Weight Limit on Haleakala Bike Tours

[catspoilers]

We notice that the vendor that NCL uses for their Haleakala Bike Tours has a 250 pound weight limit. Does anyone have any experience with tour companies that accommodate the somewhat more endowed?

[melika091900]

We notice that the vendor that NCL uses for their Haleakala Bike Tours has a 250 pound weight limit. Does anyone have any experience with tour companies that accommodate the somewhat more endowed?

 

 

i wonder why the weight limit ? as long as you can ride a bike ??? gosh,, thats a lil harsh ...

 

 

im sure they wouldnt weigh you or anything before hand, not like the helicopter tours..

[CC Help Michell]

We notice that the vendor that NCL uses for their Haleakala Bike Tours has a 250 pound weight limit. Does anyone have any experience with tour companies that accommodate the somewhat more endowed?

 

Try Mountain Riders. We booked them through www.adventuremaui.com; they had higher limits and were much less expensive than the ship's tour.

[FB]

I just did this tour and am pushing 250. Nobody weighed me or even questioned my weight. I would bet it has something to do with the brakes. It really is a fun trip. Enjoy.

[catspoilers]

Thank you for your replies.

 

I did a little research, and this is what I learned...

 

Maui Downhill

http://www.mauidownhill.com/

1-800-535-BIKE

250 lbs

 

Bike It Maui

http://www.bikeitmaui.com/

1-866-776-2453

260 lbs

 

Adventure Maui

http://adventuremaui.com/biking_the_volcano.htm

1-877-678-7333

280 lbs

 

Cruiser Phils

http://www.cruiserphil.com/

1-877-764-2453

280 lbs

 

Mountain Riders

http://www.mountainriders.com/

1-800-706-7700

280 lbs

 

Aloha Bike Tours

http://www.mauibike.com/

1-800-749-1564

290-300 lbs max

 

Maui Sunriders

http://www.mauibikeride.com/

1-866-500-2453

Around 350 lbs

 

Haleakala Bike Company

http://www.bikemaui.com/

1-888-922-2453

Around 350 lbs

 

When I asked NCL about the weight restriction, the representative said that it was a vendor imposed limit that might be related to insurance requirements.

 

One of the bike companies indicated that their equipment is only rated to a certain weight.

[judyf]

WOW great reseach!!! :D Wish I could find that for horseback riding. LOL :rolleyes: ;) I'm having the same issues. :(

 

 

Thank you for your replies.

 

I did a little research, and this is what I learned...

 

Maui Downhill

http://www.mauidownhill.com/

1-800-535-BIKE

250 lbs

 

Bike It Maui

http://www.bikeitmaui.com/

1-866-776-2453

260 lbs

 

Adventure Maui

http://adventuremaui.com/biking_the_volcano.htm

1-877-678-7333

280 lbs

 

Cruiser Phils

http://www.cruiserphil.com/

1-877-764-2453

280 lbs

 

Mountain Riders

http://www.mountainriders.com/

1-800-706-7700

280 lbs

 

Aloha Bike Tours

http://www.mauibike.com/

1-800-749-1564

290-300 lbs max

 

Maui Sunriders

http://www.mauibikeride.com/

1-866-500-2453

Around 350 lbs

 

Haleakala Bike Company

http://www.bikemaui.com/

1-888-922-2453

Around 350 lbs

 

When I asked NCL about the weight restriction, the representative said that it was a vendor imposed limit that might be related to insurance requirements.

 

One of the bike companies indicated that their equipment is only rated to a certain weight.

[CC Help Michell]

I think think of several possible reasons for weight limits, and such variation among them -- the type of equipment the company chooses to use (how heavy duty it is); insurance premiums which may vary depending on the type of equipment and passenger restrictions; and gravity. :) This ride is all downhill -- without nearly constant brake action, you'd be going very fast, very quickly.... at least for a short distance! ;)

[smoochie]

Can anyone give me a detailed description of the down hill bike ride down the mountain? I just want to make sure it is something I can handle.

Also what was the recent temperature at the top for the sunrise for anyone who has recently done this. Thanks for any information!!

[CC Help Michell]

Can anyone give me a detailed description of the down hill bike ride down the mountain? I just want to make sure it is something I can handle.

