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I plan to ride roads as much as possible, though I'm sure I'll be lured to the footpath on occasion. I hope to average ~80km per day. I ride a road bike recreationally at home and am probably most comfortable on a bike set up like a road cycle. But I've also never sat on one for 11 days over 500 miles.
If it's wet you will appreciate the mudguards.So I am eyeing a "comfort tour" model, but it looks potentially heavy and I'm really not a fan of front shocks on a road bike. I don't need to "go fast", but I also don't want to be continually weighed down by an overbuilt, spongy bike. But then again, those fenders / mudguards look really appealing, especially if it rains for the duration.
I’m on the Camino now on a mountain bike and I like it but I’m not the road biker you are. Some of the trail you have to push even on a mountain bike. A hybrid will allow you to ride the smoother parts. I’ve been on an off the trail equally. Road mostly today. The climb from Montes de oca scared me. Lots of trucks, narrow shoulder. And steep but take it with a grain of salt. Also met a cyclist today doing it in 10 days from st Jean.
Kudos for doing the VDLP, double so for doing it on a Brompton. Standing outside of the catherdral admiring the scaffolding in 2016 we spotted to Englishmen on fully laden Bromptons cycle into the square.Obviously the more of a road bike you have the more your choice of route options will be limited. If you don't need to go fast I would hire a 'go anywhere' bike with suspension, accept you'll be going slow and enjoy the experience. Your body will thank you, however those bikes are slow and heavy and the lack of speed might need some mental adjustment compared to what you are usd to. As others have said a trekking bike seems to best meet your needs.
There is a marked cycling camino route in places, e.g. you don't do the climbs around Castrojeriz but a beautiful flat bit of quiet road that feels like the original camino route. You can always push your bike up some of the walking routes/climbs if it's robust enough, I pushed my hybrid up Alto del Perdon in the early evening (during the morning there are too many walkers) and had a wonderfully peaceful moment at the top but I couldn't have done that with a road bike. I did the VDLP on a Brompton earlier in the year, excellent choice for me on that camino and it coped ok with sections on gravel roads. Nice not to have to worry about finding somewhere to leave the bike in the evening but this is less on an issue on CF where there are more places to stay designed for cyclists.
BTW - getting into Leon is a nightmare on the road at the moment due to construction work. Take the footpath even if you need to wheel the bike. I missed a turning on a roundabout and ended up on the motorway slip road, getting back to the roundabout was dangerous and then coming into to Leon is via a fast downhill and you end up on another roundabout in the wrong lane with people trying to join the motorway. There was another pilgrim cyclist ahead of me and we both pulled off the road to recover our nerves after than second roundabout.
If you are aiming "to follow the roads" then if you opt for a "road bike" then you are likely to be well off the camino for much of your ride (my estimate). I would suggest a road/hybrid with tyres/tires that can take reasonable gravel (say 1 inch 25 mm) as against the wide ones (25-45 mm 1.25-1,5 inch). These tyres will allow you to ride the meseta, including the climb up/out of Castrojeriz. From Pamplona you will need to divert south out of Cizur Menor as the alto del peerdon is really only suitable for off road tyres and you cannot take a bike on the A-12. I have forgotten when you are going but if you can get a hold of the Michelin Camino guide it has the best local road info. Cheers
There is a local road after leaving
Pamplona to the right of A12 that the buses use to go to the local towns...that is not that much of a detour and it goes to Puente La Reina...Athough there are some hills...a lot easier than going via Alto del Perdon.
Hey @SeanG, did you end up picking an option? I'm following this thread as I want to rent while in Spain but also want to make sure I get a comparable bike stateside for training in advance. Strongly considering investing in a gravel bike here and think that's comparable to the trekking bike option mentioned in the replies. Most social media lurking I've done on the #viadelaplataenbici hashtag shows riders on mountain bikes, but I'm in the exact same boat as you are -- want to be able to stack a lot of miles daily and hesitant about the weight of a hybrid bike or even a mountain bike. Keep me posted if you've pulled the trigger yet! Thanks to other posters for excellent feedback, as always!
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