Buy or rent a bike

[bmj91]

Hi everyone,
A friend and I have about 15 days to bike the camino. We are planning on starting in Pamplona, we are flying in from LAX to Barcelona. We were looking in to hiring a bike but the prices seem a bit high to us(we are cheap college students). We looked around and are thinking about buying a bike in Barcelona from El Cortes Ingles or buy used from loquo.com; then take the bus and transport the bikes to Pamplona. And at the end donate the bikes to a local church in Santiago. Does anyone have experience with doing this and can offer any advise?? Please and thank you so much 8)

 

[newfydog]

I have taken a bike to Europe in a cardboard box many times without a single problem. Recently, many airlines started charging absurd rates. Shop around----some airlines don't charge for international flights. Sometimes they just don't bother to charge.

I sure dislike department store bikes. A bike from bikesdirect.com would be a far better value.

I'll bet that Santiago would be a better place to find a used bike than Barcelona!

 

[dduroy]

I am renting from Cycling-rentals.com for April. The total price was 312.00 for mountain bike with 27 speeds, but that includes helmet, paniers, cell phone, etc. for 3 weeks. You pay the first two weeks and the third is free. Much better than department store bikes and you can't beat the fact it is waiting on you when you arrive. That alone was worth not dragging my own bike along.

 

[bmj91]

I am renting from Cycling-rentals.com for April. The total price was 312.00 for mountain bike with 27 speeds, but that includes helmet, paniers, cell phone, etc. for 3 weeks. You pay the first two weeks and the third is free. Much better than department store bikes and you can't beat the fact it is waiting on you when you arrive. That alone was worth not dragging my own bike along.

Dduroy: Thank you so much for the info!! I emailed the link you sent me and the prices are very reasonable. I really appreciate it! Bien Camino!

 

[William Marques]

This post from another site is worth reading

"We've ridden the Via La Plata and Via Portugues on folding bikes that we brought
from home back when the airlines didn't charge an arm & a leg to transport them.
We switched to buying bikes in 2008 when we rode the Norte. Since then we've
used the Decathlon Rockrider bikes on the Via Podensis, Via Sureste, Via
Tolosana, and Via Baiona. We bought the bikes at Decathlon, a French-owned
chain with stores all over Europe. We stayed off the most difficult off-road
paths, but rode then when it wasn't too bad. We spend a lot of time planning
and look for quiet country roads where possible. Here's what the bikes look
like: http://www.decathlon.fr/vtt-rockrider-5 ... 02062.html
Here's one of our blogs about one of the Caminos:
http://cyclingthecaminodenorte.blogspot.com/
Tom"
...
"We Take foldable pannier racks (which fit inside a pannier) and loaded panniers
with us. We've never used mirrors, but we wear bright colours and take a small
lightweight tool kit and tube repair kit. The bikes come with lights. We pack
as light as possible. You can see videos of our Caminos at this link:
http://www.youtube.com/user/AmericanPilgrims
Tom"
...
"For what its worth, we've done 6 different Caminos by bike. On four of the
Caminos, we bought bikes from a Decathlon store for 100 to 130 Euro. We've been
able all but once to sell them at the end of the trip for a reasonable price. As
we are well into our 70s, we go slow enough to make renting prohibitively
expensive. The bikes are nothing to write home about, but they made it through 4
to 6 weeks of riding with minimal problems.
Tom"

 

[maritagarzoli]

Hello!
For what it's worth, I also bought a bike from Decathalon (although in Toulouse, then took it on the train to S.J.P.D.P) . I forget the exact price, but it was somewhere around 200euros from memory. I was EXTREMELY happy with my bike...only problem was that I got so attached to "her" that I couldn't part with her and ended up bringing her back to Australia (NOT a cheap option...but I couldn't abandon her!!)

 

[ireens1]

Yeah there are bike rental in grand rapids mi who can help you out to rent the bikes and you can easily buy them also by knowing about all bike features.

 

[dariosilva]

Consider bikeiberia. I rented from them last summer and biked from Pamplona. Two weeks time with one day off in Burgos and Leon. They deliver and pick up. They also include a handle bar bag, essential tools, a lock, and a tube. For me and my wife it was worth the cost of rental to not have to worry about paying for the transport and or looking for a bike that was travel ready. Bikeiberia also offers any support you might need in case you have major bike trouble. All we took was our panniers and one small luggage,which had clean clothes for the end of the trip plus we stored our travel clothes from the states to Spain. Bikeiberia transported that piece of luggage for us to SDC. Bikeiberia made it very for us to start and finish w/o us having to worry about buying, transporting,or dealing w the bikes at the end. After doing the math I found very little difference between taking a bike from the US and renting. Saved me the concern of having my personal touring bike from getting damaged or stolen. Anyway, enjoy the ride. Spain is a wonderful place to bike. Buen Camino

 

[Kristaps Mors]

I also used BikeIberia bikes, the service was great, but the bike tires were completely worn out. We rented 2 bikes and got 3 flat tires during 2 weeks. If I would do it again, I would take my own bike. And also take note - if anything would happen to rented bikes, they would charge your credit card for it.