Also what was the recent temperature at the top for the sunrise for anyone who has recently done this. Thanks for any information!!

 

In July, our temp at sunrise was 50 degrees, which still felt pretty chilly but with our sweats and jackets we were comfy enough. That said, the ranger noted that we were "lucky" that day because the wind was way down, and that often even in mid-summer the temp at the summit is 40ish. I've read winter reports of freezing or below.

 

Okay, description of the bike ride down. At the summit, your tour guides should fit you for bikes and helmets and ask you to ride around the (relatively flat) parking lot area. They are assessing your ability on a bike and how secure/insecure you might be. They assign you to an order for going down the mountain -- you travel single file, behind a guide, like a mama duck and ducklings. They will (likely) assign places in line to each rider, with the most insecure and lightest weight riders first behind the guide, and the heavier/more secure towards the back.

 

Note that everybody (pretty much) has to brake nearly constantly on this ride -- it's nearly all downhill. Heavier riders (thanks, gravity) have to brake more heavily. But over-braking is also a big no-no. They don't want large gaps among their little band of riders. The lead guide and the chase van driver communicate via radio so the van driver can let the guide know when the bicyclists need to pull over to let traffic pass, and so the van driver can let the guide know if there are people in the "string" who seem to be having trouble. In our case, our lead guide also rode turned around watching his flock a good bit of the time (I was amazed at his agility!), and would holler instructions/encouragement if someone was over-braking, etc.

 

You are expected to stay in your lane -- crossing the yellow center line is a BIG no-no. On our tour, if you crossed the yellow line more than once, you would be put in the van for the rest of the trip. The road is very twisty, turny, and has a lot of switchbacks, hairpins, etc. Crossing the yellow line at the wrong moment could mean running into oncoming traffic.

 

The upper part of the ride (within the National Park) has no guard rails. The lower part does, and as it gets a bit less steep down lower (Kula, etc.) bike lanes begin to appear. The final part of the ride is on regular roads with a slight downhill grade, but no true "bike lanes," so you still have to be on your toes. The ride does have a few "uphill" portions -- the longest was about 200 yards and felt pretty steep, particularly after such a long downhill run, but it was manageable even for me (and for everyone else on our run).

 

The ride isn't one long continuous thing. There are several stops, including "strip stops" to get rid of the windsuits, heavier clothing, gloves, etc. as you move lower and the temperature warms up. If you have severe arthritis in your hands, I would think the amount of braking required would be quite painful -- with my moderate arthritis I found my hands were sore but not as bad as when I've done river excursions requiring rowing. Wear SUNSCREEN! Even with the helmets they make you wear, you will get some exposure.

 

I hope that helps a bit. In my videos and photos linked below you can see additional visual information to help out.

[beachchick]

MichellP: That is by far the most detailed and helpful description of the Haleakala bike tour that I've ever read. Nice job.

 

beachchick

[CC Help Michell]

MichellP: That is by far the most detailed and helpful description of the Haleakala bike tour that I've ever read. Nice job.

 

beachchick

 

High praise indeed, coming from you, Beachchick! :) Mahalo, and I hope others considering the ride find it helpful, too.

[smoochie]

In July, our temp at sunrise was 50 degrees, which still felt pretty chilly but with our sweats and jackets we were comfy enough. That said, the ranger noted that we were "lucky" that day because the wind was way down, and that often even in mid-summer the temp at the summit is 40ish. I've read winter reports of freezing or below.

 

Okay, description of the bike ride down. At the summit, your tour guides should fit you for bikes and helmets and ask you to ride around the (relatively flat) parking lot area. They are assessing your ability on a bike and how secure/insecure you might be. They assign you to an order for going down the mountain -- you travel single file, behind a guide, like a mama duck and ducklings. They will (likely) assign places in line to each rider, with the most insecure and lightest weight riders first behind the guide, and the heavier/more secure towards the back.

 

Note that everybody (pretty much) has to brake nearly constantly on this ride -- it's nearly all downhill. Heavier riders (thanks, gravity) have to brake more heavily. But over-braking is also a big no-no. They don't want large gaps among their little band of riders. The lead guide and the chase van driver communicate via radio so the van driver can let the guide know when the bicyclists need to pull over to let traffic pass, and so the van driver can let the guide know if there are people in the "string" who seem to be having trouble. In our case, our lead guide also rode turned around watching his flock a good bit of the time (I was amazed at his agility!), and would holler instructions/encouragement if someone was over-braking, etc.

