Booked the Haleakala pre-dawn bike tour for $130 USD per person. It's $100 cheaper and held later than the one with the sunrise, so perfect if you've already done the sunrise thing and don't wanna get up so early. They moved the time back from 0430h to 0530h, notified us the afternoon before via text message, A-OK by me! Ended up in a group of four riders with tour guide Manny and van support Mark. Sweet to have such a small group considering all the other groups we saw were like 15+ people, which would suck for more experienced and daring riders.
I felt we did quite a bit of waiting around at the start, so really happy they moved the tour an hour back. Check-in was fine once we located the place, drove by it twice due to dark conditions and poor signage. Waivers done online the day before, or at the shop, water and granola bars were made available in the office prior to the tour. The confirmation email stated we had to wear masks on the bus, but this was not the case. I asked the administrator Noni to please update this detail. There was also no pre-video we had to watch even though the email said there was. Eh, keep it simple.
Drove us up to the 6500' mark area, where we watched the sky change colours and the guys did some bike maintenance. Found it a bit weird that the bikes were not prepped and ready before the tour, but it didn't slow us down. I just felt it was a bit daft for us to be hanging out there for like an hour before we started our ride. Fortunately the weather was excellent, and not cold at all, just a bit chilly. More layers needed for the ride of course, I would highly recommend gloves. They were provided from a rather motley selection.
Going down the high part of the mountain was the best part, and we got to do it twice! Unfortunately since February 2023, part of the ride down the mountain (where the ranch ends and leading up to Makawao) is forbidden for biking companies. I get it, but it would have been nice to know beforehand. So instead we rode down the high part twice, and being in a small group, the second run was at our leisure. Naturally we blasted down as fast as we would dare, reaching a top speed of 43km/h (about 33mph). Super sweet. I tried to convince Manny to take us up a third time, no luck! Took about 20 minutes to ride down the second time.
Mark then drove our group to Makawao, where we got a 45 minute break to get some snacks etc. The ride continued after this, from Makawao to Paia, all downhill, comfortable coasting.
Honestly we had really friendly service from Manny and Mark, they were so funny, genuine, and just legit local! It felt more like a cool small business than a big tour company, which is what we wanted. Our tour partners from Michigan were also great, and Manny went out of his way to make sure the one person who had physical limitations felt safe and comfortable. We all cheered her on as she finished her second run from the top with Manny keeping an eye on her.
Would recommend this company highly for the small group, the personal touch, and the heavier bikes with the drum breaks. Made for a great ride, brought back BMX memories for me. So, so much fun. Mahalo!!