 

[Adriano]

Hi everyone,
A friend and I have about 15 days to bike the camino. We are planning on starting in Pamplona, we are flying in from LAX to Barcelona. We were looking in to hiring a bike but the prices seem a bit high to us(we are cheap college students). We looked around and are thinking about buying a bike in Barcelona from El Cortes Ingles or buy used from loquo.com; then take the bus and transport the bikes to Pamplona. And at the end donate the bikes to a local church in Santiago. Does anyone have experience with doing this and can offer any advise?? Please and thank you so much 8)

You can try www.recicleta.org, telephone +34-659-672-450. They can rent you bikes cheaply and they also take bikes for donating to the poor!!

 

[k1ypp]

It sounds like Cycling-rentals.com, that dduroy suggested, may not be a bad way to go. It sounds especially tempting, since they offer all the extra equipment and phone.

Jane and I recently rode bikes from Barcelona to Leon. We were planning a 14 country bike ride over a five and a half month journey. I wanted to visit the places my dad was in during WW II. He was a paratrooper with the 82nd Airborne. I'm writing a book about his adventures http://WhereDadDroppedIn.com . Jane wrote the book, Women of the Way, http://tinyurl.com/7knb7p9 and decided that it might be interesting to explore doing a book about bicycle riding on a Camino. For us, the ride from Barcelona to Santiago, was not a good choice. That route, to Leon anyway, is a real challenge. We did it in May, and there is a steady, and very, very strong wind out of the north for the entire route.

There were actually a few places where we were going down a substantial downhill section and had the bikes in the lowest gear and had to pedal, otherwise, we'd just stop. We were riding touring bikes with 700C-35 tires, not mountain bikes. Were I to ride in Spain again, at least for the Camino, I would choose a mountain bike and ride the off-road sections as much as possible. The route from Barcelona is mostly on very busy, high-traffic roads, and most of that traffic is trucks.

Admittedly, the drivers were quite good and cautious, but there were NO shoulders, very deep drainage ditches adjacent to the roads edge and the albergues, were few and far between. Even with all that, the wind was the worst part of the journey.

We stopped riding at Leon, even though Santiago was our destination, because Jane had a very bad crash and ended up taking a ride in an ambulance. There is so much cobblestone in Spain that the road bikes can be a challenge. Jane crashed due to an encounter with unfriendly cobblestone. She had something like twenty stitches in her knee and the doctors advised her not to ride the bike for at least a month. We purchased the bikes new at Tomas Domingo http://www.tomasdomingo.com/ in Barcelona and were very pleased with the bikes. We decided to store them in Santiago and walk the Portuguese Camino from Lisbon, she was able to walk just fine. When we returned to Santiago, it was obvious she couldn't ride yet, even though it had been a month, so we shipped the bikes home. To find a buyer for expensive machines, on short notice, was almost out of the question.

We shipped them home, for a VERY reasonable price, with Mail Boxes Etc. http://www.mbe.es/index.php?id=1822&store=SPMBE0127 and they were fabulous. Jane is fluent in Spanish, but not to worry, everyone there spoke excellent English. I highly recommend them for shipping bikes from Santiago. The bikes arrived in great shape.

We continued on our journey with backpacks, trains, buses and ferries. We just returned two weeks ago and I know Jane will working on some books about the journey. Would we bike there again? The jury is still out for Jane, but I would. However, I'd do it with a mountain bike and try to trail ride as much as possible.

 

[Walsh Camino]

We are flying to Barcelona from U s with our bikes. Does anyone have first hand experience transporting their bike from Barcelona to Pamplona either by train or bus? If so what are the requirements regarding disassembling the bike?

