brbbiking

I'm going on vacation to Oahu, and I was thinking of maybe renting a bike while I was there. I see the following, which would run me about $200 for the week (Specialized Allez): https://www.bikeshophawaii.com/rentals.html . That seems kinda pricey, but I'd probably do it if there's no other options.

Anyone have any recommendations for any other place? And while I'm at it, any good routes to check out?

Thanks

Blackdays

$200 for a week sounds really expensive.

Crimsonghost

Different island but the op might be able to give you some advise...

https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...bing-Haleakala

DRietz

$200 doesn't sound expensive at all for seven days considering that most places rent bikes for $50 a day...

Homebrew01

We were in Oahu last year, and I brought my helmet, shoes & clothes and was going to rent a bike. Then I saw how busy the roads are, and how few roads are bike friendly, and decided to stick to the other stuff (beach, sightseeing, great snorkling , surf lessons for the kids, eating .....)

I think other islands might be better for cycling. I was only there for a week, so I'm no expert, but after driving a bunch of the island and taking in the great scenery, I don't regret not renting.

cooleric1234

Second that. When I went I had this idea that I would rent a bike and go for a ride. Then I was scared just driving places (mostly trying to park), I decided cycling would be crazy. There might be a few good roads, but don't expect to just go for a ride without knowing where you're going.

brbbiking

Hmm, this is good info, thanks. I was imagining myself riding off on some nice open roads in 80 deg weather. Probaby this isn't the best island for biking

rbautch

Plenty of decent places to bike on Oahu. Just need to drive out of Waikiki, and get to the north side of the island, which is rural. Maybe try parts of this ride. I also suggest riding early in the morning.

SwingBlade

+1 We go to one of the islands at least twice each year. Went to Maui once and Oahu twice in 2010 and stayed a week to 10 days each time. You don't see many real road cyclists for a reason. Most of the roads are too narrow. Many of the roads, even around the North Shore, are packed with tourists from all over the world many of whom have limited driving skills, limited judgment, and zero familiarity with the roads.

There are so many great fantastic things to do in Hawaii ... including scuba, snorkeling, walking, swimming, golf, and drinking at Duke's and all the other great bars/restaurants.

Biking is probably relatively safe on some of the central island roads well away from the beaches and tourist spots but that's not what Hawaii is all about. After you guys hit the Arizona, the Missouri, Punchbowl, the North Shore beaches, the Waikiki beaches, do some snorkeling or scuba and climb Diamond Head, and enjoy the sunsets from Dukes and some of the big hotel ocean front bars and restaurants there really isn't going to be much of your week left over for cycling in the middle of nowhere miles from all those great beaches and scenic vistas.

Enjoy, chill and just relax ... and yes, just relaxing is one of the greatest things about Hawaii that many tourists never find the time to experience.

monk

Please, please, please . . . it's "cycling on Oahu." If you're "biking" on Oahu, you're wearing leather with a fat chick in a thong riding on the back of your Harley . . .

kh6idf

You might be interested in this site: https://www.hawaiibicyclingleague.org/

brbbiking

Yeah, if I have enough to do I should be fine. I kinda wish I would have planned some island hopping of some sort, but oh well. I was thinking with a week there, I might get a little bored. I only like so much time sitting on the beach. But you've described a lot of stuff, so I'll have to look into it, thanks!

brbbiking

I'll check it out, thanks!

brbbiking

thanks!

brbbiking

Haha. For some reason, I've always used 'biking'. Pretty sure most people on this site wouldn't be misinterpreting that verb :-D

Nachoman

My mother in law lives in Kailua, on the island of Oahu, so I end up cycling there about once a year. The round trip ride from Kailua to Wiamea Bay is beautiful and relatively bicycle friendly, if you're at all used to cycling in traffic. It's about 100 miles but if that's too much for you, they have a convenient bus system that you can use to bail out anytime.

Here are a few photos from a trip I took last year.
https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...Boy&highlight=

f4rrest

I disagree. Cycling is the best way to experience some of the above-mentioned areas.

I rented a bike for a week from "The Bike Shop" (on King street, highly recommended) while visiting this summer and found a great, CAR-FREE scenic climb only 2 miles from Waikiki. It's called Tantalus, and it's fantastic. I must have seen maybe 4 cars in 10 miles.

It's probably the best $200 I've ever spent on cycling, ever.

Besides that, everyone in cars there seems to be very tolerant of cyclists, even on main roads. Heck, towards the south end of the island, even the highway has a bike lane.