 

You are expected to stay in your lane -- crossing the yellow center line is a BIG no-no. On our tour, if you crossed the yellow line more than once, you would be put in the van for the rest of the trip. The road is very twisty, turny, and has a lot of switchbacks, hairpins, etc. Crossing the yellow line at the wrong moment could mean running into oncoming traffic.

 

The upper part of the ride (within the National Park) has no guard rails. The lower part does, and as it gets a bit less steep down lower (Kula, etc.) bike lanes begin to appear. The final part of the ride is on regular roads with a slight downhill grade, but no true "bike lanes," so you still have to be on your toes. The ride does have a few "uphill" portions -- the longest was about 200 yards and felt pretty steep, particularly after such a long downhill run, but it was manageable even for me (and for everyone else on our run).

 

The ride isn't one long continuous thing. There are several stops, including "strip stops" to get rid of the windsuits, heavier clothing, gloves, etc. as you move lower and the temperature warms up. If you have severe arthritis in your hands, I would think the amount of braking required would be quite painful -- with my moderate arthritis I found my hands were sore but not as bad as when I've done river excursions requiring rowing. Wear SUNSCREEN! Even with the helmets they make you wear, you will get some exposure.

 

I hope that helps a bit. In my videos and photos linked below you can see additional visual information to help out.

 

Thanks so much for the great info and details. I think I should be able to do this! I had knee surgery back in Feb and I wasn't sure if my knee would be able to hold up..I am the semi-adventurous and like to do other things besides just sight seeing on a bus all day... Do you know any in depth details about the captain zodiac tour or the regular zip line tour in Kauai? I have also booked these but am now second guessing myself!!

Thanks again for all the info!! i can't wait for my trip!!

[CC Help Michell]

Thanks so much for the great info and details. I think I should be able to do this! I had knee surgery back in Feb and I wasn't sure if my knee would be able to hold up..I am the semi-adventurous and like to do other things besides just sight seeing on a bus all day... Do you know any in depth details about the captain zodiac tour or the regular zip line tour in Kauai? I have also booked these but am now second guessing myself!!

Thanks again for all the info!! i can't wait for my trip!!

 

I think if your issue is knee-related, the bike ride should be fine -- very little pedalling at all is required, and then only on the few "uphill" stretches -- it's mostly balancing, braking, and leaning into the turns.

 

I can't address the zip-lining, but for both that and Captain Zodiac other travelers have posted a lot of good information here. You could search for it (do two searches, and limit your search to the Hawaii board, the last six months, and use "Captain Zodiac" and "kauai zipline" as search terms). We researched Kona snorkeling options extensively (I dithered more about that port than any other on our trip) and chose a catamaran trip instead of Captain Zodiac for several reasons -- one of them was the "bounciness" of the zodiac ride and the fact that it's not recommended for those with back problems. I'm not sure how much stress would be involved for a knee, however -- I know you are told to hook one foot under the rope in the bottom of the raft for extra stability, and that leg would obviously take some pressure -- but I imagine you could use the non-surgery leg for that. It sounds like you are planning a wonderful vacation! I hope this helps some on the non-bike activities. :)

[cruznut1111]

MichellP - Thanks for the great detail on the ride. We've been wondering if it was something the "Kid" (51) could do. The pre-ride, the many stops, the van make it sound much safer than we were afraid it might be.

[smoochie]

I think if your issue is knee-related, the bike ride should be fine -- very little pedalling at all is required, and then only on the few "uphill" stretches -- it's mostly balancing, braking, and leaning into the turns.