 

[LVDWD]

Hello!
For what it's worth, I also bought a bike from Decathalon (although in Toulouse, then took it on the train to S.J.P.D.P) . I forget the exact price, but it was somewhere around 200euros from memory. I was EXTREMELY happy with my bike...only problem was that I got so attached to "her" that I couldn't part with her and ended up bringing her back to Australia (NOT a cheap option...but I couldn't abandon her!!)

not sure you are still looking at the forum but would like to ask you a few ? about the bike you bought from decathlon

 

[evanlow]

I did the same for via Francigena in Italy (Milan to Rome) by getting a Rockrider 5.0 from Decathlon. Didn't have time to sell the bike when I arrived in Rome so was ready to leave it for the B&B owner. He was nice to charge me only one night (out of two nights) for my stay so in essence I got back around 60 euros for a very used 12 days old bike. Roughly it was 129 euro plus around 20 euros more for the rear rack and bottle cage. You can save the 20 euros if you can bring them along. So basically my bike trip cost me around 150-60 = 90 euros. As stated from earlier posts the Rockrider is sturdy, tough and heavy but nothing to write home about. Not a speed demon and thanks to the 7x3 gears which really helps when engaging the hillier parts.

If you are going this route then you will need to bring your panniers and/or handlebar bag.

It's important to get the bikes as near as your starting point since there is a bit of logistic travelling with them.

There is a Decathlon in Pamplona and it is probably better to get them there rather than in Barcelona.

http://www.decathlon.es/es/store?store_id=PS_ES_14

 

[LVDWD]

I did the same for via Francigena in Italy (Milan to Rome) by getting a Rockrider 5.0 from Decathlon. Didn't have time to sell the bike when I arrived in Rome so was ready to leave it for the B&B owner. He was nice to charge me only one night (out of two nights) for my stay so in essence I got back around 60 euros for a very used 12 days old bike. Roughly it was 129 euro plus around 20 euros more for the rear rack and bottle cage. You can save the 20 euros if you can bring them along. So basically my bike trip cost me around 150-60 = 90 euros. As stated from earlier posts the Rockrider is sturdy, tough and heavy but nothing to write home about. Not a speed demon and thanks to the 7x3 gears which really helps when engaging the hillier parts.

If you are going this route then you will need to bring your panniers and/or handlebar bag.

It's important to get the bikes as near as your starting point since there is a bit of logistic travelling with them.

There is a Decathlon in Pamplona and it is probably better to get them there rather than in Barcelona.

http://www.decathlon.es/es/store?store_id=PS_ES_14

Really appreciate the reply. Dont think they make the Rockrider 5.0 anymore. The one I am looking at is a Rockrider 340 here is the link. http://www.decathlon.fr/btwin-vtt-rockrider-340-gris-id_8321326.html. Was the bike you had similar. They have a Rockrider 500 but that is a full suspension bike (which I dont think you need for the Frances) and its 400 Euro.
Did you have any problems with the bike? If so what?
Was the rack you bought sturdy enough for the journey
What spares tools would you advise carrying.
Appreciate any help or information.
Since I am a little nervous of using a cheap bike when everyone around here is riding on $5000 MT Bikes!

 

[evanlow]

The shifters and gears looks the same. Other than that this is a better bike with aluminium frame and suspension for 70 euros more. The rear rack from Decathlon is sturdy steel and can take lots of punishment.

Here is my evaluation;

1. Without suspension. No loss of power on uphill.
2. Steel. Heavy but pratically unbreakable. A few occasion I was afraid but it came off ok.
3. Rear heavy due to only rear panniers, saddle bag and a handlebar bag. Suffers 2 pinch flat (both rear) over the 12 days. I brought a spare tube but didn't use it but patched the tube instead. Try not to carry more than 8 kg.in the back.
4. Riding position. The best I can adjust but the stem is a little lower than other bikes. Long story short not easy to raise it. Riding gloves relieves the pressure to the hands. Also due to this I had shoulder strain after the 5th hour of riding in the day. My fix was rotating one hand on the handlebar.
5. Other tools are 15mm small wrench for the pedals/rear nut, hand pump, tire lever and patch kit, a small bottle of cheap all purpose oil, an old sock for a rag (my morning ritual is to wipe dirt from chain with the rag and grease the chain), small multitool with chainbreaker, helmet, two 1 liter bottles (one in front and the other in the pannier), two small usb charging led lights (front and rear) Finally a tiny tiny chain lock (not really secure but mainly for deterrent while having lunch with the bike parked outside. Advantage of a cheap bike is not worrying so much about people stealing it or not able to sell it or bring it home (logistics).
6. That's it. Checked in the panniers with sleeping bag and clothes plus saddle bag with tools. Hand carry the handlebar bag during the flight.

The only sad thing was that I had to leave the bike behind. It breaks my heart even though our time together was only 12 days.

When I got back to Singapore, I discovered there is a Decathlon here (only online store) so I bought another Rockrider 5.0 and I have been riding it here ever since.

