Maui Downhill Bike

[Canuk 48]

Wife and I are booked on POA Feb. 11, 2006 and the wife was wondering :confused: if anyone has done the Maui downhill bike tour and how was it. Was the ride down the volcanoe done at a high speed or do they go slow. Any comments would be apreciated.:)

[Jubalie29]

Wife and I are booked on POA Feb. 11, 2006 and the wife was wondering :confused: if anyone has done the Maui downhill bike tour and how was it. Was the ride down the volcanoe done at a high speed or do they go slow. Any comments would be apreciated.:)

 

Those wanting to bike down the volcano should be at least 12 years old and five feet tall. They must be competent riders who are able to negotiate 29 switchbacks as they coast 38 miles downhill at speeds of up to 20 miles per hour -- though you don't necessarily have to be in the greatest shape, as the ride is all downhill! No pregnant women, please.

[karfest]

After a lot of research-we went with Bike It Maui. They charged $119 pp which included transportation, bikes, gear, continental breakfast, and full breakfast at the end. We did the sunrise ride which meant getting picked up at the pier at 4am. There was 13 in our gorup from various hotels including 3 others from the ship. We arrived at the top of the crater at approx. 5:30. It was about 35 degrees so wear your fleece. They will provide a coat, windpants, helmets,and gloves if needed.

 

We waited for a beautiful sunrise that never really happened. I guess it is beautiful 90 percent of the time- but we were in that unlucky 10 percent! There was also snow at the peak which hasn't happened since 1983. The locals were thrilled and were having fun with it.

 

There were 16 different companies doing bike tours that day and we were number 15 so we waited about 1 1/2 hours before leaving on the bikes. We were served coffee, hot chocolate and muffins.

 

They placed us in order of women first, by size, and then men. We had a guide in the front and a van trailing us. They were very safety conscious and if at anytime you wnated to get in the van it was no problem. We did average 20 mph which seems a lot faster on a bike than in a car! When we hit the first curve I thought I would fly right off and over the edge!! This is not for the faint of heart, but what a rush! As we got going, I learned to lean into the curve and lay off the brakes but every curve was still exciting. We made a few stops for pictures and a bathroom break about halfway.

 

At the end we went to a restaurant for breakfast- this was about 11am. We were back to the ship by about noon. I was so beat I had to take a 2 hour nap.

 

This was a fabulous experience that I would do again--you don't need to be in great shape, but you need to be able to manever a bike at a fairly rapid speed. If you want to know more, please ask:)

[wwbill4]

My wife is short and sometimes has problems with the seat or petals. How were the bikes?

We are there in April.

Bill

[karfest]

The shortest person in our group was a hair over 5' tall. They adjusted the seat for her and it was no problem. The tallest in our group was over 6'5''. We had some plus sized people (not obese, but bigger) who did just fine. A few were concerned that their size would hinder them, but everyone made it.

The bikes were all in great shape, they safety checked the brakes and tires before we got on. You had time to pedal around the parking lot to get a feel for it before leaving. There is very little pedaling on this tour, maybe 50 yards or so, otherwise it is all downhill- make sure the brakes work!

One guy had a tire problem so they stopped and changed it (it took all of 1 minute) another wanted his brakes adjusted and they were able to do that. The van carried all the supplies they needed. The leader and van both have walkie talkies so they can communicate any problems.

[Canuk 48]

Thank you for the information Karfest the review of the tour was fantastic. My Wife is still nervous of the 20 miles a hour you posted. We bike around the city but take it a slow pace. Do you slow down for the turns and are you at the mercy of the person in front of you. Did anyone in your group go slow around the switchbacks and if so was this a problem for other riders.Thanks again Karen for your information.

[karfest]

The leader kept the pace and we all had to keep up but I slowed during the first several curves until I got more comfortable with the bike. We were supposed to keep an equal distance between riders but that varied depending on how brave we were. Toward the end they let the speeders go as fast as they want and the rest of us could hang back.

 

If she gets to that first curve and decides it is too scary, she can pull over and have the van pick her up. We had one in our group who was really nervous but she made it without going in the van.

 

They have never had an injury but other groups have had broken collarbones, cuts, etc from taking a tumble. I think your best chance of falling would be from panicking and hitting the brakes. Just relax and go with it- this is a fun ride but not for the faint-hearted:D

[Newenglandcruisers]

WOW thanks for the info. I am a cycler and ride over 100 miles on a good day. I do 20 mile rides on my lunch brake from time to time. My question is they say you must be under 250 LB's I am around 250 but will be a week into a cruise that could tip the scale lol. Do you think this is a problem and do they put you on a scale? I ride a litespeed ($4k) road bike. what kind of bikes do they use? Are they road hybrid or dirt bikes? One again thank you for the info this sounds like just the excursion I was looking for.

[Kaylas Mom]

As much as I hate the doom and gloomers who frequent this site -- I promise I am not one of them! But, I feel like I have to tell you a story that happened to a fellow cruiser last time we went. He and his family did the downhill bike thing and he got hit by a teenager who was riding behind him who lost control. The kid was fine, but our cruise friend ended up with cracked ribs, a chipped tooth, and serious bruises and cuts all over. The people who ran the excursion treated him great -- ambulance came and whisked him off to the hospital in Kahalui.

 

It really put a damper on his cruise. It's a trip I have always wanted to do and still might, but this story made me think twice.

[karfest]

Here we are at one of our breaks- you can see a little bit of the bike, I don't know much about bikes so you may want to check out the website bikeitmaui.com for more info. They did not weigh us but you can see we had an assortment of sizes in this group. If you do a google search, you will find that there are alot of companies who do this tour. I researched them all and liked this one the best, you may want to look at the others to see which one fits your needs.

 

They did warn us that injuries occur, mostly broken collar bones, cuts and scrapes, but there has also been some serious accidents. This particular agency hasn't had any, but it could happen. We had one extremely frightened person in our group, but they worked with her in the parking lot and gave her every opportunity to stay in the van- they don't want accidents, either. In the end, she was one of the "speeders"!

 

I would absolutely do this ride again, but it isn't for the faint of heart:eek:

[Newenglandcruisers]

WOW we did it last week and had a blast!!! there was very little danger. I would say the ride up was a little hairy at times but the bike ride down was a bast! there where kids "7-10 yo" doing it but our tour group would not let young kids go. I would and will do it again if I am in Hawaii.

[cruiselover75]

Thanks fro the info. We are considering doing it in Kauai but I'm nervous about the speed and curves, etc...

[Spikesgirl]

Wanted to add my two cents for what it's worth. I am short (5'3") and on the hefty side. I hadn't ridden a bicycle in about 20 years when we did Maui Downhillers. The guide matched us up with our bikes (they were equipped with heavy duty brakes in the front) and let us ride around in the lot to become familiar with them. Not being very atheletic, I was concerned, but had absolutely no problems negotiating the ride down...except when we hit rain and my glasses fogged up inside my helmet. It was a wonderful trip and I would do it again in a heart beat. Please bear in mind that when we did the trip, they were the only company offering the ride down Haleakala, so things may have changed. However, I fel safe in saying that if I could do it, anyone can. It was an incredible ride and a great way to see the island.

 

Charlie