 

I can't address the zip-lining, but for both that and Captain Zodiac other travelers have posted a lot of good information here. You could search for it (do two searches, and limit your search to the Hawaii board, the last six months, and use "Captain Zodiac" and "kauai zipline" as search terms). We researched Kona snorkeling options extensively (I dithered more about that port than any other on our trip) and chose a catamaran trip instead of Captain Zodiac for several reasons -- one of them was the "bounciness" of the zodiac ride and the fact that it's not recommended for those with back problems. I'm not sure how much stress would be involved for a knee, however -- I know you are told to hook one foot under the rope in the bottom of the raft for extra stability, and that leg would obviously take some pressure -- but I imagine you could use the non-surgery leg for that. It sounds like you are planning a wonderful vacation! I hope this helps some on the non-bike activities. :)

 

Thanks so much for all the great information, again!! It really is tough deciding what to do since there is so much to see and of course we want to see and do it all!! I will let you know how it goes when I come back!

[tinsel57]

But which bike company?? There is no shortage of tours and companies but I am puzzled - is any difference and which way to go!!??

 

I am just a middle aged woman with a sedentary job that wishes she was much thinner with an iffy knee. I did just hear about a 76 year old gentleman that did this. He was not overweight but hey, I've got 26 years on him! So that was encouraging to me.

 

I was kind of leaning towards Bike it Maui, but really for no real good reason.

 

I'd love to hear your opinons on the different bike companies and if anyone has any tips. thank you.

[CC Help Michell]

But which bike company?? There is no shortage of tours and companies but I am puzzled - is any difference and which way to go!!??

 

I am just a middle aged woman with a sedentary job that wishes she was much thinner with an iffy knee. I did just hear about a 76 year old gentleman that did this. He was not overweight but hey, I've got 26 years on him! So that was encouraging to me.

 

I was kind of leaning towards Bike it Maui, but really for no real good reason.

 

I'd love to hear your opinons on the different bike companies and if anyone has any tips. thank you.

 

Okay, two days with no replies to your question, so I'll give it a shot. I think the vast majority of Hawaii visitors (including me) can only speak to what we thought of the particular company we used. We loved ours, for a lot of reasons.

 

The owner of www.adventuremaui.com has done an essay about biking Haleakala (no fee or sign up to see it -- just click here) -- http://adventuremaui.com/biking_the_volcano.htm.

 

Based on personal experience, he is dead on, and notice the part about how he's done several of these tours and for the biking part "they are more alike than different."

 

We were particularly pleased with our trip on Mountain Riders (which we booked through the above site) for several reasons: 1) the price was great -- 1/3 less per person than the ship's excursion; 2) it included our hot breakfast -- on our tour there was one other couple who had used adventuremaui, and everyone else had booked direct -- they paid more initially and paid separately for the breakfast -- we and the other "voucher couple" just handed the waitress at breakfast our voucher (which included tips); 3) the obvious commitment and concern for safety which was the number one factor throughout our tour (I should have made this number one, as I'm the "middle-aged, sedentary, arthritic" one in our couple -- and I felt TOTALLY safe with their coaching and conditions; and 4) our guides -- Pops and Andres. Pops was the lead biker and he's been doing these trips for a long time -- I had utmost confidence in him, which made this trip what I hoped it would be -- an unforgettable experience.

 

I hope that helps some. The company you are considering may be equally wonderful, or even more so -- but I haven't done them so couldn't say, and I didn't want your question to go without some type of reply.

[rho88]

The ride isn't one long continuous thing. There are several stops, including "strip stops" to get rid of the windsuits, heavier clothing, gloves, etc. as you move lower and the temperature warms up. If you have severe arthritis in your hands, I would think the amount of braking required would be quite painful -- with my moderate arthritis I found my hands were sore but not as bad as when I've done river excursions requiring rowing. Wear SUNSCREEN! Even with the helmets they make you wear, you will get some exposure.

 

I hope that helps a bit. In my videos and photos linked below you can see additional visual information to help out.

 

wow, thanks for the info. I was about to signup for a bike tour for my upcoming Novembre trip. But I do have severe arthritis (I have ankylosing Spondylitis and I'm on Enbrel, a vaccine that cost around $15,000/year). Most of the time the arthritis pain is under control, but I might have to reconsider. I'm only 31 and I'm fit, but the arthirits pain does hurt me from time to time even with medication. I definitely don't want to be in pain while on vacation! Thanks!

[tinsel57]

So what about a private tour and tendering at 3am?? I guess I have to call RCCL to find out for sure, but I thought someone here might have had that experience.

 

Thank you.