 

[LVDWD]

The shifters and gears looks the same. Other than that this is a better bike with aluminium frame and suspension for 70 euros more. The rear rack from Decathlon is sturdy steel and can take lots of punishment.

Here is my evaluation;

1. Without suspension. No loss of power on uphill.
2. Steel. Heavy but pratically unbreakable. A few occasion I was afraid but it came off ok.
3. Rear heavy due to only rear panniers, saddle bag and a handlebar bag. Suffers 2 pinch flat (both rear) over the 12 days. I brought a spare tube but didn't use it but patched the tube instead. Try not to carry more than 8 kg.in the back.
4. Riding position. The best I can adjust but the stem is a little lower than other bikes. Long story short not easy to raise it. Riding gloves relieves the pressure to the hands. Also due to this I had shoulder strain after the 5th hour of riding in the day. My fix was rotating one hand on the handlebar.
5. Other tools are 15mm small wrench for the pedals/rear nut, hand pump, tire lever and patch kit, a small bottle of cheap all purpose oil, an old sock for a rag (my morning ritual is to wipe dirt from chain with the rag and grease the chain), small multitool with chainbreaker, helmet, two 1 liter bottles (one in front and the other in the pannier), two small usb charging led lights (front and rear) Finally a tiny tiny chain lock (not really secure but mainly for deterrent while having lunch with the bike parked outside. Advantage of a cheap bike is not worrying so much about people stealing it or not able to sell it or bring it home (logistics).
6. That's it. Checked in the panniers with sleeping bag and clothes plus saddle bag with tools. Hand carry the handlebar bag during the flight.

The only sad thing was that I had to leave the bike behind. It breaks my heart even though our time together was only 12 days.

When I got back to Singapore, I discovered there is a Decathlon here (only online store) so I bought another Rockrider 5.0 and I have been riding it here ever since.

Thanks for the reply.
Why was the stem hard to raise? Because it was not long enough?
Did you need your led lights? Where they special for the bike?

 

[evanlow]

Stem couldn't be raised. In any case it was something I didn't realized until riding for more than 5 hours on the road For normal everyday riding for an hour or so I don't feel anything. That said it may be only me.

I just brought my lights along. The bike came with cheap lights and not very water resistant. Even though one does not ride at night still needed for bad weather (visibility).

 

[LVDWD]

Stem couldn't be raised. In any case it was something I didn't realized until riding for more than 5 hours on the road For normal everyday riding for an hour or so I don't feel anything. That said it may be only me.

I just brought my lights along. The bike came with cheap lights and not very water resistant. Even though one does not ride at night still needed for bad weather (visibility).

Thanks for all the info. Really appreciate it.

 

[ajloughran]

Hi Tom,
I like your idea of buying a bicycle and selling it at the end.
Can you tell me where you sold the bike and how?
Thanks,
Arthur Loughran

"For what its worth, we've done 6 different Caminos by bike. On four of the
Caminos, we bought bikes from a Decathlon store for 100 to 130 Euro. We've been
able all but once to sell them at the end of the trip for a reasonable price. As
we are well into our 70s, we go slow enough to make renting prohibitively
expensive. The bikes are nothing to write home about, but they made it through 4
to 6 weeks of riding with minimal problems.
Tom"

 

[LVDWD]

Hi Tom,
I like your idea of buying a bicycle and selling it at the end.
Can you tell me where you sold the bike and how?
Thanks,
Arthur Loughran

Arthur not sure that Tom is looking at the forum, I asked a similar ? and got no answer.
I too have been trying to find out how, where and how easy it is to sell a bike in SDC. Since I am going to buy a bike in Bayonne and then ride it to SDC via SJPP.

 

[ajloughran]

Arthur not sure that Tom is looking at the forum, I asked a similar ? and got no answer.
I too have been trying to find out how, where and how easy it is to sell a bike in SDC. Since I am going to buy a bike in Bayonne and then ride it to SDC via SJPP.

Hi,
I came across a Yahoo Group website that might be useful to you. https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/Santiago_Bicicleta/info

It is a private group but it looks like you can subscribe.

Good luck with the trip.

regards,
Arthur Loughran

 

[LVDWD]

Hi,
I came across a Yahoo Group website that might be useful to you. https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/Santiago_Bicicleta/info

It is a private group but it looks like you can subscribe.

