Sunrise Bike Tour - Maui

[CruisnDeb]

Has anyone done the Sunrise Bike Tour with Mountain Riders on Maui? My husband and I are planning on doing this. I know it will be cold on the summit while we are waiting for the sun to rise......what I am looking for is more of your experience on the bike ride portion of it. We are not avid cyclists, but we do know how to ride. What was your experience? Did you enjoy the 26 mile ride to the coast? Did you feel safe? How was the pace?

[Susan-M]

Hi Deb,

 

We haven't done it but have been up Haleakala a few times in the daytime.

 

On our last trip up (morning, around 7 a.m.) we saw the bike tours coming down the volcano. We weren't impressed by what we saw (we are avid bicyclists) ... groups of riders, many improperly dressed for the cold, wet weather and more than a few who looked like they didn't have enough bicycling experience to be doing this ride. The road consists of a lot of switchbacks and it's all downhill until you get to the base of Haleakala, so you really need to control your speed, i.e. lots of braking. (On our first trip to Maui, we met a young man who had casts on both arms from wrists to shoulders as a result of a bad fall on the bike ride down Haleakala a few days prior.)

 

A more enjoyable plan IMO would be to get a rental car for the day and drive up on your own in the morning (i.e. not for sunrise) - you'll get to enjoy the scenery on the way up and down, it will be warmer at the summit, and you can spend some time exploring up there, and do a short (or longer) hike.

 

If you do decide to proceed with the bike ride with Mountain Riders, before booking, please take time to read through the reviews on Tripadvisor ... especially the average, poor and terrible ones.

Edited May 19, 2015 by Susan-M

[chipmaster]

I've been to Maui many a time and remembered 25 years ago in our first trip seeing some of the early bikers and always wanted to do it. More recently convinced the family including my 3 kids, the youngest who was 11 at the time to do it. We had a blast! These days the descent has to start outside the park, very different than when I was there decades ago. I would say it isn't for everyone, down hill biking, like skiing etc. can be high risk. But unlike skiing from the top any not skilled person can sign up and be in for way too much, happens less for skiers I think.

 

Ours tour was from a company with a little more freestyle in that they didn't follow us down. We stopped and did this at our own time, having a long lunch at a nice place and were the last folks in our tour to get back. If you aren't comfortable with a free decent on a busy road with cars, bikes and changing weather patterns then it isn't for you. Having done the drive more than once and bike... its probably our family, but we will choose bike over rental car, YMMV :D

 

We started our descent late in the morning, couldn't imagine it being fun starting a little past sunrise, it will be freezing up there...

 

Judge from the pictures you can see if we crashed or lost control it would not be pretty, no different than going downhill from the top of Whistler for example.... FWIW we do black diamond skiing, snowmobiling, zipling, ATV on vacations so we are more thrill seeking types. The helmets while saving your head will do nothing for serious roadrash or worse! I do admit I have taken my kids to emergency rooms in more than one foreign country too...

 

 

 

 

How much has changed at the top after 25 years, amazing....

 

[mauimary]

We just got back from the summit of Haleakala a little while ago. We have been up there numerous times and it is always so impressively beautiful. We go up for sunset and arrive about an hour ahead of time. We come prepared as it is usually windy and very cold up there. This is not a road for amatures on a bike as it is very windy with switchbacks and hairpin curves with steep cliffs and no guardrails. We make the drive for sunset to avoid the crowds. As you ascend the mountain you can drive through fog, rain until you are above the clouds. The fog rolls in and out of the crater so you do need to stick around as it clears out with the wind. At the summit you are at apx. 10,230 ft of elevation. At sunset the clouds settle below you and you get an incredible afterglow of color. The drive down is well marked with reflectors. Be sure you take something to keep you warm even if it is the beach towel from your room. This afternoon we saw folks who were not prepared at all for the cold and did not last five minutes in the wind. It is an incredible experience and you will enjoy it even more if you are properly prepared and know what to expect.:)

[CruisnDeb]

Thanks everyone. I appreciate the info and advice.

[Susan-M]

You're welcome Deb ... probably not the feedback that you were hoping for, but better to have the info up front than realize what you're in for once you're there.:)

 

I think chipmaster's way of doing it was a good choice (if you're going to do it at all) - because they pretty much eliminated the hazards posed by others in a group who don't have the skills to do the ride.

 

Also, a daytime ride probably means less car traffic and the drivers of those cars aren't going to be as sleep impaired as the ones who got up at 2 a.m. to drive up themselves.

 

Have a great trip.:)

[southerngirl528]

I'm with everyone else. I've been to the top of Haleakala a couple of times, and part way up a number of times. This is a mountain road full of switchbacks and tourists (like me!) gawking at the scenery while driving, and little to no shoulders in most of the stretch. When there is shoulder it's often soft and/or gravelly. IMHO not optimal conditions for biking. That road is built for cars, and barely that. It's tight in a lot of spaces and turns for 2 cars meeting!

[cb at sea]

It's all downhill...no pedaling needed....coast! But...know how to use the brake!

 

And, it's not "cold"...it's freaking FREEZING! There are better things to do with you time! Your crotch will be sore as hell, unless you bike regularly at home!

Edited May 22, 2015 by cb at sea

[chipmaster]

It's all downhill...no pedaling needed....coast! But...know how to use the brake!

 

And, it's not "cold"...it's freaking FREEZING! There are better things to do with you time! Your crotch will be sore as hell, unless you bike regularly at home!

