Tom’s Tips – Oahu Bike Tours

Obviously there are many different bike tours available on Oahu but a personal favorite is the Kualoa-Mountain single track bike ride at the Kualoa Ranch. This is arguably the very best way to be able to see all the beauty that exists in the valley. Most of the tours at Kualoa will show you aspects of the valley but this single track bike ride is a 2 to 3 hour adventure that will take you up along the ridges and back into the valley and the views you have of this magnificent area, best known for all the Hollywood movies filmed here, is unparalleled. This however is not a bike trek for everyone as it requires a bit of strength to climb up the mountain slopes and also to negotiate the somewhat technical downhill sections. For an advanced rider looking to do some fantastic mountain biking on the most beautiful of locations and get some exercise to boot, this is probably a trip for you. They will provide all the gear necessary in addition to picking you up at your Waikiki hotel if necessary.

One unusual aside regarding this single track at Kualoa. Many years ago when my son was maybe ten years old or so, we jumped on a plane from Maui and went over to Kualoa on Oahu so he could participate one weekend in a special bike race that was being held there. All levels of competition were offered along with all age brackets and I believe he was in the lowest age bracket at the time. He took off with a host of all age brackets and when everyone started to come back in from his heat I was a bit concerned that I could not see him. After a wait of perhaps another 45 minutes or so, I was glad to see him in the distance making his way over the last parts of the course. I congratulated him on his accomplishment in finishing the race because that was obviously a most important accomplishment. It was only later in the day when the winners of the various categories were released that we realized that he had finished ‘1st’ in his age group and was awarded a big shinny medal to wear around his neck. We were over joyed. This excitement did not abate later in the day when we learned that his great ranking was certainly in large part due to the fact that it turned out he was the only participant in his age category. ‘Go for the Gold Jake’!