Good luck with the trip.

regards,
Arthur Loughran

Thanks for that Arthur. I signed up for that site and got some really great information. That included from one guy a link to tons of high quality pictures of the trail that give you a very good idea of what to expect on a bike on the trail. And he generously is sending me some high quality maps. If you are going to ride the trail its worth signing up for that group. Are you still buying a bike or are you renting and when do you head out. I looked at renting again today from Bicigrino but they are all sold out for my dates. So I am sticking to my original plan of buying one. Arrive in Bayonne on Tuesday and plan to go straight to the Decathalon store to get a bike etc. Still have found no info about selling a bike though.

 

[Saint Mike II]

Hola to all prospective cyclist. As some of you will know I brought my bike from Australia & to be perfectly honest it was a big mistake. Renting for 16-23 days from a major company would be better, unless you really are into cycling.
I started in Pamplona and now in Burgos (rest day) and if someone would please produce an e-book (sorry in English) it would be a great help. I have the French book but French not up to standard & The Cycling Pilgrim, by CSJ, just to basic (imho). Cheers for now SMII

 

[ajloughran]

Thanks for that Arthur. I signed up for that site and got some really great information.

Hi,
Glad it worked for you.
I also signed up but something has gone awry with my registration. Can receive and send emails to the group but cannot access the group resources.
I will now not be going on the Camino this year, waiting until April/May 2016.
I found a very reasonable bile hire shop in Leon (I will be starting in Leon) called "Bikeleon".
The URL is : http://www.caminoleonsantiago.com/
The hire period is 10 days which is ideal for old legs like mine.

Hope all is well.

regards,
Arthur

 

[Saint Mike II]

Hi,
Glad ...
I will now not be going on the Camino this year, waiting until April/May 2016.
I found a very reasonable bile hire shop in Leon (I will be starting in Leon) called "Bikeleon".
The URL is : http://www.caminoleonsantiago.com/
The hire period is 10 days which is ideal for old legs like mine.
Hope all is well.,Arthur

Hola Arthur, as I reported previously I started in Pamplona, 300 km up the road! My only response to starting in Leon is the limited amount of road-time or getting road-fit. Best of luck. One question are carrying your gear or having to transported? Transported will make the roads & hills easier. Cheers

 

[ajloughran]

My only response to starting in Leon is the limited amount of road-time or getting road-fit. Best of luck. One question are carrying your gear or having to transported? Transported will make the roads & hills easier. Cheers

Hi Mike,
Thanks for your feedback.

I presume that by now you have well and truly completed your Camino. Congratulations, I hope you enjoyed most of it if not all.

You will be ruminating on your journey, gather all your stories into a nice happy memory bundle, memories that are destined to entertain your family and friends back home and cheer you up in future reflections.

In reply to your question regarding "transporting my gear" all I can say is that as an ultra example of the much maligned miserly Scotsman, it would break my heart to pay someone to transport my gear. God gave me sweat glands and I intend that they are used to the full .

Take good care,

Arthur

 

[Saint Mike II]

Hola, not quite finished. L am now in Arzua so I have about 35 km to Santiago. I hope to arrive after the crowd has gone into the pilgrims mass and I can have a little time to myself in front of the cathedral.
I will post an extensive report from home in about two weeks. Buen Camino Mike

 

[LVDWD]

To answer the original ? Buy or rent.
Depends really how long you intend to spend on the Camino.
The Camino Frances can easily be done in 3 weeks on a bike. So if you want to just do this cheaper to rent.
If you want to spend a longer time then it might be better to buy.
Heres my experience.
Had planned to walk and also a trip on the way home to Scotland for 3 days which fell through. So had planned a total of six weeks including travel time to and from USA. Could not walk it so decided to bike it. Bought a bike in Bayonne at Decathalon 300 Euro, got a better seat, pannier rack, and stand, so the total was Euro 350.
Rode the bike from Bayonne to SDC and then onto Fistera and Muxia stuck to the trail all the time except when the trail ran by the road, then took the road to avoid the walkers and to avoid saying con permiso. Never had one problem with the bike. Took 20 days to get to SDC with 2 days in Pamploma, Burgos and Leon. Went on to Fistera and Muxia and stayed in SDC for anothe 2 weeks were I needed the bike since I was unable to walk. Sold the bike the day I left to a bike shop on Rua De Nova in SDC for 110 Euros. So in my case better to buy from a financial perspective. Could have done with a lower gear that the new Mtn bikes have 34 teeth versus the 32 that mine had. Plus the shocks on the bike were useless since there was not lock out. And as an aside if you are renting once make sure your get a a bike that has shocks that can be locked out from the handlebars, shocks are useless without that.

