mungodelics
New Member
- Time of past OR future Camino
- Camino frances (2016)
For 2024 Pilgrims: €50,- donation = 1 year with no ads on the forum + 90% off any 2024 Guide. More here. (Discount code sent to you by Private Message after your donation) |
---|
Buy or rent the best bike you can afford. Nearly the entire path is good riding.
You don't need a guide, just follow the arrows. Any walkers guide can help with accommodation, but a map is all we ever used, along with a historical and cultural guide.
https://www.caminodesantiago.me/com...g-various-caminos-good-better-and-best.16273/
Hi Mungo - if you intend to cycle the Camino rather than the roads then any Camino guide will do as the only difference between you and a walking pilgrim is daily distance.
Getting your bike is a little more difficult - where will you start? what will you do with it when you finish?
You could say that "good cheap" bike is an oxymoron .. cheap bikes are cheap bikes - that said, if you are not racing along like a mount biker and don't mind quite a lot of hard work it doesn't really matter - the thing is, you could do it on a 30 year old heavy steel hub 3-speed if you wanted to.
Those old roadster had steel wheel rims with steel spokes and strong tyres. Sure, they are heavy but they are strong and these are the most common bikes used in the third world - sometimes carrying huge loads, over unpaved rough roads and sometimes over long distances - you don't 'need' a sophisticated expensive bike, what you 'need' is a strong bike.
Sure, you would do a lot of pushing up the hills but so what? If you bought a cheap old 2ndhand basic bike you could just give it away when you finish
There is a real pleasure in riding a good light, multi-geared, bike but it isn't necessary if money is tight ..
Here is a bike taxi in Burundi ...(he has a bell!!)
View attachment 17419
and this is a fully loaded single speed working bike .....
View attachment 17420
My point being that if it doesn't matter to you you could just buy a cheap bike wherever you start from - there are always bicycles for sale, everywhere.
and the American farmers at Bunker Hill whipped the British Redcoats in spite of the spiffy outfits.
Photo please Jenny.Hi mungodelics -
The title of your thread - Biking the Camino in 2016 - really sparked my interest as Saint Mike II from here on the Forum and I are doing exactly the same thing in September this year. We're cycling from Pamplona out to Finisterre and the question of whether to buy a bike, at, say, Decathlon in Pamplona, rent a bike (hugely expensive) or bring our own bikes from Australia has been on our minds for many months. Like you we want to be on those magical paths themselves as much as we can rather than the road.
I've decided (Mike's making a decision after Easter) to bring my own bike from home. Last week, after much research, I bought a beautiful Giant brand womens' mountain bike (second cheapest in the range but it will more than serve my purposes for what I hope will be years of training and many caminos) which is my Camino dream bike - it looks like a mack truck compared to the road and racing bikes which I see all the time near where I live in Sydney, but it rides like an absolute dream. It was properly fitted for me and was kitted up with all the extras I'll need for the bike camino by the bike shop and everything's perfect. As a relatively new cyclist this bike has given me a lot of confidence and I know it will get me from Pamplona right out to Finisterre on this camino - riding safely is my responsibility of course but I have a great bike, which is heavy duty and it's a bike that will be durable. I still have to buy a bike bag for air travel and the train travel within Spain but they're readily available and I know I'll be able to get something suitable. The air travel and train travel part, ie. getting the bike to Pamplona is going to be somewhat an adventure in itself but the bike is going to be properly packed up by the bike shop before I leave so I'm hopeful that all's going to be fine there.
I've come to the conclusion that having my own bike which I will have trained on for about 5 months by the time I leave was the way to go.
While posting, I'd like to acknowledge the excellent advice given by both David and newfydog on other threads relating to bikes here on the Forum. Their knowledge and their willingness to share it has been instrumental to me in making my decision, which I know is the right one. Thank you very much David and newfydog - I'm so grateful to you both.
Cheers mungodelics and Buen Camino - Jenny
Apart from "get the best bike you can" - which is obviously true! I have to disagree old chap. I am a fair bike mechanic. I used to run long distance cycle rides for charity. I remember a chap on the Bordeaux to Barcelona at 74 years old on a Sturmey Archer three speed, steel roadster with steel mudguards, who daily 'beat' the wannabee racing cyclists on their mountain bikes (the road racers always came in first) because he knew about cadence and pacing himself and how to ride, whereas they burnt themselves out in a couple of hours. On one of our Lands End to John-o-Groats we had a chap on an ordinary - a late 19th century 'penny farthing' iron framed bike with solid tyres who did the distance (though he always came in very late each day and found it hard having to both walk up and walk down the hills!!). Of course in the third world those bikes are falling to pieces - they don't have the money for the tools nor the spares nor have the training to repair - of course you will find so many of them clapped out - but -
You are American? I would refer you to the Viet Cong in Vietnam who continuously re-supplied themselves by carrying ammunition, weapons, food, medical supplies, etc, on those very types of 'cheap' bicycles over a couple of thousands of miles of secret paths from the far north to the combat zones over terribly difficult unpaved terrain, for some years - I may be wrong but my memory is that their inadequate tyres and their garbage bikes overwhelmingly beat your hi-tec approach to the war?
