"On foot"?

[gillonie]

I was at a bike sportive yesterday when I spotted this pedocycle. If I redid the Camino on this would I be "on foot" or "on a bike"? Has anyone seen one of these?

 

[StuartM]

would I be "on foot" or "on a bike"?

On a stretcher?

I don't fancy 800km like that, especially uphill!

I saw a guy on a unicycle on the way home from work the other day. Going downhill, no brakes! Braver man than me!

 

[Leaningforward]

Ha! I think you would be on foot, with the bike left behind ... note the clearance between the lower frame and ground.

 

[cecelia]

I don't know but I'll bet your back would be really sore at the end of each day! I don't know how that thing would work going up, down or over over some of the rocky sections.

 

[indyinmaine]

On a stretcher?

I don't fancy 800km like that, especially uphill!

I saw a guy on a unicycle on the way home from work the other day. Going downhill, no brakes! Braver man than me!

Actually they do have brakes. You just pedal backwards! I met a guy going UP the road to Cruz de Ferro while I was walking DOWN. He had come all the way from Molinaseca and was planning to go back DOWN!

 

[obinjatoo@yahoo.com]

Actually I was on a bike tour in Amish country (that would be an area in Pennsylvania) not too long ago and I saw some interesting bikes. No pedals, they looked like oversize foot scooters. But they were much more upright.

 

[Stephen]

Actually I was on a bike tour in Amish country (that would be an area in Pennsylvania) not too long ago and I saw some interesting bikes. No pedals, they looked like oversize foot scooters. But they were much more upright.

Were they something like these?
http://www.elliptigo.com/

 

[t2andreo]

As motive power to go forward is provided by pushing some sort of pedal that causes a wheel to spin at a mechanical advantage, I would rule that you are on a form of a bicycle. This would apply to a unicycle as well.

In fact, while I was at Santiago in June, serving as a volunteer Amigo at the Pilgrim Office, I even saw a couple of pilgrims arrive on battery-powered, electronically boosted bicycles. These people arrived by "bicycle."

The reason is simple. Most people who have never ridden one of these machines do not know that the electronically powered torque "boost" cannot occur unless one is manually cranking the pedals at significant speed. On every model of which I am aware, or have ridden, it is simply not possible to ride the battery-assisted bicycle using the electric motor alone - like a lightweight electric motor scooter or motorcycle. So, you must pedal the bicycle to Santiago, albeit with a battery boost at times. Also, consider that these bicycles are very heavy (25 - 30 kg) and are not trail-friendly. So, I suggest that someone "doing the Camino" on a battery-assisted bicycle would necessarily have to remain on paved surfaces. Still, it might make for a leisurely paced Camino via bicycle.

To use wheels, and still be considered walking, you would need to be in, on, or wearing a device that was powered primarily by your feet, WITHOUT a mechanical or motorized assist. Examples include, but are not limited to: pogo sticks, inline roller skates, scooters, skate boards, and wheeled chairs. However, with the exception of a ruggedized, mountain-bike-like wheelchair, most of these options will likely just put you in the hospital with one or more broken bits.

This stated, has anyone ever heard of someone using the secondary or tertiary roads that parallel the Camino to "do the Camino" on roller skates? The premise is fascinating. I am just wondering aloud?

Nothing surprises me anymore...

 

[Rebekah Scott]

someone did a stunt camino a year or so ago on in-line roller skates. With a camera crew, of course...

 

[bystander]

On every model of which I am aware, or have ridden, it is simply not possible to ride the battery-assisted bicycle using the electric motor alone - like a lightweight electric motor scooter or motorcycle. So, you must pedal the bicycle to Santiago, albeit with a battery boost at times. Also, consider that these bicycles are very heavy (25 - 30 kg) and are not trail-friendly. So, I suggest that someone "doing the Camino" on a battery-assisted bicycle would necessarily have to remain on paved surfaces. Still, it might make for a leisurely paced Camino via bicycle.

Not true, t2andreo, I have a battery assisted bicycle which has three modes - pedalling alone, battery assisted pedalling or battery-powered alone. I have mainly used the latter two of those modes. On battery-powered mode alone I have a safe range of about 15km+ at a speed of around 30km per hour on the flat. If I didn't want to go quite so far and wished to travel faster I can easily maintain a speed of around 35km per hour.
As to pedalling alone, I would not contemplate doing so for as you observe these bicycles are heavy.
But as a fun mode of transport, locally here, it is useful and fun for nipping down to the local shop and pub, 3kms away, and smiling evilly as you zoom past mamils (middle-aged men in lycra) on their incredibly expensive racing bikes as they labour up the local hills!

As to using one on the Camino - forget it!

 

[obinjatoo@yahoo.com]

Were they something like these?
http://www.elliptigo.com/

No the elliptigo would be considered mechanized. There are different communities among the Amish with differing belief systems. Some ride actual bicycles and some ride these. It's pushed with the foot like an old fashioned scooter.

 

[t2andreo]

Not true, t2andreo, I have a battery assisted bicycle which has three modes - pedalling alone, battery assisted pedalling or battery-powered alone. I have mainly used the latter two of those modes. On battery-powered mode alone I have a safe range of about 15km+ at a speed of around 30km per hour on the flat. If I didn't want to go quite so far and wished to travel faster I can easily maintain a speed of around 35km per hour.
As to pedalling alone, I would not contemplate doing so for as you observe these bicycles are heavy.
But as a fun mode of transport, locally here, it is useful and fun for nipping down to the local shop and pub, 3kms away, and smiling evilly as you zoom past mamils (middle-aged men in lycra) on their incredibly expensive racing bikes as they labour up the local hills!

As to using one on the Camino - forget it!

I stand corrected. When I wrote my post, I felt certain that someone from the bicycle savvy countries of the world would catch me up.

However, we likely agree that riding into Santiago on a device that requires NO manual effort (as in pedaling) or pushing is riding a motorized contrivance and would not be considered "legal" in the pilgrimage sense. But, riding a device that requires manual effort to move forward, even if partially mechanically assisted, would likely be ruled "in bounds" provided that, the device could never be ridden on electric or other motive power not requiring manual effort.

Obviously, only the Pilgrim Office can make the final determination. But my sense is that they would rule a battery-assisted pedaling-required at all times bicycle "legal," while running "out of bounds" any bicycle-like or scooter-like device that could be ridden solely on stored motive power, electricity (battery), petroleum or other liquid fuel, etc.

I was initially wrong. I was simply ignorant of all the options available on the market. But we both fundamentally agree. That said, I feel we can all agree that these devices likely have no place on the Camino proper as they are either too heavy, or simply not up to the ruggedness required.

The "Elliptigo" device quoted above behaves much in the same way as a regular bicycle. However instead of having a round crank with two opposed pedals providing power through gears and a chain or driveshaft, it uses the up and down motion of an elliptical trainer or stair-step machine to move the wheels.

My opinion would be that this is simply another form of bicycle and would likely be treated as such by the pilgrim office. You could make a simple argument that says pedaling up and down is fundamentally no different than pedaling round and round. However, the rest of the bike appears far better suited for a road trip than a Camino over-land.

Thank you for the correction.

 

[bystander]

t2andreo, I agree totally with your summary and judgement.

 

[Kanga]

Somewhere I have a photo of a pilgrim (with backpack) on a unicycle. I took it a few years ago. He was a tall, incredibly strong looking young Scandinavian who had unicycled all the way from Paris (I think - memory query). The photo was taken on the way out of Estella.