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I use an ebike on the Camino and take it on trains and I prefer to use the rustic trails and not the highway.
I don't see why this should be a problem for anyone. The Camino trail is a public route and open to anyone. Many Spanish cyclists use it, and since it's their country, who can tell...
Great post, that's exactly how I feel as well now that my walking days are mostly behind me. I used a pushbike for two years and then switched to an ebike, and it's fantastic. I did the Primitivo last year and it was wonderful . . . I could hever have managed it as a walker, and as for a...
I used a Decathlon Rockrider 520 hybrid pushbike for 2 years and did the Porugese Caminos, the VDP and Ruta de Lana as well as the Frances. The VDP and Lana are fine but there are some hills I found quite tough, so I used the train to bypass them. The CF is tough after Astorga, I found. But...
This is absurd, not at all a problem. The fact is that people cycle in pedestrian streets all the time. If you prefer not to do that, you can walk with the bike to the main street and off you go.
I've taken pushbikes on trains in Portugal and Spain and an ebike in Spain, not in Portugal.
My experience is this: unless you use the slow Media Distancia (MD) trains in Spain you'll need a bike bag (Decathlon, 60 euro). The bike needs a ticket and the train conductor gets the final say on...
MTB. No very serious hills on either route (of course you'd use the road for O Cebreiro etc and be happy to do a bit of pushing on occasion). One factor is getting an ebike on a Spanish train. It can be done but it's best avoided imo. The Porto to Santiago coastal is the best pushbike trail...
I used a regular MTB for two years and I'd've stuck with it if I could. But it depends on which Camino you do ... The VDP and Portuguese are easy, the meseta is perfect, but I was able to do the Primitivo and Salvador this year with the ebike and there would've been no way for me to do either...
I want to congratulate you on the courage to do what you propose, on the strength of will it must require do take on an adventure that most people of your (my, our, any) age would balk at, and on the wisdom of choosing an ebike for the purpose.
I started walking the Camino at 67, 7 years...
I do the Camino often, being retired, and for three years I've stored my bike in Spain, in storage lockers or with friendly hospitaleros in albergues. I bought the bike in Decathlon, and I also bought the 50 euro bag required for trains other than the short-distance MD.
If you really want to save you might consider buying a cheap hybrid from Decathlon (the Rockrider range can all handle the VDP on trail and road). Then sell it on Wallapop when you reach Santiago.
The VDP is the perfect cycling Camino. I've done in twice and used trains on and off, and these would be my suggestions:
1. The Media Distancia trains
take assembled bikes, usually.
But they're infrequent and go
short distances.
2. The others take bikes only if...
My suggestion: go to Decathlon, buy a cheap bike (eg Rockrider ST 100), and Decathlon's bike bag (50 euro). Then you can take the bike apart, put it in the bag and take it on the coach no bother. At the other end, assemble bike and ride the trail with your friends. The ST 100 can easily...
I was going to sell the 250 euro decathlon bike on Wallapop (not Idealista) by putting an ad in a week before I got to Santiago. But I became so attached to it I couldn't part with it, and I have it still. But it always annoys me to meet people who've been charged more than the bike is worth...
After, I think ... The problem is the walkers who've been led to believe that the Meseta is boring, and who hire bikes they can't handle at eye-watering prices from unscrupulous bike shops. In fact the magical Meseta is loved by all enlightened walkers and by all cyclists without exception, for...
I know that downhill and it's a real blast, I wouldn't miss it. Next to the superb (road) downhill it's the best fun on the Camino. The gravel and stone on the Casterojeriz hills makes it a real challenge.
I'd recommend the Coastal Camino. It's safer than the Eurovelo route because there's less road and more trail, it's flat, and it's beautiful to cycle on the boardwalk beside the sea.
Spain has generous margins for road cyclists. Portugal doesn't. Spanish drivers respect the 1.5 meter bike...
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