Haleakala climb in Maui...

[benb]

Can anyone fill me in on this? My wife just went and booked rooms in Hawaii.. if I had known for sure we were going I'd have been altering my schedule to train for this. (I've got about a month now to train.)

I want to rent a road bike and climb this. Renting worked out well for me last winter when we went down to Florida. I took my shoes + a saddle + clothes and was able to get a Specialized Roubaix with Sora that worked fine for me.

I'm certainly not in great shape for this right now but they say the climb is 36 miles @ 5% with sections at 10%. I wouldn't anticipate having any trouble doing the climb even with a 39x25 and I imagine a rental bike will end up having a compact crank. I'm just not going to be climbing nearly the speed I would be in the summer. The 36 miles back down should be easy right?

[kramnnim]

The rentals will have compacts. Mine actually had a triple and I was happy for it. It's a very long climb. It can be cold and wet at the top, be prepared. Check Maui Cyclery in Paia for the rental...

[fa63]

The gradients are not that bad, but the altitude starts to get to you if you are not used to it. I struggled up the last portion. Also, the weather can change pretty dramatically from the bottom to the top. Make sure you are ready for that.

Coming down is indeed a lot of fun if the weather is nice.

[trener1]

I did it a couple of years ago without any specific training, was no problem until I got to about 8k, then I really struggled with the altitude but overall it was no problem.
Did it on rental, and that was perfect as well.
The ride down was great, but like others have said, it will be cold at the top, and descending will make you even colder, so bring a wind breaker type jacket and some gloves at the very least, and you will be a happy camper.

[benb]

Thanks.. no problem on clothes since I live in the Northeast.

I think I will have to just concentrate on endurance.. it's a long ride and that would seem to be the biggest issue at this time of year.

I've been over 10,000ft before but it's been quite some time.. we'll see, I'll probably just adjust my schedule to assume that really slows me down and if it doesn't then that would be a bonus.

[old fat man]

I rented from Maui Cycles in Paia when I did it during the Christmas holiday of 2010.

- it was a Specialized rental of some sort (Tarmac maybe) with a triple
- I wished I had a third water bottle and one more piece of food (granola bar or something else of substance) - there is nowhere to refill between miles 15 and 35 or so. And that will be a 2 hour or more period of time. Bring your own bottles unless you want to buy from the shop
- I had exceptionally good weather, didn't need anything more than arm warmers for the descent, but that is not the norm from what I hear. If weather is good, be sure to include sunblock! It's an exposed climb for much of it.
- I think you have to pay an entry fee around the 8k ft mark for the park. If your wife is driving up, she'll definitely have to pay an entry fee.
- It's worth it. It was an awesome experience. It took me 4.5 hours round trip I think

[John H.]

I just climbed it a couple weeks ago.
Overall grade is not steep but the grades are steepest in the middle. So if you go too hard early on or in the middle you will be tired at the top.
Best strategy is to go for endurance pace- It will become tempo if not full on hard in time.
You will likely be climbing for 3+ hours.
Rent a bike with as low of gearing as you can get. A compact for sure- a 32 tooth on back if you can get it.
On a normal climb you could push bigger gears, but you want to save your legs on this one.
Bring adequate food and water. Consider bringing salty foods or some salt supplements- or even straight up salt.
I found that I blew through a ton of electrolytes in the 1st 3000 feet of the climb.
Get water at Kula lodge at 3000 feet- consider bringing an extra bottle in your pocket. There is no water until past the ranger station.
They charge $10 cash to get into the top section of the park- have cash.
Fill bottles again! It is also a good idea to have packets of drink mix with you- I brought a ton of Scratch packets to Hawaii- used them all.

It is not really that exiting/fun of a climb. More just checking the box on 10k feet all at once- though the view from the top is pretty spectacular.
There are better climbs on the island- even better ways up Haleakala.
I liked climb Pulehu road from over by the dump.
Waipoli road is also good (but way steep).
West Maui loop is for sure the best ride on the island.