 

[Natalie judson]

This post from another site is worth reading

"We've ridden the Via La Plata and Via Portugues on folding bikes that we brought
from home back when the airlines didn't charge an arm & a leg to transport them.
We switched to buying bikes in 2008 when we rode the Norte. Since then we've
used the Decathlon Rockrider bikes on the Via Podensis, Via Sureste, Via
Tolosana, and Via Baiona. We bought the bikes at Decathlon, a French-owned
chain with stores all over Europe. We stayed off the most difficult off-road
paths, but rode then when it wasn't too bad. We spend a lot of time planning
and look for quiet country roads where possible. Here's what the bikes look
like: http://www.decathlon.fr/vtt-rockrider-5 ... 02062.html
Here's one of our blogs about one of the Caminos:
http://cyclingthecaminodenorte.blogspot.com/
Tom"
...
"We Take foldable pannier racks (which fit inside a pannier) and loaded panniers
with us. We've never used mirrors, but we wear bright colours and take a small
lightweight tool kit and tube repair kit. The bikes come with lights. We pack
as light as possible. You can see videos of our Caminos at this link:
http://www.youtube.com/user/AmericanPilgrims
Tom"
...
"For what its worth, we've done 6 different Caminos by bike. On four of the
Caminos, we bought bikes from a Decathlon store for 100 to 130 Euro. We've been
able all but once to sell them at the end of the trip for a reasonable price. As
we are well into our 70s, we go slow enough to make renting prohibitively
expensive. The bikes are nothing to write home about, but they made it through 4
to 6 weeks of riding with minimal problems.
Tom"

Hi Tom,

Could you please tell me which model if bike you bought from decathlon? I am planning in buying a bike from there once arrive. I'm on a tight budget, so I really need as much bang for my buck as possible.

Also, did you ever ride from Saint jean pied de port or Pamplona? I will be on a pretty tight schedule (15 days) to buy the bike and ride the entire way.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

 

[evanlow]

Natalie,

The entry level bike from decathlon was the rockrider 5.0. More info in this thread by me and others.

They may not have the model anymore and the next level up may be closer to 200 euro. Budget another 20 euro for the rear rack.

Someone mentioned in this thread the closest Decathlon to SJPDP is at Bayonne.

Check the Decathlon France site to see what models they have and if they are available at that location for your size.

There is also a Decathlon in Pamplona. Probably better to start in Pamplona for the convenience and your time allowance.

Cheers...

 

[LVDWD]

Agree with Evanlow better to buy in Pamploma given your time constraints. Bought mine in Bayonne and rode to SJPP (tough first day). You can get a bike at Decathalon for 199 Euro at least that was the price last year. But its has gearing that will make it hard work up the many hills. You can get one with better but not great gearing for another 100 Euro. Both are really heavy bikes. In your case with only 15 days you would be way better off renting especially when you consider you will need panniers and a rack for the panniers. And you will get a way better bike with better gearing. Plus you are going to have to spend a day getting and setting up the bike. The rental bike you should be able to "get and go". Selling the bike at the end will also take time, and you are unlikely to get a lot of your investment back. I sold mine to a bike shop for 125 Euros after paying a total of 350 Euros (I was happy with that). The pawn shop would have given me 50 Euros. 15 days from Pamploma is definitely doable, think I took 21 days from Bayonne with 2 days in each of 3 of the major cities. And from Pamploma on the Meseta you will make rapid time as you will be riding a lot on the road which parallels the walkers trail for much of the way (no point being on the trail in this case since you are just a nuisance to the walkers that you and they do not need).

 

[Natalie judson]

Hey guys,

Thank you for your reply. I understand all the reasons why it would be easier to hire a bike, but from what I have seen it seems pretty expensive. Do any of you know where i could get a good deal for two weeks hire? I am trying to keep the cost of my pilgrimage as low as possible, as I have limited funds. My thinking was if I bought a bike (which was cheaper than the hiring i have seen), then I could also recoup some of the money once I'm finished with it.

Another thing that I need some advice on is whether to start in Pamplona or Roncesvalles? I don't want to start in JPDP, as I think it would be too much in such a short time. I have been thinking about Roncesvalles though, I guess it's because I kind of feel like I'm cheating if I start in Pamplona - I'm not even sure why I think like that..?

My flight actual flies into Biarritz so I would need to get from there to my starting point. I had it in my mind that Pamplona would be the best place to buy the bike, although I know that there is also a Decathlon close to Bayonne - I'm just not sure how I would get me and my bike from either of those places to Roncesvalles, if I decides to start there. (Obviously if I started from Pamplona there wouldn't be an issue).

