Hey all! We're planning on visiting Kailua in late August. I'm either bringing my road bike, or renting one there.

I wanted to get your advice on some good rides on the islands. I'd always see a lot of riders out and about, so I'm thinking there are some good rides. Looking to do about 30 to 50 miles a ride.

Any recommendations?

Thank you!

 

Howsit,
Well if you ride 30 miles here you'll be in the pacific.
I used to ride a street bike but gave it up after being hit twice in a week.
Too many tourists and bad drivers on oahu.
You might consider off roading.
There is a paper back book out about trail riding and hiking in Hi.
It covers all the islands.
I don't remember the exact name of the book.
Borders should have it.

 

sambusik,

While it is true that the drivers are not always the best here in Hawaii, there are still some nice areas to ride. Best person to PM would be mtnbkr from Hawaii. If you can't hook up with him I will help you contact him.

There are plenty of really nice rides along the coast from Kaneohe up towards the north shore or from Kailua to Waimanalo and out to Makapuu. Both ways meander along the coast so you can see some beaches. If you ride on weekends there are other cyclists.

If you take your bikes closer to diamond head then Kapiolani park is very nice and there are alot of other people exercising and beaches nearby. You can ride along Ala Wai canal to get to Ala Moana beach park and Magic Island along the coast.

If you like hill climbing there are several good climbs like Round top on Tantalus Drive. Or a small access road that climbs to the mountain above Waimanalo and Sea Life park.

30 to 50 miles is no problem. Easy, just bring sunscreen and your helmet. Start off early when it isn't so hot out. We have trade winds to help most days.

 

Thanks for the recommendations minihune! I'll also PM mtnbkr :smile:

 

PM sent :smile:

J

 

sambusik - If you ride from Kapiolani Park to Diamond Head Rd, left at the last stop sign before Kahala Mandarin Hotel, right onto Kalanianaole Hwy (nice stretch w/ a bike lane), left on Lunalilo Home Rd, right up "Heartbreak Hill" til you reach Sandy's Beach, then head back...that's the 25 mile route for the annual Century Ride in September. Since you're coming in August, you should be able to see or even "hitch-up" w/ some other riders who will be training on that stretch. More info on the Century Ride w/ info on ride sessions can be found here: Hawaii Bicycle League.

Also, from Dole Plantation to Sunset Beach along the North Shore is a nice ride too.
If your able to go to the Big Island (Triathlete Country), there's plenty of long open stretches there too.
(I'd ride too but the Bianchi's got a cracked frame

 

I used MapPoint to draw out your directions. Does this look right?




Looks like it would be a beautiful ride, and and out and back would make it around 25 miles.

 

That's about right. However, if you want to take a chance, you can go directly from #5 to #7, but it is a steep hill. There is also a lot of traffic as people are either going to Hanauma Bay or Sandy's. However, the view is spectacular and probably worth it!

 

If you want to do 50 mile:
continue on from Sandy's Beach to Makapuu Pt, head for Waimanalo, after the 7Eleven (beginning of Waimanalo) you'll want to take a left at the 1st or 2nd street (I forget) and work yourself towards the 2nd backroad. This backroad services some farms that runs parallel to the Hwy. At the end of that backroad, it'll kick you out back to the Hwy at the other end of Waimanalo. Take a left onto the Hwy til you reach Kailua. Work yourself towards King Intermediate School (don't know the exact route, there's several ways to get there, or you can head to Kailua Beach ). Then head back to Kapiolani Park...That's about 50.
WORD OF CAUTION: When going downhill at Makapuu - TAKE THE LANE. There is not much of a guardrail to protect anyone from going over.
Also, the route from Hanauma Bay to Sandy's, although very scenic and great to take in a MINI, I do not recommend taking it on a bike. Too many curves, on-coming cars sometimes cross the lane and like all highways there is plenty of loose gravel for a bike to slide.
But on any route there is some risk, no matter how safe it may seem - just be careful.
Have fun.

 

For these bike rides in unfamilar areas it usually is good to drive the proposed course first in a car. Let me know if you need any help with that or planning for some good routes.

I think that Round top drive- tantalus would be a good mountain ride if you are up for it. Few thousand foot climb over less than 10 miles.

How many people in your riding group? Just you or are there more?

You could do the Makapuu coast ride if done at a non-busy time and someone was helping by driving a car in back of you to block traffic and provide some safety. If you are a competitive road racer then it isn't bad if the weather conditions are not wet. There are turn out areas along the way to provide for some passing.

 

Thanks guys! I think I'll stick to the short out-and-back 25 mile ride from Kapiolani Park.

I mostly ride on the road, but also mountain bike (when it's not 105 degrees out like it is now). But I've been riding almost 100% road the last few months. It's so much less of a production to just roll out of your garage on your road bike, instead of throwing the mountain bike on the car rack

I'm most likely gonna be riding alone, wanted to take it easy and enjoy the scenery. Gonna try and bring out my bike if it's not too horribly expensive

 

You'll really enjoy it, sambusik:smile: . It's got a lot of different elements all throughout. Over a decade ago, I was a cycling addict. Did several time trials and a road race (**** Evans) and found out quickly that I couldn't compete with my peers (or in any of the other categories, for that matter). Nonetheless, I found a ton of peace from solo treks on my Trek. Favorite: Round Top Drive. I'm a huge Lance Armstrong fan today (#6 right now, baby!) but back then, it was all about Greg LeMond! I was his biggest fan. Felt like him on the switchbacks. Well, kinda . Most challenging: my parents' home (P.C.) to Haleiwa. On a hot day, it was simply a killer on me. Of course, reaching home was an amazing feeling ...everytime. Here I am (below and in the front) at the 1990 Honolulu Century Ride. Enjoy your ride, sambusik

 

you know, at one time i was almost ready to take the plunge and have my friend build me a mountain bike, but i got scared at the last minute from the news of males possibly having problems making babies after excessive riding. this is despite the use of those fancy seats that allow for less pressure down there.

of course, this was the deciding factor, after realizing that getting into mountain biking would take up precious time from surfing. luckily, a few weeks later my friend who was gonna build me a bike ate it bad while bombing one of the trails and ended up breaking his collar bone. despite healing up well, he kinda faded off on mountain biking.

but i do like to cruise on a big fat beach cruiser. no greg lemond stuff for me.

 

hey man, only if you spend 6+ hrs a day for more than 4 days a week on the saddle will there be any danger. I can't imagine ever cycling that much


Well, the trip has been booked :smile: A full week starting August 27th. I can't wait to get out there. It's the most relaxing place in the world.

 

I dunno about that! I used to mountain bike 2 hours a day, 7 days a weeks and the boys got a little numb so I stopped. They are back to normal now!

 

wow, beastmaster! sounds like you saved 'em just in time!