Where are you staying? How long are you there?
I suggest bringing bike food and drink with you- or at least drink mix. Shops have stuff but it is random. The shops are not equipped like a well stocked shop on the mainland.
Lastly- make sure you have a spare bag with a couple tubes, patch kit, tire levers, mini tool, maybe some duct tape, a co2 dispensing head and a mini pump.
Don't bring CO2- get some there. TSA will confiscate CO2 cartridges.

[fa63]

West Maui loop is for sure the best ride on the island.


I have to agree with this. I was lucky enough to have the time to do both, but if I had one ride in Maui and had to choose between the West Maui Loop and Halaekala, I would do the West Maui Loop for sure (and take a car ride to the top of Halaekala).

[bikingshearer]

Re: changing weather and potentially cold descents. Stick a section of yesterday's newspaper in your jersey pocket before you go. Weighs nothing on the way up and takes up negligible room if you don't mind it sticking up out of the top of the pocket. When you get to the top, stick the flattened newspaper against your chest under your jersey for the ride down. Makes a good temporary windbreaker.

There's a reason why the pros gladly take newspaper from the fans at the top of major passes in the Grand tours, and have done so for decades: it works.

[zennmotion]

I'll add that what goes up must come down- watch the weather as fog can close in quickly and it can be thick and scary on sections where there's no shoulder- pack a good blinkie. Other Maui rides include the West Maui loop- (especially the eastern half of the route), and the road around Hana- as with Haleakala, again be careful with traffic on the Hana road, it's beautiful, but narrow and twisty and the tourists are looking everywhere but the road. I especially love the south side with lava/dry desert scenery- worth an out and back from Paia if you don't have time or energy for the full loop. Best to time your rides so that the afternoon trade winds are at your back, especially as they kick up and change direction in the afternoon.

[pdmtong]

Ive been to Maui a lot and that climb is just not interesting to me. As John says, you check a box, 10k at once. Its doable but boring. The descent is actually the thing to worry about...great views but you can't look out at them (eyes on road!)

I would spend the day you use for climbing on the backside drive to Hana. The unpaved sections are flat and rocky, so 10-15mph tops or your fillings will rattle out. Spectacular views.

Spend your time doing water sports. Learn to SUP. Learn to kite. You can ride your bike anytime at home.

[benb]

Thanks for the advice. I'm definitely going to do this, though maybe I'll get to do that West Maui loop too.

This will my 3rd trip to Hawaii but first time on Maui. I've done lots of the other stereotypical Hawaii activities (hiking, snorkeling, surfing, etc..) and have never gotten to bike there at all. I'm not planning on biking every day or anything but there is nothing in the realm of these altitudes on the east coast so I'm not as jaded as some of you may be. I have a four year old so some of the more adventuresome stuff is kind of off the table but biking isn't. (I can probably go surfing as well but I'm not super pumped to do so.)

I'm going to be in Maui for a week and then stay in Kona for a week. I've been to Kona twice before, there's actually tons of biking in the interior of the Big Island I'd love to do but I'm not sure I will. I will be attempting to drown myself in coffee in Kona of course as visiting the farms/roasters is fun for everyone.

Will definitely go back to Two Steps to go snorkeling.. maybe I should be checking in on waterproof housings as I don't have one of those right now.

https://photos.smugmug.com/Nature/i-BW3h7Qd/1/M/IMG_1907-M.jpg

[pdmtong]

With a four year old that changes everything.