I would also point out that since the invention of the roadster, the single or hub three-speed heavy steel bikes, those garbage bikes with their inadequate tyres, seen above and known by all peoples of the world since the beginning of the last century, that that design has served the world quite adequately until the quite recent explosion of the first-world cash rich hobby cyclist and their flying machines.
Mind you - I have a really low geared 24 speed aluminium framed light bike with pannier frames fore and aft and the fattest padded gel saddle that an elephant would sigh with comfort on
Hi mungodelics -
The title of your thread - Biking the Camino in 2016 - really sparked my interest as Saint Mike II from here on the Forum and I are doing exactly the same thing in September this year. We're cycling from Pamplona out to Finisterre and the question of whether to buy a bike, at, say, Decathlon in Pamplona, rent a bike (hugely expensive) or bring our own bikes from Australia has been on our minds for many months. Like you we want to be on those magical paths themselves as much as we can rather than the road.
I've decided (Mike's making a decision after Easter) to bring my own bike from home. Last week, after much research, I bought a beautiful Giant brand womens' mountain bike (second cheapest in the range but it will more than serve my purposes for what I hope will be years of training and many caminos) which is my Camino dream bike - it looks like a mack truck compared to the road and racing bikes which I see all the time near where I live in Sydney, but it rides like an absolute dream. It was properly fitted for me and was kitted up with all the extras I'll need for the bike camino by the bike shop and everything's perfect. As a relatively new cyclist this bike has given me a lot of confidence and I know it will get me from Pamplona right out to Finisterre on this camino - riding safely is my responsibility of course but I have a great bike, which is heavy duty and it's a bike that will be durable. I still have to buy a bike bag for air travel and the train travel within Spain but they're readily available and I know I'll be able to get something suitable. The air travel and train travel part, ie. getting the bike to Pamplona is going to be somewhat an adventure in itself but the bike is going to be properly packed up by the bike shop before I leave so I'm hopeful that all's going to be fine there.
I've come to the conclusion that having my own bike which I will have trained on for about 5 months by the time I leave was the way to go.
While posting, I'd like to acknowledge the excellent advice given by both David and newfydog on other threads relating to bikes here on the Forum. Their knowledge and their willingness to share it has been instrumental to me in making my decision, which I know is the right one. Thank you very much David and newfydog - I'm so grateful to you both.
Cheers mungodelics and Buen Camino - Jenny
Photo please Jenny.
Jane and I hope to be in Santiago in September for a short Camino, either a section of the Portuguese Coastal or the Ingles from A Coruna, which was where many Irish pilgrims walked from after taking a boat from Ireland. Maybe we will meet up if the Gods ordain.
Hi mungodelics -
The title of your thread - Biking the Camino in 2016 - really sparked my interest as Saint Mike II from here on the Forum and I are doing exactly the same thing in September this year. We're cycling from Pamplona out to Finisterre and the question of whether to buy a bike, at, say, Decathlon in Pamplona, rent a bike (hugely expensive) or bring our own bikes from Australia has been on our minds for many months. Like you we want to be on those magical paths themselves as much as we can rather than the road.
I've decided (Mike's making a decision after Easter) to bring my own bike from home. Last week, after much research, I bought a beautiful Giant brand womens' mountain bike (second cheapest in the range but it will more than serve my purposes for what I hope will be years of training and many caminos) which is my Camino dream bike - it looks like a mack truck compared to the road and racing bikes which I see all the time near where I live in Sydney, but it rides like an absolute dream. It was properly fitted for me and was kitted up with all the extras I'll need for the bike camino by the bike shop and everything's perfect. As a relatively new cyclist this bike has given me a lot of confidence and I know it will get me from Pamplona right out to Finisterre on this camino - riding safely is my responsibility of course but I have a great bike, which is heavy duty and it's a .bike that will be durable. I still have to buy a bike bag for air travel and the train travel within Spain but they're readily available and I know I'll be able to get something suitable. The air travel and train travel part, ie. getting the bike to Pamplona is going to be somewhat an adventure in itself but the bike is going to be properly packed up by the bike shop before I leave so I'm hopeful that all's going to be fine there.
I've come to the conclusion that having my own bike which I will have trained on for about 5 months by the time I leave was the way to go.
While posting, I'd like to acknowledge the excellent advice given by both David and newfydog on other threads relating to bikes here on the Forum. Their knowledge and their willingness to share it has been instrumental to me in making my decision, which I know is the right one. Thank you very much David and newfydog - I'm so grateful to you both.