So to narrow my questions down -

- What's the cheapest price for a two week bike hire?

- Is it really necessary to start from Roncesvalles? Will it add anything to the experience (other than miles)/will I miss out on anything?

-If I were to start there, how would I get there with my bike (from Pamplona or Bayonne).

- is a mountain bike necessary? I usually ride a hybrid (Carrera Subway 2). I ride it on tracks, roads, forest, from between 20 and 60 mîles. I have had it for 3 years and ride it a lot ..And it's still in one piece.

-how much stuff do I really need to take for two weeks on a bike? I want to keep my weight down as much as possible.

..sorry for all of the questions and thank you in advance.

 

[LVDWD]

Not sure about the price to rent, but, when you take into account the short time you plan (15days), the need for pannier, and the problems of buying getting the bike to your starting point then for the extra money if it is extra it would be worth it. Lots of places to compare just google bike rental camino de frances. Just looked and at Bike Iberia you can get a bike for 250 Euros for 2 weeks with all thats needed. Min cost of bike with Rack (no panniers) around 225 Euros. So for 25 Euro extra you get all you need. And none of the hastle. This assumes of course you would not be able to sell it at the end of the trip.
You will miss out on a pretty decent down hill ride if you do not start from Roncevalles. But there are plenty of others to go at. If you start from Pamploma the rental or buying will be much easier to deal with.
Getting your bike there would be a bit of a logistical problem. You can take a bike on the buses but even that can be a problem since they might demand that you have it in a cardboard box or bike bag. Another reason to start from Pamploma. This happened to me once after having no problems putting it on 3 other buses when I made side trips from Santiago; in the end got it on the bus with the aid of a Spaniard who got some cardboard and helped me box it up.
If you plan to ride the trails then you need a mountain bike with the lowest granny gear that you can get; another reason to rent; the cheapest Decathalon bike is 199 Euro and the gearing is really poor, just not enough teeth on the back sprocket. There are some pretty steep hills and not all of them are necessarily on the trail. And you will probably still do lots of pushing. I tried to ride the trails all the way, out of some false sense of pride!!! In the end I decided that I would take the easiest route after getting fed up with the hard climbs.

Plan on having to carry about 20lbs. I had the bare min and including the weight of the panniers had around that. Rain gear is essential, along with warm gloves. I had to buy a pair of warm gloves since biking gloves did not do the job even though I had great weather. Lots of advice on here re gear. If you want I will post you the list what I had. As well as the obvious you will need some tools and spare tubes etc. I also took my own clip in pedals and biking shoes which make things a lot easier for me.

 

[LVDWD]

Hey guys,

Thank you for your reply. I understand all the reasons why it would be easier to hire a bike, but from what I have seen it seems pretty expensive. Do any of you know where i could get a good deal for two weeks hire? I am trying to keep the cost of my pilgrimage as low as possible, as I have limited funds. My thinking was if I bought a bike (which was cheaper than the hiring i have seen), then I could also recoup some of the money once I'm finished with it.

Another thing that I need some advice on is whether to start in Pamplona or Roncesvalles? I don't want to start in JPDP, as I think it would be too much in such a short time. I have been thinking about Roncesvalles though, I guess it's because I kind of feel like I'm cheating if I start in Pamplona - I'm not even sure why I think like that..?

My flight actual flies into Biarritz so I would need to get from there to my starting point. I had it in my mind that Pamplona would be the best place to buy the bike, although I know that there is also a Decathlon close to Bayonne - I'm just not sure how I would get me and my bike from either of those places to Roncesvalles, if I decides to start there. (Obviously if I started from Pamplona there wouldn't be an issue).

So to narrow my questions down -

- What's the cheapest price for a two week bike hire?

- Is it really necessary to start from Roncesvalles? Will it add anything to the experience (other than miles)/will I miss out on anything?

-If I were to start there, how would I get there with my bike (from Pamplona or Bayonne).

- is a mountain bike necessary? I usually ride a hybrid (Carrera Subway 2). I ride it on tracks, roads, forest, from between 20 and 60 mîles. I have had it for 3 years and ride it a lot ..And it's still in one piece.

-how much stuff do I really need to take for two weeks on a bike? I want to keep my weight down as much as possible.

..sorry for all of the questions and thank you in advance.

Forgot to say re the its feels like cheating, that was my attitude when I did it. However on reflection its and attitude that brought me a lot of grief, no one else cares where you start of whether you take the road or the trails. Do what you can and enjoy the ride, no need to punish yourself.