Make sure you get a punch card since you will surely buy 10 or more
http://www.ululanishawaiianshaveice.com/

[bironi]

I just climbed it a couple weeks ago.
Overall grade is not steep but the grades are steepest in the middle. So if you go too hard early on or in the middle you will be tired at the top.
Best strategy is to go for endurance pace- It will become tempo if not full on hard in time.
You will likely be climbing for 3+ hours.
Rent a bike with as low of gearing as you can get. A compact for sure- a 32 tooth on back if you can get it.
On a normal climb you could push bigger gears, but you want to save your legs on this one.
Bring adequate food and water. Consider bringing salty foods or some salt supplements- or even straight up salt.
I found that I blew through a ton of electrolytes in the 1st 3000 feet of the climb.
Get water at Kula lodge at 3000 feet- consider bringing an extra bottle in your pocket. There is no water until past the ranger station.
They charge $10 cash to get into the top section of the park- have cash.
Fill bottles again! It is also a good idea to have packets of drink mix with you- I brought a ton of Scratch packets to Hawaii- used them all.

It is not really that exiting/fun of a climb. More just checking the box on 10k feet all at once- though the view from the top is pretty spectacular.
There are better climbs on the island- even better ways up Haleakala.
I liked climb Pulehu road from over by the dump.
Waipoli road is also good (but way steep).
West Maui loop is for sure the best ride on the island.

Where are you staying? How long are you there?
I suggest bringing bike food and drink with you- or at least drink mix. Shops have stuff but it is random. The shops are not equipped like a well stocked shop on the mainland.
Lastly- make sure you have a spare bag with a couple tubes, patch kit, tire levers, mini tool, maybe some duct tape, a co2 dispensing head and a mini pump.
Don't bring CO2- get some there. TSA will confiscate CO2 cartridges.

A number of years back a cycling shop in the West Maui area did full moon night rides up and down the mountain. Does that still happen and have you done it? I too agree the West Maui ride is the best. I did it as a loop and out and back. I preferred the out and back.

[notsew]

Man, I wish you guys would stop talking about this... I'm going to Maui at the end of the month, bike is rented, spousal permissions to ride have been given... and Saturday I tore my rotator cuff at the last cx race of the season! Ugh! :crap:

Well, you enjoy it!

[cderalow]

when I did it 10 yrs ago, the rode near the top wasn't what I would call paved. definitely would have loved a gravel grinder back then.:fight:

[John H.]

The road must have been repaved because it is good now.
People that have been going to Maui for a long time say the road are in way better shape than 5-10 years ago.
West Maui loop is also mostly good pavement.

when I did it 10 yrs ago, the rode near the top wasn't what I would call paved. definitely would have loved a gravel grinder back then.:fight:

[d_douglas]

With a four year old that changes everything.

Make sure you get a punch card since you will surely buy 10 or more
http://www.ululanishawaiianshaveice.com/

That stuff was amazing!! I told my wife we shouldn't fuel our kids with all that sugar, but I tasted theirs then I was hooked. It's the best slurpee you'll ever taste!

Rode Kihei on West side up to top of island, and then home - views were spectacular, though road was busy at times. I was recovering from the flu, so Haleakala was out of the question, though it sure sounds like a fun challenge!!

I rented from Boss Frog - the cannondale Synapse worked great and they were orderly and organized.

Envious - my family is in need of a big ass holiday after the past few months ;(

[benb]

I take anything about Hawaii roads with a massive grain of salt as the locals don't seem to have perspective on bad roads due to the wonderful weather.

I remember getting all the warnings about not driving Rt. 200/Saddle road on the big island unless you rented a Jeep Wrangler, including at that time (2009) some of the rental car agreements prohibited it or something.

We went right ahead and drove it in our Mustang rental, it was like glass compared to Massachusetts and we don't all drive Jeep Wranglers here. I would have rode over that on 23c tires and been happy as a peach if I was biking.

I'll have to look up some of the bike shops mentioned. Cannondale Synapse is another good rental candidate, pretty sure I'd be fine on one of those in 56cm.

[etu]

my mistake was poor pacing at the start. the first several miles are on long straight stretches where the grade is not so obvious. i pushed myself here because i thought i was bogging down unnecessarily and was excited to get to the climb. really beautiful once the road started into the hills and got into a nice rhythm in the middle where it is steeper and struggled the last bit with cramps and fatigue. only on the way down and later looking at the topographical map, did i realize that the real climbing had started much earlier than i thought. duh!

