Things I wish I’d had on my bici-Camino.

[Frogatthefarriers]

Having just completed (well, two weeks ago) my Camino from Sevilla, there are a couple of thing I wish I’d had.

1) A better memory. With it, I may not have lost/left behind, a pair of reading glasses, a pair of sunglasses, a pair of cycling glasses, my stainless steel water bottle, two eye masks, a lightweight towel and finally, my down hoodie. This last was a hard loss not only because of the expense, but because I thought I knew where I’d left it and rode back 37km to find it wasn’t there. 74km for nowt. Aaargh! Today, its replacement cost me 140 quid and a 40 km bike ride.

2) An armour plated shoulder that I landed on after going over the handlebar when my front wheel dropped into a rut. Ouch! I had to ride the last 90km in pain, but there was no way I was going to quit before finishing. Funnily enough, I had less pain while on the bike than off it. Sleeping was the hardest.

3) A bike stand. The previous two were put in for a little humour, but I wish I’d known how useful a bike prop-stand would have been. Without one, at every stop I had either to find somewhere to lean it, or put it on the floor. It doesn’t sound much, but each gate/photo/bar/call-of-nature stop meant hauling up 25kg of awkwardly balanced bike up before re-mounting. Yes, I wish I’d had a bike stand.

 

[Takahiwai]

My bike stand snapped a few days into my second bike tour. I tried to do without it, but within less than a week, I was getting a sturdier version fitted to my bike in a great little LBS I stumbled across on the way out of Chatellerault, on the Via Turonensis. It was so inconvenient not having one, for all the reasons you listed!

 

[Xali1970]

Having just completed (well, two weeks ago) my Camino from Sevilla, there are a couple of thing I wish I’d had.

1) A better memory. With it, I may not have lost/left behind, a pair of reading glasses, a pair of sunglasses, a pair of cycling glasses, my stainless steel water bottle, two eye masks, a lightweight towel and finally, my down hoodie. This last was a hard loss not only because of the expense, but because I thought I knew where I’d left it and rode back 37km to find it wasn’t there. 74km for nowt. Aaargh! Today, its replacement cost me 140 quid and a 40 km bike ride.

2) An armour plated shoulder that I landed on after going over the handlebar when my front wheel dropped into a rut. Ouch! I had to ride the last 90km in pain, but there was no way I was going to quit before finishing. Funnily enough, I had less pain while on the bike than off it. Sleeping was the hardest.

3) A bike stand. The previous two were put in for a little humour, but I wish I’d known how useful a bike prop-stand would have been. Without one, at every stop I had either to find somewhere to lean it, or put it on the floor. It doesn’t sound much, but each gate/photo/bar/call-of-nature stop meant hauling up 25kg of awkwardly balanced bike up before re-mounting. Yes, I wish I’d had a bike stand.

dual foot bikestand, best ever

 

[OCHAR]

A Bike stand with a large "foot" is essential. If you don't have a stand, it is worth stopping at a bike shop and having one put on. One more thing of note, my bike bell was virtually useless. When I rang the bell, people reached into their pockets thinking it was the chime on their phones!!!
I immediately bought a "horn" /Trumpet. It worked a lot better.

 

[Frogatthefarriers]

One more thing of note, my bike bell was virtually useless. When I rang the bell, people reached into their pockets thinking it was the chime on their phones!!!
I immediately bought a "horn" /Trumpet. It worked a lot better.

I had no trouble with my bell - the Dutch dong-dong bell that I took off my canal towpath bike. It gives a loud diiing-dooong ( think "Avon Calling" from the 70's) that makes everyone of a certain age smile and carries a long way.

 

[WGroleau]

… a couple of thing I wish I’d had.

1) A better memory. With it, I may not have lost/left behind, a pair of reading glasses, a pair of sunglasses, a pair of cycling glasses, my stainless steel water bottle, two eye masks, a lightweight towel and finally, my down hoodie. …

I constantly had to re-trace my path after setting down my “Grayl” (water bottle with built-in) filter. Once, it was on top of an ATM (cajero). I remeber thinking, someday I’m going to find the thing surrounded by the bomb squad.

 

[WGroleau]

…. One more thing of note, my bike bell was virtually useless. When I rang the bell, people reached into their pockets thinking it was the chime on their phones!!!
I immediately bought a "horn" /Trumpet. It worked a lot better.

I’ll have to remember that. My experience was that most pilgrims I encountered seemed to have heard neither my bell nor my hollering of “Bicycle! ¡Bicicleta!“

 

[OCHAR]

I’ll have to remember that. My experience was that most pilgrims I encountered seemed to have heard neither my bell nor my hollering of “Bicycle! ¡Bicicleta!“

Indeed!! Many Pilgrims seemed to be in a trance. On more than one occasion, many of them told me that I should have a bell despite me ringing and blowing the horn like a village idiot seconds before. Still the horn worked much better than a little bell.

 

[Saint Mike II]

A Bike stand with a large "foot" is essential. If you don't have a stand, it is worth stopping at a bike shop and having one put on. One more thing of note, my bike bell was virtually useless. When I rang the bell, people reached into their pockets thinking it was the chime on their phones!!!
I immediately bought a "horn" /Trumpet. It worked a lot better.

Hola; totally agree about those dopey bike bells that come from somewhere in east asia. I went to my local bike shop (in Australia) and purchased one that rings like my 60 year bike bell did. It made a hell of a lot more difference in informing walking pilgrims of my approach.
As for pilgrim reactions to the bell and calling out, one pilgrim I passed had ear pods jammed into her ears yet it was still so loud I could hear it. No wonder those under 30 are going deaf.
Cheers

 

[henrythedog]

A clear bell is a very good thing to fit; but why the assumption that pedestrians are going to get out of your way? I assume you must be on a shared track?

 

[OCHAR]

A clear bell is a very good thing to fit; but why the assumption that pedestrians are going to get out of your way? I assume you must be on a shared track?

Yeah shared. Ding! ding!

 

[trecile]

A clear bell is a very good thing to fit; but why the assumption that pedestrians are going to get out of your way? I assume you must be on a shared track?

A sign on a local bike/pedestrian path reads "wheels yield to heels."
In other words, it's incumbent on cyclists to get out of the way of walkers.

 

[OCHAR]

A sign on a local bike/pedestrian path reads "wheels yield to heels."
In other words, it's incumbent on cyclists to get out of the way of walkers.

Perhaps in that case, pedestrians should have the bells.

 

[Frogatthefarriers]

I ride quite a bit on a canal towpath near my home. Nearly always, The walkers give way and ive often wondered why. They have as much right to be there as I have. Occasionally, to their surprise, I will stop and give way. My ding-dong bell always gets a friendly response from the pedestrians I pass.

As an aside, I find the towpath is always a pleasant ride, with smiles and a few friendly words exchanged with the folks I pass. I found this to be true on my camino.

 

[WGroleau]

A sign on a local bike/pedestrian path reads "wheels yield to heels."
In other words, it's incumbent on cyclists to get out of the way of walkers.

If both are traveling in the same direction, the cyclist is approaching them from behind, not blocking their way. It is incumbent on the cyclist to not run over them, but the complaint was about them being oblivious to his/her attempts to safely pass.

 

[Stephan the Painter]

A bike stand, or a kickstand as we call it here in the US, would have been so useful! I'll definitely have one the next time I have to do any long bike trips with luggage.

A better memory would even be more useful!

It seems every bicycle-related post I see on this forum degenerates into a discussion of bicycles and people sharing the trail and how one or the other is at fault.