Cheers mungodelics and Buen Camino - Jenny
You just don't get it, do you? Those bikes are nice antiques, but I would no more recommend them than suggest getting to Spain in a steamer or horse and buggy, walking barefoot or in old leather sandals, carrying a cotton canvass raincoat and sleeping on the ground along the way. Sure it can be done, has been done. Go on those bikes if you like, but most would enjoy the trip more if they use the better gear available today available.
Hi Pat -Photo please Jenny.
Jane and I hope to be in Santiago in September for a short Camino, either a section of the Portuguese Coastal or the Ingles from A Coruna, which was where many Irish pilgrims walked from after taking a boat from Ireland. Maybe we will meet up if the Gods ordain.
Thanks jenny! you've certainly given me some food for thought in regards to bringing my bike from home. Good luck on your ride. I'm hopeful of being able to finish in finisterre also. We plan on going from SJPP to Finisterre. I am so looking forward to having that wonderful spanish sun on my back once more
mungodelics, Today at 1:26 AM Report
Cheers mungodelics! Once we've completed our bike camino I'll put a post up on this thread to let you know how it all went - particularly to let you know the practicalities of bringing the bikes from Australia. You're braver than I am starting at SJPP - it's a pretty gnarly start!
There's nothing like the wonderful Spanish sun, is there? And there's nothing in this world, absolutely nothing, that beats being on the Camino.
Cheers, Jenny
"
Seems one cannot teach a newfydog old tricks -it
Hola David - I seem to recall seeing photos of the French Army on bikes similar to these, they also sent another part of their army to the Western (actually East of Paris) Front in black taxis. As for a photo of Jenny - well I have seen one of the bike but it was sans rider in lycra??? However we should be able to organise (maybe one of both of us). (and no this is not a 1st April comment!!)oops; Here are two Australian soldiers in 1917 on "garbage cheap bikes with too narrow tyres" certainly not good enough for the Camino - just the first World War.
View attachment 17433
So does the owner David!That bike of Jennie's really looks like it wants to go NOW!
Cheers mungodelics! Good on you for tackling the St Jean to Pamplona part. I agree with you about your hopes that this will be the first of many caminos - I feel exactly the same way.Awesome jenny! The start is filling me with a bit of fear but the mountain is there so why not go over it? Hopefully this will be first of many caminos
Naturally Mike we will need to be wearing said lycra, cycling sunnies and also our Camino buffs, then we'll look really cool! I won't have my helmet on for the photo though ... helmet hair ... aargh!Hola David - I seem to recall seeing photos of the French Army on bikes similar to these, they also sent another part of their army to the Western (actually East of Paris) Front in black taxis. As for a photo of Jenny - well I have seen one of the bike but it was sans rider in lycra??? However we should be able to organise (maybe one of both of us). (and no this is not a 1st April comment!!)
Cheers Pat! It does have some serious grunt! Let me tell you! I think it could have been a tractor in a former life ...That is a beast of a bike Jenny.
Our dates are completely open, we are just sort of forward planning a bit, we have the camper trip to France/Spain/Portugal from 18th May to 24th June, then we are talking about a short Camino in Sept but no dates set as yet. We don't want to tempt the Gods.
David - I seem to recall that we had bikes in Oz (back in early 1960's) that looked very similar to the one in your picture. If I recall correctly they were made by Malvin Star (an Australian Company that sponsored some of our international cyclists in the period between WW1 & WW2). But you are right - they were very heavy; lousy brakes and did not steer all that well in the wet. The mudguards did go some way to stop road water getting on you legs etc."You just don't get it, do you?" Steady now. Keep calm. I thought that people were entitled to have differing points of view. If you actually read my posts you will see I recommend a modern bike and I also let folk know what sort of bike I ride, a lightweight aluminium framed 24 speed - my point is that one could go on Camino on any old bike and I stand by that.
Those old styles of bikes can still be purchased brand new, and are currently used by tens of thousands of cyclists in Europe - and, yes, you can definitely do the Camino on one.
We have them in the UK but an American company named Linus sell them - like this ... hub three speed, steel mudguards, swept back bars - a beautiful machine and I say again, you can do the Camino on one, or an older 2nd hand version. Buen Camino - however you do it
Mungodelics, you have 3 alternatives:
- buy used in France on olx.fr or equivalent classifieds website;
- rent bike;
- take your own.
One important thing that is not yet clear: do you regularly ride a bike? in all terrains?
I venture that you do, as you want to do the actual camino rather than cycletour around it.
If you have your own bike and ride regularly all 3 options are accessible.
If you are not used to riding a bike, even with a mountain bike you won't take full advantage and ride less and walk more.
