa

Jealous! If I was over there I'd spend the entire time doing laps up/down Haleakala.

Actually, I'd bribe my wife to meet me at the top and drive me down after each ascent.
"Deserve's got nothing to do with it." William Munny

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

by boots2000

Haleakala is overrated. There are better climbs over in that vicinity.
Or you can do some other climbs and do a couple thousand feet up 378-

boysa wrote:Jealous! If I was over there I'd spend the entire time doing laps up/down Haleakala.

Actually, I'd bribe my wife to meet me at the top and drive me down after each ascent.

OJ
Posts: 877
Joined: Wed Aug 02, 2006 5:25 pm
Location: Winterpeg

by OJ

boots2000 Please do tell what climbs are better? I do want to ride up Haleakala at least once because...well it's the longest paved climb I know. I have drafted quite a few routes on Strava, but obviously I don't know the roads and rely on Google maps. Do you have any strava rides or toutes to share? I'm guessing Riding Kihei-Haleakala-Kihei will be a solid 7 hours from door to door so I'm trying to come up with 70-100 km rides with shorter sustained climbs.

Does anybody know how the recent storms have treated the east side roads and upcountry roads? I gathered a section of a road was washed out somewhere near Kaupo on Haleakala backside, but for the most part the flooding appears to be exaggerated compared to what I'm used to seeing when we get flooding.

EDIT: Google maps shows "farming" or dirt roads such as Upper Kihei Road, through the sugar cane fields. Are this full of farming trucks or could these backroads be used to get to Paia-Haiku?
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c50jim
Posts: 1015
Joined: Tue Feb 14, 2006 4:42 am
Location: Calgary

by c50jim

You must be a really good rider if you can do Kihei-Haleakala-Kihei in seven hours. Just riding up Haleakala took me 5:40 of riding time plus stops. Kihei Paia return is probably 1.5 hours and you also have to go down. I guess you can cut off some distance by going up the Haleakala highway rather than around to Paia but it's a busy road (with a big shoulder though if I remember correctly). Seven hours is probably an average time for Haleakala alone. Start early so you have plenty of time. Don't forget to take cash for refreshments and park entry.

I haven't been there since January (back at the end of next week) but I don't remember any real connections from the Kihei area up to the road around Haleakala. The road near Kaupo has always been pretty sketchy. I haven't been there for a couple of years but hear a rumour that it had been improved. There used to be about 5 km or so of unpaved roads around there. Last time I was there, I rode from Paia to the windmills on the west side of Haleakala and back. It was about 100 km and a bit over 2,000 metres of climbing and there are some great views as you start to come around to the west side of Haleakala. Since I usually stay in Lahaina, west Maui loop is my favourite ride - better clockwise but OK counter clockwise too. There are a couple of climbs around Paia and Haiku but you have to get there on boring routes or drive.

I love going to Maui in winter when you can't see the roads around Calgary for snow, ice and other junk. However, there really aren't a lot of roads on the island and you'll find yourself repeating your rides. It will still be a lot more fun than Winterpeg though.

OJ
Posts: 877
Joined: Wed Aug 02, 2006 5:25 pm
Location: Winterpeg

by OJ

I will "have" to ride via Paia at least once as that is the "official" route. I'm going to ride down Pulehu Road so that's about 10k shorter and cuts some of the flat road off. My goal might be little too ambitious, but while trying to be conservative, I think I should be able to do the climb in under 4 hours, maybe 3:45 without killing myself.

And riding same roads...I'll survive :D
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boots2000
Posts: 1393
Joined: Mon Oct 15, 2007 9:28 pm

by boots2000

OJ- a lot of those road are cane roads, other are private roads.
I spied some roads that I wanted to try- when I rode over there it was the property of a cement company.
Use Pulehu as a climb. It is like 2400 feet. Gradual for 1st 1000- then gets pretty solid.
Puts you out on old Haleakala highway where you have options.A bunch of little things, ride over to Waipoli road, even do part of 378.
Can get over to Baldwin road and that side too.

OJ wrote:boots2000 Please do tell what climbs are better? I do want to ride up Haleakala at least once because...well it's the longest paved climb I know. I have drafted quite a few routes on Strava, but obviously I don't know the roads and rely on Google maps. Do you have any strava rides or toutes to share? I'm guessing Riding Kihei-Haleakala-Kihei will be a solid 7 hours from door to door so I'm trying to come up with 70-100 km rides with shorter sustained climbs.

Does anybody know how the recent storms have treated the east side roads and upcountry roads? I gathered a section of a road was washed out somewhere near Kaupo on Haleakala backside, but for the most part the flooding appears to be exaggerated compared to what I'm used to seeing when we get flooding.

EDIT: Google maps shows "farming" or dirt roads such as Upper Kihei Road, through the sugar cane fields. Are this full of farming trucks or could these backroads be used to get to Paia-Haiku?

OJ
Posts: 877
Joined: Wed Aug 02, 2006 5:25 pm
Location: Winterpeg

by OJ

I'm sure I'll be riding those lower roads a lot. And of course West Maui loop.
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boots2000
Posts: 1393
Joined: Mon Oct 15, 2007 9:28 pm

by boots2000

Yeah- hard to go wrong with West Maui loop- I find the traffic is not bad out that way.
All of the cars jam each other up and you just ride away.
Only thing to watch out for is wet corners and also the bridge near the banana bread stand. It is slick with the littlest bit of moisture.
Someone staying at our house crashed there this year. I did not crash, but I had one of those moments where both wheels are moving sideways.

OJ wrote:I'm sure I'll be riding those lower roads a lot. And of course West Maui loop.

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Lelandjt
Posts: 817
Joined: Tue Jan 19, 2016 7:10 am

by Lelandjt

boysa wrote:Road crews. Haha. That's a good one!

On my way to the airport for the NAHBS show last week I actually saw a truck on the highway by Lahaina washing off the shoulder. I just got back, went for a ride and it's pretty clean!

OP, hit me up for West Maui rides. I'm too busy right now to schedule driving over to the other side for rides.

OJ
Posts: 877
Joined: Wed Aug 02, 2006 5:25 pm
Location: Winterpeg

by OJ

Just did the West Maui Loop yesterday and I have to say it was quite excellent even with "getting lost" in Kaanapali resort area as I tried to hug the shoreline. Today is a rest day/surf lesson for the ladies. Plan is to take on the volcano tomorrow. I'll be doing the West Maui Loop again, and will try to message. Very little time online is kinda nice...

time difference is great. Getting up at 4:30 helps with taking advantage of every daylight hour.
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chazmtb
Posts: 231
Joined: Tue Sep 25, 2012 7:08 am

by chazmtb

I'll be staying in Wailea. There is no real straight shot up to Haleakala is there.

by Weenie


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

by boots2000

Highway to the bike path at north side of Kihei, then bike path- the you can get up Haleakala a couple ways,
My favorite is doing the Pulehu Rd climb 1st-

chazmtb wrote:I'll be staying in Wailea. There is no real straight shot up to Haleakala is there.

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