I also rode around the south end of the island from Waikiki to Waimalano Bay, which was beautiful, but it did have a narrow winding, very busy section. Still, not too bad if you've ridden in traffic before.

<-- Actually, my current avatar pic is from one of the Oahu rides.

Let me know if you'd like some GPS routes.

Hulley

My wife and I got married in Maui (barefoot on the beach!). And while the roads are great for cars/motorcycles they kinda sucked for cyclist. Beautiful Island though, best 12 days of my life!

Sprocket Man

Oahu isn't too bad a place to ride a road bike - you just have to know where to ride. The main roads through metro-Honolulu (S. Beretania, S. King St., Kapiolani Blvd. and Ala Moana Blvd.) are all pretty bad for riding, though S. King St. is the best choice because it's 6 lanes wide in most areas. Anywhere in Waikiki is generally horrible, and I stay away from that cesspool whether I'm on my bike or in my car. Kalanianaole (which heads east from Waikiki) is pretty good because of the wide bike lane, but there are still quite a few cars. And because Kalanianaole is a highway, it's not unusual for cars to be traveling at 45mph+ as they pass a couple feet from you - it can be a bit disconcerting.

The real key to riding in Honolulu is that you get the best rides if you like climbing. Honolulu has the Ko'olau Mountains as a Northern border and there are a number of roads that zig-zag from sea level up the mountain range. f4rrest mentioned Tantalus - it's my favorite ride. It's a 10 mile journey through a rain forest on some very winding roads. Very scenic. If you get a chance to rent a bike here, you really should make time to do this ride. Along the Ko'olaus, there are some other climbs I like to do. Some of the valley climbs I like are Kuliouou, Niu Valley and Manoa Valley. Some of the ridge climbs I enjoy are Waialae Iki, Sierra Drive, St. Louis Heights and Tantalus. Waialae Iki is fun because the roads are wide, the turns are banked, and it's super steep. It's the only descent where I've gone faster than 50mph.

Other than The Bike Shop, I'd call Boca Hawaii to check out their inventory of rentals.

Have fun and enjoy your vacation here!

Dirtbagfitness

I second Sprocket Man. There are plenty of nice rides here. Tantalus is amazing (I've done it on the motorcycle not the bike, its a Yamaha, not Harley so I don't need the fat chick) and would completely be worth it if you like climbing. Pineapple Hill, which is really Kam HWY from Dole Pineapple Factory down to Haleiwa and back up, is a great ride and is right in my backyard. Going up and around Diamondhead is pretty and worth getting to the top for the view.
Keep in mind Hawaii is not known for its drivers. So keep your head on a swivel and you'll be fine. So much great stuff to do here and if cycling is your thing its hard to beat the weather and the view.

brbbiking

Hmm, okay I'm getting mixed reviews, but I think I'm going to give it a shot. Even if I encounter some traffic, I think it should still be pretty sweet with the weather and views. I may just rent for a couple days, doing some longer rides for $80 rather than the full week for $200. I'll see when I get there, but I'll plan on bringing my shoes, bibs, and jersey.

Thanks all for the tips! If any of you have some GPS routes, can you post them, or PM me? I'll have a car rental as well (funny, it is cheaper than the bike will be), so I could potentially stick the bike in the back and drive somewhere.

kh6idf

Nachoman, my dad lives in Kailua, not too far from the beach park.

brbbiking

Just an update -- I went ahead and rented a bike a couple of days. Rented a Specialized Allez for 2 days for $80. It was worth it for me, and I had a great time riding there -- just for the weather alone (though, note that I'm from Seattle where it's currently raining non-stop).

Here's the best resource I found for biking routes there: https://hawaii.gov/dot/highways/Bike/oahu/index.htm . I biked from Waikiki to Haunama Bay a few times. Getting out of the main Waikiki area was a little sketchy (along Kalakua), as there isn't much of a shoulder, but once you clear that you've got pretty large shoulders. One of the bike store guys also recommended Tantalus point, but after driving up it, I'm a bit surprised because that seems pretty sketchy. It's very narrow lanes and really curvy so I'm not sure cars will always see you when rounding a corner.

I was also surprised I didn't see more road cyclists out. I pretty much only saw the standard tourist beach cruisers, except for a few road cyclists. Maybe I was still too close to Waikiki with all of the tourists. Anyway, thought I'd give a follow-up in case it helps anyone in the future.

Homebrew01

Good to hear you had fun. There's good snorkeling at Haunama Bay.

cooleric1234

I think that was my favorite part of Oahu.