 

[Natalie judson]

T

Not sure about the price to rent, but, when you take into account the short time you plan (15days), the need for pannier, and the problems of buying getting the bike to your starting point then for the extra money if it is extra it would be worth it. Lots of places to compare just google bike rental camino de frances. Just looked and at Bike Iberia you can get a bike for 250 Euros for 2 weeks with all thats needed. Min cost of bike with Rack (no panniers) around 225 Euros. So for 25 Euro extra you get all you need. And none of the hastle. This assumes of course you would not be able to sell it at the end of the trip.
You will miss out on a pretty decent down hill ride if you do not start from Roncevalles. But there are plenty of others to go at. If you start from Pamploma the rental or buying will be much easier to deal with.
Getting your bike there would be a bit of a logistical problem. You can take a bike on the buses but even that can be a problem since they might demand that you have it in a cardboard box or bike bag. Another reason to start from Pamploma. This happened to me once after having no problems putting it on 3 other buses when I made side trips from Santiago; in the end got it on the bus with the aid of a Spaniard who got some cardboard and helped me box it up.
If you plan to ride the trails then you need a mountain bike with the lowest granny gear that you can get; another reason to rent; the cheapest Decathalon bike is 199 Euro and the gearing is really poor, just not enough teeth on the back sprocket. There are some pretty steep hills and not all of them are necessarily on the trail. And you will probably still do lots of pushing. I tried to ride the trails all the way, out of some false sense of pride!!! In the end I decided that I would take the easiest route after getting fed up with the hard climbs.

Plan on having to carry about 20lbs. I had the bare min and including the weight of the panniers had around that. Rain gear is essential, along with warm gloves. I had to buy a pair of warm gloves since biking gloves did not do the job even though I had great weather. Lots of advice on here re gear. If you want I will post you the list what I had. As well as the obvious you will need some tools and spare tubes etc. I also took my own clip in pedals and biking shoes which make things a lot easier for me.

Thank you so much for taking the time to give me all of this advice, it's much appreciated.

I will Google the hire places and see what is the best price. Like I said previously, hiring would be so much easier.

If the ride from Roncesvalles is down hill, then would it be so difficult? ..but then as you mentioned, it could be difficult trying to get there.

It would be great if you could send me your list. As for gloves, I have some that seem pretty decent.. I've been wearing them for the last few days in wind, rain and snow on a 40 and 30 mile ride and they have kept me dry and warm. They're water and wind resistant ..but after reading this, I'm now unsure about them.

Another question I forgot to mention earlier - how many people actually ride the camino? Am I likely to be close to or around other people on the cycle route? Is it easy/close enough to head back onto the walking route if I feel uncomfortable? I will be traveling in April and I've heard that it's a quieter time. I'm slightly concerned about being totally isolated, especially on long stretches where there are no towns or anything.
Also, i probably won't be staying in touch or meeting the same people along the way, so i probably wouldnt have anyone to "check in with" or to notice if anything happened.. (sorry, it's quite difficult to put into words, plus it's not really nice to think of these things, but it has to be done).

Thanks

 

[Saint Mike II]

Hola Natalie - if you see my post above you will know that I brought my own bike from Australia (but never again). If you are aiming for a 15 day camino then it really is (effectively) cheap to hire. Bike Iberia has probably the best reputation - they will supply a hybrid style bike suitable for most of the camino; it will have a rack and panniers can also be hired if need be. I think they also include some bike repair supplies (but you can update and there a good bike shops in just about every town in Spain). I started in Pamplona - it was just easier and from what I have read I don't think you can hire starting in Roncevalles. As for route - well day one out Pamplona up the Alto del Perdon is very tough ( I chose the road to come down). From Puente la Reina onwards you just have pick your way and be prepared to get off and walk. From Burgos all the way to Rabanal del Camino you can follow the walkers camino (although it was a bit rough 5-7 km east of Astroga). After Rabanal you may want to follow the road - especially on those down-hill sections. But again this is up to you. I support rest days - say one in Burgos and one in Leon. Whilst I took it easy I think you can do Burgos to Leon in under 4 days which gives you the extra time. From Rabanal, following the road (most of the way) to Santiago can be down in 4 days also (if you need too). Good luck.

 

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[Peregrinopaul]

I haven't read the whole thread, as most posts are quite old, so I'm not sure if I may be repeating others.
I have tried all three options, renting, flying with a bike from Australia, and buying secondhand in France for the CF.
For my fourth camino (VdlP) I am hiring again from Triana backpackers, who charge well under 300 euros for a fully equipped mountain bike, (new, or near-new). I think they charge 30E for delivery anywhere in Spain. I highly recommend them.