In this case, having someone help you with choosing and setting up your bike is best, so the first option would be a challenge.
I'd venture to say the best option for more confort and less chances of hassle when riding is to get the bike well set up and well ridden at home then ship it to the start of the camino (or take it with you on flight). More logistics work and planning at first though. Price wise it'd be about the same as renting a bike for 3 weeks if sent be sea, or about half if sent by sea. Don't know about prices for taking it with you on flight.
If you go for a bike rental service check very well what is and isn't included, such as accessories, insurance, etc.
Hi all
I'm planning on cycling the camino in may 2016 and was hoping if anyone had any recommendations for guides to research with... i have a cicerone guide that deals mainly the road path but i intend on riding the trail. Also any tips on where to obtain a good cheap bike to do the camino with.
cheers guys
the first people to take credit for the mountain bike craze claim to have conquered steeps and narrows in the past two decades, the REAL first mountain bikers conquered the West 100 years ago. And they weren't white males with a median age of 40 and a median income of $50,000. They were 20 black men on soldiers' wages
"
What is this thrall to expensive modern things?
Seems one cannot teach a newfydog old tricks -
Hi Mungo - if you intend to cycle the Camino rather than the roads then any Camino guide will do as the only difference between you and a walking pilgrim is daily distance.
Getting your bike is a little more difficult - where will you start? what will you do with it when you finish?
You could say that "good cheap" bike is an oxymoron .. cheap bikes are cheap bikes - that said, if you are not racing along like a mount biker and don't mind quite a lot of hard work it doesn't really matter - the thing is, you could do it on a 30 year old heavy steel hub 3-speed if you wanted to.
Those old roadster had steel wheel rims with steel spokes and strong tyres. Sure, they are heavy but they are strong and these are the most common bikes used in the third world - sometimes carrying huge loads, over unpaved rough roads and sometimes over long distances - you don't 'need' a sophisticated expensive bike, what you 'need' is a strong bike.
Sure, you would do a lot of pushing up the hills but so what? If you bought a cheap old 2ndhand basic bike you could just give it away when you finish
There is a real pleasure in riding a good light, multi-geared, bike but it isn't necessary if money is tight ..
Here is a bike taxi in Burundi ...(he has a bell!!)
View attachment 17419
and this is a fully loaded single speed working bike .....
View attachment 17420
My point being that if it doesn't matter to you you could just buy a cheap bike wherever you start from - there are always bicycles for sale, everywhere.
We did the camino on crappy bikes and ended up walking half the way or taking the highway because of rocks, mud, water, brick surfaces, stairs. I intend to buy a moderately lightweight bike so 1. I can actually ride up hills with a 500% gear range 50T cassette and with suspension on the rear to save my aching bum. If you enjoy walking and pushing a 40lb wheel barrow that is your choice. I choose not to suffer so much again."You just don't get it, do you?" Steady now. Keep calm. I thought that people were entitled to have differing points of view. If you actually read my posts you will see I recommend a modern bike and I also let folk know what sort of bike I ride, a lightweight aluminium framed 24 speed - my point is that one could go on Camino on any old bike and I stand by that.
Those old styles of bikes can still be purchased brand new, and are currently used by tens of thousands of cyclists in Europe - and, yes, you can definitely do the Camino on one.
We have them in the UK but an American company named Linus sell them - like this ... hub three speed, steel mudguards, swept back bars - a beautiful machine and I say again, you can do the Camino on one, or an older 2ndhand version.
View attachment 17444
Incidentally, I don't fly (they fall out of the sky you know, as well as being the worst polluters we have on the planet) - so I am all for steamers and horses and buggies (the Amish seem to get by) and also see absolutely nothing wrong with walking barefoot or wearing old sandals, or taking a cotton raincoat, or sleeping on the ground (preferably with a sleeping mat). When I visit people I always ignore the bed they give me and sleep on the floor in my sleeping bag, just as I am.
What is this thrall to expensive modern things? It is pleasant to spend vast amounts of money on modern things, I'm sure, but isn't necessary you know. Until quite recently mountaineers went up wearing old boots, tweed suits and silk underwear, a trilby on their head and a lit pipe sticking out of one side of their mouth.
Seems one cannot teach a newfydog old tricks -
Buen Camino - however you do it
We did the camino on crappy bikes and ended up walking half the way or taking the highway because of rocks, mud, water, brick surfaces, stairs. I intend to buy a moderately lightweight bike so 1. I can actually ride up hills with a 500% gear range 50T cassette and with suspension on the rear to save my aching bum. If you enjoy walking and pushing a 40lb wheel barrow that is your choice. I choose not to suffer so much again.
hmmm ... Certainly a most hirsute nun!... ah, consumer fethisits - you gotta love them
We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:
Do you accept cookies and these technologies?
We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:
Do you accept cookies and these technologies?