Originally Posted by
vjbknife
I am sorrry to hear about you riding problems on Oahu and Maui but I can believe it. I have spent some time on both islands and don't even like driving a car around Oahu. I live on the Big Island and when you consider how much larger it is than your islands there have to be better rides. This is actually one of the reasons that I moved here 4 years ago. The hills can be kind of tough but that is part of the challange. The riding here is good; many of the roads have very good shoulders for some very nice long rides. There are definitely some roads that are a no-go, but many that have beautiful long rides. I live in Waikoloa and can ride to Kona, Waimea, or Hawi on some very nice roads and have had very few problems other than thorns that give me more flats than anywhere else that I have riden. Although I have kind of given up on it there are many nice trail and mountain bike rides here as well. I just built a nice touring bike and am planning on getting some nice rides in on it. The bike shops here are a little bit limited on inventory but, pretty good as well.
I live in Keaau, which is about 12 miles south of Hilo. From my house, it's about 85-90 miles from Kona. Seems like almost every time I drive over the new Saddle Road, I see some bicycles riding over. Now those people are iron men and women! I old with my share of health problems, but still try to ride some every day for fun and exercise and hoping to build up some strength and stamina. Cancer, the treatments for that, and a blown right knee are the obstacles. Those Saddle Road bikers seem to mostly be on drop bar road bikes. I have a cheapo flat bar single speed road bike, so hills are extra tough for me. Guess we all do what we can. Used to ride this bike to Pahoa and back, and to Hilo and back. Since I recently started riding again, maybe I'll eventually be able to do those runs again.