camino frances on bike--actual trail vs. road alternates; app vs. maps

[gringodevil]

Greetings Bicigrinos,
Leaving on Monday and have some last (many!) minute questions:
Scrolling through varied posts below, it sounds like some parts of the Frances trail are impassable (or unpleasant) for cyclists, and you are carrying your bike for prolonged periods while navigating stairs etc.. Do any of the veteran bicigrinos have info or itineraries or google map-type sources advising you when you are best served to leave the actual trail and take a road alternative for those sections?

Does anyone have any thoughts on a road alternative to actual camino that parallels it, stops at the same cities, but where you can make better time on your bike--maybe that would involve a camino other than Frances?

On Mar 28/April 1, which from the population charts would indicate is at the start of the high season, or a wee bit before, would a cyclist be better served taking a parallel road route to make better time and use one's bell less?

On the same line of thought, from what I have gleaned, I see there is an app or two on the camino frances, on the bicigrino site there apparently is a google map, and I found some Trailsmart app in a forum--does anyone have any personal recommendations on what they have used tech-wise on mobile (apps, google maps or maps.me, etc.) if you didn't want to carry a bunch of maps, and ideally, (going to earlier question) something that would show the more bike-friendly road alternatives/work arounds? and (now I'm asking a lot) that would show your current position on the map with that friendly blue dot?

Muchisimas Gracias!

 

[Freakinjollyguide]

Hey GringoDevil,
Great question that I have also been asking myself. I'd love to hear from some of the veterans on this.
I am leaving from Pamplona on April 2 so we might see each other on the trail.
For what's it's worth, here's what I have found. The Spanish and the French guide books for biking El Camino do not always agree on which portions to avoid or the alternatives. The app Buen Camino has bike alternatives and it doesn't always agree with either the French or Spanish guide! So it seems like a bit of a choose your own adventure. I am planning on sticking closer to the French guide and see what each guide considers doable as we go along.

 

[William Marques]

This is my opinion and others may disagree. In the mountains such as the Pyrenees or Montes de Leon stick to the quiet mountain roads. On the flat land between Pamplona and Sarria use the path if weather conditions allow and if there is not a quiet country road running parallel which there often is. After Sarria stick to the roads which are quiet until Palas de Rei due to the number of walkers on the path. Just out of Pamplona we cycled/pushed our bikes up the Alto de Perdon and took the road down into Puente la Reina.

I would not worry to much about maps we had a couple of Michelins and followed the walkers. Guidebooks such as Brierley's are useful for historic and background information.

 

[Freakinjollyguide]

Thanks, William. That's helpful information.

 

[Saint Mike II]

Hola @gringo - I cycled from Pamplona to Santiago in Sept 2015 and followed the Camino for around 500/550 km of the 650 km I rode (I also did 60 km on the train - weather related). If you search back through this section of the forum you should find my full report - and also that of newfydog. The Michelin guide is probably the best for cyclists - it provides extra details on the minor roads that parallel the walkers Camino. If you have the Brierley guide - it is generally useful for finding an albergue. Cheers

 

[newfydog]

An avid mountain biker can do virtually the entire route and enjoy it. It is not all that tough, but it is not for everyone. An inexperienced rider on an overloaded bike would find greater enjoyment and safety for themselves and others by detouring the rougher sections. You need to figure out what works for you.

 

[gringodevil]

Thanks William, Saint Mike, newfydog, and FJ guide--great info.
I have a titanium roadbike, carbon forks, 32mm tires with decent tread, about 10K of gear, and plenty of mountain bike experience. I have no worries about dirt, but sustained cobble stone could be unpleasant and cause some (additional) dain bramage.

William, Saint Mike, newfydog--Were any of you riding a roadbike with tires of that size? I was looking at one of your accounts (Newfy) that I thought they were on a roadbike.

FJ Guide--so three different sources say 3 different things--what a surprise! I can't parlaiz vouz, so it's either the spanish guide or the buen camino app. Depending on my success with logistics, I may bounce into you somewhere on the road.

William, I like your strategy--that may be the cunning plan...I'm assuming I could find those Michelin maps in Madrid or Pamplona.

Anyone have experience with other apps or mobile-based maps?

 

[Saint Mike II]

@gringo - no my bike had full "off-road" tyres = 45-50mm knoblies . I found them ok for virtually all surfaces, even climbing the Alto del Perdon and all across the meseta. With those narrow tyres you will need to take a diversion around the that climb out of Pamplona & avoid the old roman bridge - just west of Cirauqui and off course the really rough sections between Villafranca Montes de Oca and Burgos. (This where the Michelin guide comes in handy - it has alternate routes). On the meseta you might have to be a bit careful, but otherwise ok. From Leon to Astorga you might be better sticking to the road and from Rabanal I followed the road all the way to Ponferrada. Good luck.
The Michelin Guide book is available via Amazon - but you might be lucky and find it in a Camino oriented book shop in Pamplona rather than Madrid.
Cheers

 

[William Marques]

I used 26" wheels with touring tyres on a hartdtail mountain bike with rigid forks. We took the road via Villaescusa la Sombria on the sectiaon after Villafranca Montes de Oca but the road into Burgos is a drag whichever way you go.

I am lazy and if there is a easy hard road next to a rough trail and there is no traffic I will take the road. In some single track sections in the mountains it is also my opinion that the pleasure/danger ratio is not worth the trouble.

In terms of authenticity the roads were the original way the walkers went and many of the paths are even more recent than my pilgrimage in the 90's.

 

[gringodevil]

William and Mike,
Thanks for input. I should have mentioned that my bike is not actually road, it is road for me, built modelled on salsa traveller, ti frame, mountain bike wheels, carbon cross fork, drop bars. After doing some more reading, and seeing there is way more dirt than road, 80/20, I am rethinking my initial schwalbe marathon HS 420 32s, and instead I am looking at running WTB Nano TCS 40s--I have a similar larger WTB Nano tire on my 29er mtn bike, and you can pump them up and they roll well on pavement, but have good knobbies and some utility in dirt--they aren't as puncture proof as schwalbe, but probably way better bite and more comfort, and less heavy.

Any thoughts?