aloha!
Thank you very much for signing up to the HBL dirt newsletter and welcome to the very first issue!
Strength in numbers!! The more people signed up to the newsletter, the more leverage we have when we reach out to the city and the state employees and elected officials to pursue our mission in advocating for more sustainable off-road places in Hawai‘i to share the joy of riding bicycles.
I hope you find the information very helpful and get the word out to your riding buddies to sign up to subscribe at hbl.org/dirt
Let’s talk story! Event dates.
April 17th (Thu) 5-7 pm: Bikes & Burgers pau hana
Love biking off-road? Looking for people to ride with? Have an off-road bike/trail related project you want to discuss? Want to be involved in HBL dirt but not sure how? Come eat and let’s talk story!
On the makai side of Magic Island parking lot. Look for the HBL tent. BYOB. Please feel free to bring some things to grill. RSVP via Facebook Event
Every 3rd Thursday: HBL dirt steering committee
Everyone is welcome to join the steering committee to talk about strategies and operations. Reach out to HBL dirt at dirt@hbl.org.
What exactly is HBL dirt? Our story.
There’s nothing like hitting dirt trails and jumps on a bike. The island of Oahu has thriving off-road cycling communities with a few riding “hot spots” to enjoy. Current riding locales such as Ohana Trail in Kailua, Pūpūkea Forest Reserve on the North Shore, and Koko Head dirt jumps are seeing growing numbers of riders utilizing the facilities.
But we also wonder, as we travel and ride elsewhere, why don’t we have more great off-road biking infrastructure back home even though we have amazing weather and topography? Historically, efforts to create such trails have rested on the shoulders of private individuals and groups. What can we do so that a limited number of individuals don’t have to carry all the weight? Additionally, many of the existing trail networks can be too physically and/or technically challenging for kids and beginner riders to safely maneuver. How can we make off-road cycling approachable to everyone?
After COVID, two distinct yet similar initiatives emerged on Oahu: to revitalize dirt jumps at Koko Head District Park in Hawaii Kai, and to build a pumptrack at Central Oahu Regional Park in Waipio. They needed a home and approached HBL if they would be interested in off-road bicycling, and the idea of HBL dirt was born.
The mission of HBL dirt is to advocate for the creation of fun, safe, and permanent off-road cycling facilities and to make off-road bicycling more approachable and accessible to everyone.
For the last 50 amazing years, HBL has cultivated relationships and trust with both the state and the city. HBL has experienced staff administering a non-profit organization. With that, HBL-dirt can put their energy and time into advocating for, and where appropriate, develop and execute plans for new off-road bicycling facilities and making off-road bicycling approachable to everyone.
HBL-dirt has two focal areas:
- Advocate for (and when possible, build and maintain) new off-road bicycling facilities at existing parks (City and County of Honolulu)
- Advocate for (and when possible, build and maintain) new dirt trails in the mountains (DLNR and private landowners)
With over 30 years of history, Oahu’s off-road bicycling communities are vibrant, resilient, and solid. We have multiple riders’ circles on the island mostly based on the types of bikes we own and places we ride. One great thing about Hawaii is that we are already connected with Aloha. Even if you don’t know us directly, we are most likely a friend of a friend of a friend.
If you ever need organizational support with your new projects or face a challenge with a legacy trail you are stewarding, we are here to serve you. We want you to use HBL-dirt as a tool to engage with landowners when needed so that Hawaii will have off-road cycling opportunities available from young-to-old, beginner-to-pro, together, in our own communities.
A highlight on current projects: Koko Head dirt jumps
Updates from the Kokohead Bike Park!
This might be the first time you’ve heard about the bike park, let alone the progress that has been made. As an introduction, at the Kokohead District Park there is a little space of land tucked between 2 access roads, a parking lot, and a baseball field that contains dirt jumps and a pump track. The space has been cared for and forgotten by generations of riders for nearly 40 years. From the groundwork those people laid, there is an organized effort going hand-in-hand with the Honolulu Department of Parks and Recreation to develop the land into a progressive and sustainable community asset for those of us who like boosting a little bit of air here and there.
As of today, all the work is being done by hand, but the community has stepped up and the rideable options are growing. Come meet us! The crew is digging and riding all the time but come by on Tuesday afternoons around 5pm and there will always be someone there for #TuneUpTuesdays. Updates to the park are posted to the Instagram page @Kokoheadbikeparkfans, follow that page and @HBL_dirt to stay up-to-date.
If you are more familiar with the track: After the big rainstorms in January, the first 3 sets of jumps are fully recovered! The next steps are building out a beginner line to the right of the pump track and getting the pump track cleaned up again. Do you like the word “Airbag”? Get involved in the digging crew and find out more.
Help us build up HBL dirt!
While the main HBL organization has employees, HBL dirt is operated solely by volunteers, and we need your help building up this brand new chapter.
There are many ways you can get involved:
- Sign up for the newsletter, join our chapter, and donate to our efforts via the HBL dirt page.
- Willing to share your expertise like marketing, legal issues, website design, or day-to-day operations?
- Have great ideas for what HBL dirt can do? Join the steering committee!
Do you like to host meetup rides, trail work days, or special events? Be our events guy/gal! - You don’t have a specific idea but want to help out? Come talk to us!
- If you have any initiative or project you want to run with, don’t hesitate to reach out to us. Email us at dirt@hbl.org