oujeep1

Going to be in Maui in March, wondering if anyone else will. Will be staying in Wailea, among the rides I plan to do is the West Maui loop, clockwise. Did this about 2 years ago, great ride, but wouldn't mind having someone to ride with.

oujeep1

Oops I guess I should be more specific than just march, huh. Arriving 3/15 leaving 3/22

gc3

Send me $1200 for my ticket and I'll meet you there...

rangerdavid

going to the Big Island in February, but not taking my bike. Maybe I can rent one while there.

StanSeven

Some good rental places there. It's best to reserve on online in advance so the size and bike you want is available

zacster

Boss Frog's on S. Kihei road is probably closest to you for rental. I rented a Fuji Altamira from them just last week.

And for rides, Mt. Haleakala is THE ride to do. Not downhill, that's easy, but uphill. I tried and failed. See my post here on the forum.

I'd heard that the west Maui loop is actually difficult, with very narrow roads and some dangerous cliffs. I guess clockwise doesn't put you against the cliffs though.

Have fun. I sure did.

Bean Counter

I second doing the Haleakala. I rode up that 3 years ago. It was an awesome experience.

oujeep1

I have done both haleakala and west maui. Other than the terrain, a significant difference is haleakala requires a long drive(relatively speaking) from my condo in wailea before i start, whereas to do the loop i start riding from the condo.The road is narrow, but no traffic, and yes going clockwise keeps you away from the cliff side. Zac I am renting from boss frog as a matter of fact, used them last time. Ranger david use HP bike works in kona for your rental they are great folks and have nice bikes- they also have a shop in the queens shops at Waikoloa if you are staying up that way- the bike selection is a little more limited. Actually riding in Waikoloa is nice, as is the queen's highway. When you get to where the queen's hwy ends in a t at the north end, turn left and go along the coast towards Hawi-beautiful ride, very very little traffic, ocean view the whole way.

oujeep1

Well dangit allow me to amend my recent post, it seems I'll be doing Haleakala. I went over to the Maui forum on trip advisor.com, big article there about road closure on the west maui loop, a 2 mile section over on the east side is being redone and will be closed allegedly until April(remember Hawaiian time, however). Not passable. Too far to go till the construction and turn around and come back I think. Oh well next trip.

caloso

You could do West Maui as an out and back. It's beautiful, just a couple of things to keep in mind: it can be windy (duh); the road is fairly windy and narrow, and there's a pretty steep section climbing out of a little canyon. But it's really a great ride.

Slackerprince

Some good snorkeling and diving there. Doing any of that?

S

oujeep1

Snorkeling yes, diving no. I tried diving once, got certified, couldn't get past the fear. Not having anyone dive with me(wife won't) I was putting my life in the hands of someone I never met before that day-and they were doing the same with me. Had a scary experience buddy wise in St thomas, gave up diving after about 10 dives.

zacster

Maybe you'll get the same bike I had, a Fuji Altamira Geox team. It had an Ultegra drive train, other worthy parts and was pretty light. Mine was a 51, and came with a 12-27 cassette, whereas the other bikes they had were 12-25. I think 12-25 is a little too high for the terrain. They switched bikes for me when I asked if they had something with a lower gear, and that one had just come back. They were also the cheapest.

Slackerprince

Sorry to hear that. I had a pretty bad experience in Catalina. Worst plankton bloom in 30 years, at the time.
Won't bore you with the details, but I lived, obviously. I have 75 dives in Hawaii, Cozumel, Catalina, Florida Keys and Ft. Lauderdale. Moved to Tampa area with no reefs, so I gave it up.
I ride now.
Absolutely fantastic snorkeling at Black Rock, Maui. I saw better stuff snorkeling there, than I did diving Molokini.
Have fun.
Aloha!

S