[PaulE]

In July 2013 I did Haleakala from Paia and back, and the West Maui loop. I rented a carbon fiber Litespeed with 105 and a compact. I don't recall what the lowest rear cog was, but it was no bigger than a 28 and might even have been a 25. With rest and food stops it took me 8 hours going up. Going down it took 2 hours with a pee stop in the visitor's center, a rear flat tire and fog/drizzle from 9,000 feet to 7,000 feet or so.

On the West Maui loop, there is plenty of one lane road with turn-out/passing areas. Keep an eye out for cars and dump trucks, luckily when I was at the top of a descent I could see a dump truck across a valley coming towards me and was able to wait for it. It could have been messy if we met on my descent. Be sure to stop for the banana bread at at Kahakuloa Bay!

[dgauthier]

Millions of years ago, the seeds for this forum were started at the Bicycle Fan Club, run by the Maui-based administrator Kahuna. These guys were Kahuna's very good friends:

http://www.gocyclingmaui.com

I've never ridden with them, but they are supposed to be terrific.

[gallant]

I've never done Haleakala. But I did do the west maui loop. Highly recommend if you have time to check it out as well. Really amazing scenery and lush tropical areas you get to ride through. Very few cars since it is a pretty crappy road. Although the headwind on the way back to Lahaina was awful. Maui tradewinds can be brutal. I rented a Specialized Roubaix from West Maui Cycles. Pretty basic but got the job done. Have an awesome trip!

[zennmotion]

Man, I wish you guys would stop talking about this... I'm going to Maui at the end of the month, bike is rented, spousal permissions to ride have been given... and Saturday I tore my rotator cuff at the last cx race of the season! Ugh! :crap:

Well, you enjoy it!

Funny... I tore my rotator cuff body surfing in Maui and was mad at the loss of a CX season as a result. Do NOT follow the local kids into rough surf! :help: Watching the sunrise at the Haleakala summit is a must-do (get up super early to beat the 5am traffic going up the mountain- and dress for high wind and freezing temps), followed by hiking the basin will make up for anything you're feeling left out on on the bike.

[benb]

Funny... I tore my rotator cuff body surfing in Maui and was mad at the loss of a CX season as a result. Do NOT follow the local kids into rough surf! :help: Watching the sunrise at the Haleakala summit is a must-do (get up super early to beat the 5am traffic going up the mountain- and dress for high wind and freezing temps), followed by hiking the basin will make up for anything you're feeling left out on on the bike.

One of the reasons I am not super amped up to surf since I'm just a super inexperienced beginner. It seems awfully risky. I'm a great swimmer and I love being out in the water but all that coral on the bottom is pretty punishing. I cut my foot really good on the bottom the first time I went to Hawaii and also got tumbled in the surf and scared the sh*t out of myself cause I hit my head on the bottom. I used to snowboard a lot and overall I would say I like surfing more as there is more cardio involved due to the swimming, but the risks I've seen people taking surfing seem awfully extreme. Surfing is also the perfect storm for me with my vision.. if I was really into it I'd have to get eye surgery as it's either not be able to see really well or risk losing expensive glasses.

[phoenix]

The rentals will have compacts. Mine actually had a triple and I was happy for it. It's a very long climb. It can be cold and wet at the top, be prepared. Check Maui Cyclery in Paia for the rental...I second Maui Cyclery in Paia. Small shop with friendly folks. Even if you don’t get a rental from them it’s worth stopping by to check them out.

[pncguy]

I would spend the day you use for climbing on the backside drive to Hana. The unpaved sections are flat and rocky, so 10-15mph tops or your fillings will rattle out.

We did this drive in September and I don't recall any unpaved sections. However, there are some places, especially on the south part of East Maui, that might be better unpaved. It looks as if they've been patching 3" potholes for the last decade and, yes, your fillings will rattle out!