 

Clearly YMMV.. we neither were "cold" nor "froze" nor had sore butt... but agree this isn't for everyone. Unlike skiing almost everyone knows how to bike and downhill sure sound easy. But this is like taking a beginner skier up to the top and saying its fun... :p

[CruisinCrow]

We did this the last time we were in Maui 16 years ago. My sister had done it before and said it was fun. It wasn't! At least not for me. I got part way down and had to pull over because I was so scared that I was crying. I had to ride down the rest of the way in the tour van. The driver told me not to worry because there's almost always someone in the group that gets scared and has to ride in the van but it was still pretty embarrassing. So, as others have mentioned, this tour is not for everyone!

 

I can't remember the name of the tour company we used but they provided coats and groves for the first part of the ride.

[CruiseLover726]

Has anyone done the Sunrise Bike Tour with Mountain Riders on Maui? My husband and I are planning on doing this. I know it will be cold on the summit while we are waiting for the sun to rise......what I am looking for is more of your experience on the bike ride portion of it. We are not avid cyclists, but we do know how to ride. What was your experience? Did you enjoy the 26 mile ride to the coast? Did you feel safe? How was the pace?

 

I just returned from the POA and we did the sunrise bicycle tour in Maui through NCL excursions and it was provided by Maui Downhill. You were fitted with helmets, jackets, and pants before heading up. After the sunrise they bring you to a lookout point while the traffic from the sunrise clears. Then they bring you down the mountain to your starting point which gives you 16 miles of downhill riding while stops in between including a stop where you can purchase breakfast. The road was very well maintained; very little traffic.

 

There was 11 of us in our party ranging in age from 32 to 71 and we all enjoyed the downhill ride (no pedaling!) and the guides made sure everyone was safe as we were riding down. If you are not comfortable, or the guide does not think you would do well riding downhill, you can ride down in the van. There were 2 people that did this, one was suffering from altitude sickness, the other just wasn't comfortable on the bike. The bikes are designed specifically for the downhill ride. Big cushy seats, wider tires for an easier ride, and well working hand breaks! We all were tired (we started questioning why we didn't JUST do the sunrise...) but in the end we all had a great time, took some great photos, and were glad that we did it!

 

The star of the show is the sunrise... as you are riding downhill you can't really enjoy the views of the mountain as you are concentrating on the road, but you can enjoy the views at the stopping points.

 

Here is a tip - you can grab a continental style breakfast in the Cadillac Diner before heading off the ship; even the staff that we were asking at dinner about where we could get a banana in the morning didn't know this, we found out as we passed someone in the hallway with coffee and yogurt and they told us about it. Enjoy!

[CruisnDeb]

I just returned from the POA and we did the sunrise bicycle tour in Maui through NCL excursions and it was provided by Maui Downhill. You were fitted with helmets, jackets, and pants before heading up. After the sunrise they bring you to a lookout point while the traffic from the sunrise clears. Then they bring you down the mountain to your starting point which gives you 16 miles of downhill riding while stops in between including a stop where you can purchase breakfast. The road was very well maintained; very little traffic.

 

There was 11 of us in our party ranging in age from 32 to 71 and we all enjoyed the downhill ride (no pedaling!) and the guides made sure everyone was safe as we were riding down. If you are not comfortable, or the guide does not think you would do well riding downhill, you can ride down in the van. There were 2 people that did this, one was suffering from altitude sickness, the other just wasn't comfortable on the bike. The bikes are designed specifically for the downhill ride. Big cushy seats, wider tires for an easier ride, and well working hand breaks! We all were tired (we started questioning why we didn't JUST do the sunrise...) but in the end we all had a great time, took some great photos, and were glad that we did it!

 

The star of the show is the sunrise... as you are riding downhill you can't really enjoy the views of the mountain as you are concentrating on the road, but you can enjoy the views at the stopping points.

 

Here is a tip - you can grab a continental style breakfast in the Cadillac Diner before heading off the ship; even the staff that we were asking at dinner about where we could get a banana in the morning didn't know this, we found out as we passed someone in the hallway with coffee and yogurt and they told us about it. Enjoy!

 

Thank you! This makes me feel much better about doing this.

[ls1swap]

We used the Haleakala Bike Company super nice people. we did the first day which mean no sunrise but you can go back up for the sunset. We did it by renting two cars. this would sound more expensive until you do the math, each car cost about $35 rental the bikes are $39 each and car bike rack free with bike rental. that comes out to about $200 for the four of us. it is almost that much for one person through the cruise. if you had one person that didn't want to go on the bike it would even work better needing only one car. the second plus is doing it yourself you get to start from the summit and not outside the park like the tour companies.the one negative we ran into was the POA doesn't get to port until 9am on Sunday and the shop closes at four pm I wore the bike rack as a back pack down the volcano so I wouldn't be rushed to make a trip back up and then down to return the rack. they said I could return the bike rack the next day without a problem so they were very easy to work with. I have to disagree with the danger part' my 10yr old did it without a problem and if you go to their web site so did and 85yr old woman.

[Silver Sweethearts]

I have to disagree with the danger part' my 10yr old did it without a problem and if you go to their web site so did and 85yr old woman.

 

Do not discount the risk involved. It is an unfortunate fact that many tourists overestimate their skills and underestimate the risks and possible consequences while on vacation - especially on an island such as Maui where so many physical activities are offered. Don't let your common sense take a vacation too.

[Freehike]

I know I almost ran over about 100 of these people on my way down the volcano.

 

I drive safely but some of these people were all over the freaking road.