Cycling from Leon

[ishayy]

Hi
I’ll start cycling on coming Wednesday 3/9 the CS from Leon.
Seeking for any good advice
Thx

 

[Grousedoctor]

From my experience cycling the VDLP, the biggest mistake that I made was that of riding too far everyday. On a mountain bike, on the trails, I was riding some 50 miles a day or roughly three walking stages. Now, a lot of it is a blurr! In hindsight, I would have been wiser to have ridden about two walking stages a day or 30-35 miles or so.

My wife and I are looking in the spring to finish up the CF that we started in 2019 (pre-Covid). Although we walked to Burgos, we’re going to continue on from there to SdC by bike. We have 11 biking days planned for that trek. Having walked the entire CF, I can tell you that there are a great number of wonderful places you go through. The problem cycling is that you can do it too quickly and miss out on a lot. We’ll be smelling the roses more next spring as bicigrinos by simply slowing down our journey to Santiago.

 

[Skinnybiker]

Advice is subjective, good advice should be objective; so tell us what you ride, how you ride, distances you ride etc. It is after all just a camino, a hiking trail, 99% rideable, use the road on the steep uphill sections, good facilities, gets crowded at times but a 10 - 15 minute ride on a bike is a one hour hike so the cyclist has far more options. It's a great ride, enjoy, fit a bell to avoid frightening the peregrinos. Richard

 

[ken2116]

Because cycling is faster than walking, you are freer to go off the direct route and explore areas more widely, or to linger longer in interesting places, to speak with locals, etc., before catching up. It also might open up more lodging/camping possibilities.

Consider the availability (or lack) of bike repair facilities and carry tools and spare parts that might be needed. Wheel and crank bearings (and their tools), hub axles, tires, and spokes are examples.

 

[makingtrax]

Because cycling is faster than walking, you are freer to go off the direct route and explore areas more widely, or to linger longer in interesting places, to speak with locals, etc., before catching up. It also might open up more lodging/camping possibilities.

Consider the availability (or lack) of bike repair facilities and carry tools and spare parts that might be needed. Wheel and crank bearings (and their tools), hub axles, tires, and spokes are examples.

I cycled 5 caminos back to back in 2019. I found that as Spain is very cycle friendly that there were lots and lots of cycle repair shops accross the country. I also found that Decathalon stores that have a bike and repair shop very kind and helpful. On most occasions they fitted new parts for my bike for free and cleaned derailleur etc for free as well and wished me Bon Camino on my way out. Privileged to cycle thru such a beautiful friendly country. 3055 klms. Completed in 65 days.

 

[Skinnybiker]

Interesting, nothing from the OP; the question was pretty vague but the thread is becoming interesting.

Carrying spares & tools is just offsetting risk, I guess, if you accept the risk you take nothing, if you want fully comprehensive all-risks covered then you take a full set of tools & spares and have a miserable time hauling that load. As @makingtrax states there are plenty of bike shops in Spain so you're never more that a bus / train / taxi ride from help. Even then many problems evolve, rarely is there a catastrophic event so there is time to sort the problem - starting with a full serviced bike is always good insurance. For me it will always be some basic tools, ability to fix punctures (both bikes are now tubeless) and a well stocked credit card.

Riding five Caminos back to back is pretty impressive, do you have a journal of this ride?

 

[Peregrinopaul]

Interesting, nothing from the OP; the question was pretty vague but the thread is becoming interesting.

Carrying spares & tools is just offsetting risk, I guess, if you accept the risk you take nothing, if you want fully comprehensive all-risks covered then you take a full set of tools & spares and have a miserable time hauling that load. As @makingtrax states there are plenty of bike shops in Spain so you're never more that a bus / train / taxi ride from help. Even then many problems evolve, rarely is there a catastrophic event so there is time to sort the problem - starting with a full serviced bike is always good insurance. For me it will always be some basic tools, ability to fix punctures (both bikes are now tubeless) and a well stocked credit card.

Riding five Caminos back to back is pretty impressive, do you have a journal of this ride?

I’m with you on this skinny biker. The answer for me has been a very good quality bike and had no problems. My bike has tubeless tyres with sealant and I have never even had to re-inflate, let alone deal with a puncture. I once stopped at a bike shop to have my gears properly adjusted - they fitted a new cable. And that’s it.