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Maui – Haleakala Bike Company

Haleakala Bike Company

So we decided to take a bike tour of the Haleakala Volcano and we decided to do it at sunrise. Biking down a volcano 28 miles in the morning will surely get your heart pumping! In order to be at the crater’s peak at sunrise, you have to get up at 3AM to get ready & arrive by 4AM at the bike shop. I’m so glad that we picked The Haleakala Bike Company because our tour guide Joe Hall gave an excellent commentary for the one hour ride up the mountain. He told us about plants and wildlife brought onto the island, history of Hawaiian culture and most importantly how to get back – 5 turns with a crude map. We were all excited to see the sunset which is supposed to be one of the most beautiful in the world but we were met with rain clouds rolling in. Joe estimated that 15% of the time this happens but is was still really cool. I was on top of a freakin’ volcano I really didn’t care if it was raining!

Our bike tour launched at 6500’ and was self-guided. We could take our time – which we did. We could eat a lovely breakfast at the Kula Lodge- which we did. We took photos, we looked at flower stands on the side of the road, we bought flowers on the side of the road strapped them to our backpacks, and we even smelled a pineapple field. After a long downhill journey, (it’s not all downhill!) we were the last ones from our group to arrive back at the bike shop. We definitely maximized our biking experience!

Some things to know about biking in Maui – choose your bike tour company wisely – some companies jam all of their riders and bikes into a crappy van. We rode in a million dollar mini-bus! We saw another bike group on one part of the road and they were struggling to keep up with a guide. We have also heard that if you can’t keep up, the guides get a little irritated. Check out the bikes first or ask questions. Haleakala Bike Company has the nicest bikes we’ve seen – they provide Gary Fisher Mountain Bikes with hand brakes & lots of gears, 24 to be exact. We saw bikes with foot brakes and ill fitted seats. Now if you ride a bike, or even if you don’t, you surely want to be comfortable for a 28 mile ride. All of our needs were met right in the shop as we were fitted for our bikes, seats were adjusted and we were even provided with rain gear, gloves, helmets and backpacks. Other companies may advertise a low price for their rides but then will hit you up with additional charges for gear. Haleakala is a class act with Columbia rain gear, nice helmets and decent comfortable backpacks.

If you’re looking for an activity or adventure, start with The Haleakala Bike Company- www.bikemaui.com. Their website has all of the information on different tours, rates and even bike rental information. Tours book up fast, go online & save 15% booking in advance. Tell ‘em Nightwire sent you! click here for more info