After our trip, Haleakala, the West Maui Loop, and the road to Hana got added to my bucket list!

[LeadoutTrain5]

That should be an epic climb.

[Bostic]

I've only been to Maui once, honeymoon. I specifically suggested it to my wife to check off Haleakala from the bucket list. It was worth it and to date has been my favorite ride ever on a bike. I only had one day to dedicate to biking so that was a great motivator to get it done. Where else in the world can you descent for an hour and fifteen minutes on a paved road?

Call me vain but there is something nice about seeing "Biggest Climb - 10,016 ft" on Strava. When I click on flyby's from various rides, I like to check who else has endured the pain. I'm hardly fast. 5:27 total time, 4:48 ride time and am grateful the rental Trek had 52/39/30 12-27 gearing.

We neglected to read the fine print on the car rental agreement and drove the southern route to Hana. Or at least tried to. I forget how far we got but once the road become not much of a road with cows blocking the path I insisted we turn back. We took the proper northern route the following day.

[chazmtb]

Thank you for all who have given advice. I'm from flat Florida and will attempt the climb in November. Really want to bring my bike but will probably end up renting.

[GonaSovereign]

All the advice here is good.
Haleakala is a "tick the box" kind of climb. Very hard if you go hard, but not a killer at a steady pace. Dress for it. And if you come back down in the fog (like this day when I did it) don't forget about the cattle guards in the road.
https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/338/31845382863_0e4fa2c0c4_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/Qw4URe)Haleakala (https://flic.kr/p/Qw4URe) by Geoffrey Morgan (https://www.flickr.com/photos/geoffrideshisbike/), on Flickr

If I could only do one ride, it would be West Maui Loop. Round trip from Kihei it was about 140kms if memory serves, but probably 70km for the Loop itself. Amazing. Stop for the banana bread at the stand just beyond this point. You'll thank me later.
https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/434/31814766294_41132de87d_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/QtmZBm)west maui loop (https://flic.kr/p/QtmZBm) by Geoffrey Morgan (https://www.flickr.com/photos/geoffrideshisbike/), on Flickr

[Waldo]

I enjoyed the climb, but didn't like the descent. No one is used to being in that position for over an hour, so back and neck start to hurt, especially after a long climb, and getting stuck behind stinky buses, gawking drivers, and groups of cyclists on descending tours gets frustrating. In some way, it's better to climb Haleakala and meet a significant other at the top for a car ride down.

[Waldo]

Snip: I don't recall what the lowest rear cog was, but it was no bigger than a 28 and might even have been a 25.

That's no 25.

[roydyates]

I did them in July 2014 and both are great. The twists and turns of the West Maui loop are perhaps more visually stunning/exciting. However I think Haleakala is more than a just a cross-it-off-the-list ride. It was surprising and memorable to pass through multiple weather systems (sun, wet cloudy mist, sun above the clouds, driving rain on the descent.) It's also an interesting physical challnge to climb 10k vertical feet with virtually no break.

[GonaSovereign]

However I think Haleakala is more than a just a cross-it-off-the-list ride. It was surprising and memorable to pass through multiple weather systems (sun, wet cloudy mist, sun above the clouds, driving rain on the descent.) It's also an interesting physical challnge to climb 10k vertical feet with virtually no break.

Yes, it was great to go from ocean to desert-like, to subtropical, to mountain to thin air and moonscape. The upcountry part was the nicest, IMHO.

And West Maui Loop. Hours of this:
https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/363/32514493562_0e9f60e3cc_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/Rxch9A)Riding the West Maui loop (https://flic.kr/p/Rxch9A) by Geoffrey Morgan (https://www.flickr.com/photos/geoffrideshisbike/), on Flickr

[John H.]

Yeah, That is the church with the saggy roof^^^^.

Here is the cat that rules the north shore ;)