Walk + Bike

[OldDad]

Any thoughts or do's and don'ts regarding a combination of walking and biking?

 

[skilsaw]

No others commenting for you, so I'll jump in.

I'm both a pilgrim walker and a bicycle tourist, but I've never combined them in one trip.
The difficulties, as I see it, are:

What would you do with your bike while you are walking?

Retrieving your bike after a walking stage would be an inconvenience.

Transporting bikes to and from a tour is complicated.

When you are walking, a rucksack is best, and when you are biking, panniers are best. Biking with a rucksack is miserable.

All in all, not a good plan, I'd say.

 

[BHfmSanDiego]

Skilsaw has every point I could think of with the first point being the formost, I will add cyclists are not allowed to check into the albugues till after all the walkers, usually cyclists can check in about 6 or 7 in the evening. This may cause a bit of a problem to the hospitaleros, are you a cyclist or a walker?

 

[larryflo]

Push!

I am old and weak. I am getting ready for my 5th Camino. The first 4, I pushed the bike for about 25% of the way, always up the hills.
Walk push walk push walk push...........

 

[newfydog]

We've done 5,000 km of Caminos, all on a bike. We sometimes say "this part woould be better on foot". Far more often, we say "Aren't you glad we're doing this part by bike"

We're late 50-early 60's but are skilled mountain bikers and travel light. To each their own... some people are more suited to one mode or another.

 

[ScottC]

I did this last year as I did not have the 31-32 days to do it as a walk alone. If I were to do it again, and I would love to, I'd do one or the other. When cycling I lost contact with the fellow pilgrims whom I had met on the walk. Cycling gear and walking gear don't mix and I would organise a better way of dealing with this (posting in Spain from one post office to another is great ... except I got stuck on Ponferada at a festival time and the post office was closed for 3 days.

So if you need to do both - do so - but plan accordingly and do more homework than I did.

cheers,
Scott

 

[grayland]

I am confused as to what you do with your bicycle when you are walking.

 

[larryflo]

Push!

 

[CaminoGen]

Push!

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[grayland]

Push!

That is what I was afraid of. :shock:

 

[Br. David]

I suppose ... the bike holds the gear so there is nothing on the back ... though, laws of physics and all that ... if you rise 300 metres either by walking up a long hill or cycling up a long hill you are still lifting the same amount of weight vertically 300 metres - just feels easier to do with the time you take to do it .. so going up that hill which raises you 300 metres you also 'carry' the weight of the bike.

Interesting mix though ... you could have a tandem and take turns - one to cycle the main road round a climb and the other to walk over the climb, meeting at the far side :wink:

 

[Deleted member 3000]

though, laws of physics and all that ... if you rise 300 metres either by walking up a long hill or cycling up a long hill you are still lifting the same amount of weight vertically 300 metres

The same amount of work gets done, but the bicycle is bearing the weight, and the pusher only has to overcome its rolling friction. A baseball batter does not work when he swings, but I suspect that his caloric usage is substantial. I am not sure that the definition of work for physics translates into exertion by a pilgrim. Giant steps up a steep hill are more exhausting than small steps, but the work is the same since the mass and distance are the same. While my back hurts just thinking about pushing a bicycle up a steep incline with my torso angled over the handle bars, I think the exertion would be less than carrying the same load on my back. I suppose a bicyclist who has both carried his bicycle and pushed it could weigh in with his/her perception.

 

[Br. David]

True - but it is always the same amount of energy expended to lift the weight 300 metres .. gears on bicycles, the wheels resting on the ground, small steps, lots of breaks, doing it over three days, - they all make it easier but the energy expended is the same - in some form or another .. :wink:

(crikey! - hope I'm right about this ...)

 

[newfydog]

(crikey! - hope I'm right about this ...)

Of course you're right. The laws of physics work very well on a smooth, frictionless ramp in a vacuum, when the force is supplied by a 100% efficient energy source. Not that that resembles a living human pushing a loaded bike up a rocky trail........

 

[Deleted member 3000]

I don't think "work" (mass multiplied by distance) is the lone measure. A bicyclist covers, say, five times the distance of a walker in a day, but he does not consume five days of energy, or even the calorie burn differential between walking and cycling for an equivalent time, yet he has done five days of "work" because he moved the same weight over the same distance that the walker will in a longer time.

Every time I climbed steep terrain on the Camino, I reminded myself that a 110 kg man going up 1,000 meters was doing twice the "work" that a 55 kg woman was doing, so I deserved to be more exhausted!

 

[larryflo]

Come on folks. Let's talk abouct the practical issues in riding and walking. If you take your bike and ride and walk, the bike should not be a real impediment to your walking. You will have pannieres (saddlebags) on the bike. Therefore you will not need a backpack at all. Yes, you will have to push the bike when you want to walk, but without the burden of a pack which significantly changes your center of gravity to your upper body and puts a whole lot more weight on your feet, ankles, knees and hips.

 

[Deleted member 3000]

Practical? How comfortable are biking shoes for walking? Bicyclists always seem to be limping, or at least walking gingerly, in their shoes.

 

[larryflo]

Probably not a good idea to wear biking shoes with cleats. Or, just ride with sneakers.

 

[ffp13]

I really don't care how much energy a cyclist expends, just as long as he saves some to exercise his thumb to ring his bell as he silently approaches and the quickly passes pedestrian pilgrims.

 

[grayland]

Maybe as the bike walking pilgrim comes upon several pilgrims walking up a long and rocky climb...they can all put thier packs on the bike and push together???? :wink: