Walk/Cycle/Walk - need Bike hire advice

[Enda]

Hello,

My girlfriend and I are all booked up and ready to walk/cycle/walk the Camino in May 2016.

We would like to walk it all but due to the time we have to do it we are going to cycle for 5 days from Logroño to Foncebadon.

We have not booked the bikes yet and would really (really) appreciate some advice on it? Who are the best company to go with? How much should we be expecting to pay? All the normal questions really.

I have gotten 2 quotes so far
1 - from http://www.recicleta.org/ - €280 - but I'm not confident on them when looking at their website. Has anyone had experience with them?

2 - from http://www.cycling-rentals.com/ - €325 - the website looks good but was hoping we could get it for cheaper than this?

Thanks in advance for any help given,
Enda

 

[evanlow]

Just curious, what is going to happen to your backpack when you cycle as they are too bulky for the bicycle?

 

[Ajrk]

Hello,

My girlfriend and I are all booked up and ready to walk/cycle/walk the Camino in May 2016.

We would like to walk it all but due to the time we have to do it we are going to cycle for 5 days from Logroño to Foncebadon.

We have not booked the bikes yet and would really (really) appreciate some advice on it? Who are the best company to go with? How much should we be expecting to pay? All the normal questions really.

I have gotten 2 quotes so far
1 - from http://www.recicleta.org/ - €280 - but I'm not confident on them when looking at their website. Has anyone had experience with them?

2 - from http://www.cycling-rentals.com/ - €325 - the website looks good but was hoping we could get it for cheaper than this?

Thanks in advance for any help given,
Enda

 

[Enda]

Just curious, what is going to happen to your backpack when you cycle as they are too bulky for the bicycle?

Option two above comes with the following
- Ortlieb Panniers 40Lt.
- Ortlieb Front Bar bag

 

[Ajrk]

Hi Enda
I would recommend Bicigrino
sorry posted to soon I am cycling next month and have done a bit of research and settled on Bicigrino.com they are around a while and very professional I came across one of there bikes in the hotel I was staying in last year in Roncesvalles and an excellent bike for the Camino they deliver by courier to your starting point I will finish in Santiago and they have a shop there to leave it back to but I am sure they can have it collected at your finish point by courier I think there is A minimal rental price of 275.00 but you can check that out on line I have mine rented for a month and it works out at 420.00 plus A 200 Euro refundable deposit Good luck with whatever you choose Alan

 

[Tincatinker]

@Enda, the quotations you received seem reasonable. You are involving someone in some 750K of driving to deliver / collect the bikes as well as the costs of stock, maintenance etc and presumably a little profit.

If the cost seems too high you might contemplate starting to walk from somewhere closer to Santiago.

 

[Enda]

I would recommend Bicigrino

Thanks very much, I will get a quote from these guys now.

 

[Enda]

@Enda, the quotations you received seem reasonable. You are involving someone in some 750K of driving to deliver / collect the bikes as well as the costs of stock, maintenance etc and presumably a little profit.

If the cost seems too high you might contemplate starting to walk from somewhere closer to Santiago.

Thank you. We are determined to do it all and so will need these 5 days on the bike. Just looking for my best options

Thanks for confirming the quotes are reasonable. Any other tips would be most welcome.

 

[evanlow]

Panniers are for the bicycle. What backpacks are you carrying during the walk before and after the bike ride?

I assume you will not be carrying standard backpack/rucksack but those those backpack without back support that can be folded into a really small size.

 

[Enda]

Panniers are for the bicycle. What backpacks are you carrying during the walk before and after the bike ride?

I assume you will not be carrying standard backpack/rucksack but those those backpack without back support that can be folded into a really small size.

Normal back packs, not too large. Yes, would plan to have them folded up while cycling with the content put into the pannier.

 

[Ajrk]

Normal back packs, not too large. Yes, would plan to have them folded up while cycling with the content put into the pannier.

You also have the option of having your backpacks transferred ahead for you which would cut down on the load while cycling

 

[Enda]

You also have the option of having your backpacks transferred ahead for you which would cut down on the load while cycling

I don't think it's worth what they charge for doing it though!

 

[Ajrk]

I don't think it's worth what they charge for doing it though!

Not sure what the cost is but reading here I got The impression that it's only a few euro a day per pack so what I meant was send it forward to where you stay at the end of the 5 days cycling and travel light I am walking from Saint Jean to Roncesvalles where I pick up my bike so I will use transport to drop my conventional bag there as I am bringing my own saddle and helmet as well ( bear that in mind you must by law wear a helmet in urban areas and the bike company's don't rent helmets for hygiene reasons ) then I will transfer my stuff to the panniers and discard the luggage bag Alan

 

[Enda]

Not sure what the cost is but reading here I got The impression that it's only a few euro a day per pack so what I meant was send it forward to where you stay at the end of the 5 days cycling and travel light I am walking from Saint Jean to Roncesvalles where I pick up my bike so I will use transport to drop my conventional bag there as I am bringing my own saddle and helmet as well ( bear that in mind you must by law wear a helmet in urban areas and the bike company's don't rent helmets for hygiene reasons ) then I will transfer my stuff to the panniers and discard the luggage bag Alan

Interesting that you are starting to cycle at Roncesvalles. Any reason for that? We are thinking the Logroño to Foncebadon is flat (for the most part).

Thanks for helmet tip

 

[Ajrk]

Mostly time constraints not as young or as fit as I would like to be to complete the whole thing in the time I have so the best compromise for me is to cycle it also I love cycling and welcome the challenge I do realise I will be pushing the bike up hills a lot of the time but in the plus side I will be freewheeling down the other side

 

[Ajrk]

Interesting that you are starting to cycle at Roncesvalles. Any reason for that? We are thinking the Logroño to Foncebadon is flat (for the most part).

Thanks for helmet tip

If you are looking for a flat part I believe the Meseta is fairly flat and is roughly from Burgos to Leon / Astorga

 

[Enda]

If you are looking for a flat part I believe the Meseta is fairly flat and is roughly from Burgos to Leon / Astorga

Thanks very much. I just got my quote back from

€320
Giant® Front Suspension Mountain Bikes - All our bike rental prices INCLUDE (all tour bikes are equipped with):
Helmet use;Handle Bar Bag;Bottle holders;Water Bottle;Rear Rack;Kick Stand;
For every 2 bikes:
Toolkit w/ spare inner tube, patch kit, tire levers and set of Allen keys;Twin Head Bike Pump;Key Lock;

They seem very good and helpful.

 

[Cambridge Pilgrim]

Hello,

My girlfriend and I are all booked up and ready to walk/cycle/walk the Camino in May 2016.

We would like to walk it all but due to the time we have to do it we are going to cycle for 5 days from Logroño to Foncebadon.

We have not booked the bikes yet and would really (really) appreciate some advice on it? Who are the best company to go with? How much should we be expecting to pay? All the normal questions really.

I have gotten 2 quotes so far
1 - from http://www.recicleta.org/ - €280 - but I'm not confident on them when looking at their website. Has anyone had experience with them?

2 - from http://www.cycling-rentals.com/ - €325 - the website looks good but was hoping we could get it for cheaper than this?

Thanks in advance for any help given,
Enda

Hi Enda,

There is some relevant info in my post here:

https://www.caminodesantiago.me/com...-to-santiago-de-compostela.38566/#post-383362

 

[Enda]

Not sure what the cost is but reading here I got The impression that it's only a few euro a day

Just received a quote back from www.cycling-rentals.com - €40 per bag up to 15kg. So €80 for our bags for the 5 days. I think we'll keep them with us.

 

[Enda]

Hi Enda,

There is some relevant info in my post here:

https://www.caminodesantiago.me/com...-to-santiago-de-compostela.38566/#post-383362

Thanks for that, just gave it a read, some good tips in there

 

[bunnymac]

Hello,

My girlfriend and I are all booked up and ready to walk/cycle/walk the Camino in May 2016.

We would like to walk it all but due to the time we have to do it we are going to cycle for 5 days from Logroño to Foncebadon.

We have not booked the bikes yet and would really (really) appreciate some advice on it? Who are the best company to go with? How much should we be expecting to pay? All the normal questions really.

I have gotten 2 quotes so far
1 - from http://www.recicleta.org/ - €280 - but I'm not confident on them when looking at their website. Has anyone had experience with them?

2 - from http://www.cycling-rentals.com/ - €325 - the website looks good but was hoping we could get it for cheaper than this?

Thanks in advance for any help given,

Enda

 

[bunnymac]

Hi Enda
info@nava-rent.es I have a quote from these guys for a 5 day rental From Logrono at €150 per person. Look at the website. I've been in touch with the guy, José Javier, and he seems pretty sound.
Hope this helps

 

[Enda]

Hi Enda
info@nava-rent.es I have a quote from these guys for a 5 day rental From Logrono at €150 per person. Look at the website. I've been in touch with the guy, José Javier, and he seems pretty sound.
Hope this helps

Thanks, I got that same quote from them but we need to drop the bikes in Leon or it gets crazy expensive.

http://www.bikeiberia.com/ with €320 for two people with plenty included seem to be best so far. I think I will probably book with them shortly.

 

[Tez Watson]

Hello,

My girlfriend and I are all booked up and ready to walk/cycle/walk the Camino in May 2016.

We would like to walk it all but due to the time we have to do it we are going to cycle for 5 days from Logroño to Foncebadon.

We have not booked the bikes yet and would really (really) appreciate some advice on it? Who are the best company to go with? How much should we be expecting to pay? All the normal questions really.

I have gotten 2 quotes so far
1 - from http://www.recicleta.org/ - €280 - but I'm not confident on them when looking at their website. Has anyone had experience with them?

2 - from http://www.cycling-rentals.com/ - €325 - the website looks good but was hoping we could get it for cheaper than this?

Thanks in advance for any help given,
Enda

Hi Enda

My son and I cycled the Camino on road bikes hired from Cycling Rentals in September 2014. Their service was excellent and any problems were quickly remedied with their assistance. They directed us to repair shops and promptly repaid our costs into our PayPal account (we sent a photo of the till receipt by text message) - I broke two spokes and eventually the rear wheel was replaced!

Bikes were delivered in good time, well packed and well equipped/serviced. Likewise we finished three days earlier than expected and they collected from Santiago the next day after a quick phone call.

We found the hire far cheaper than taking our own bikes from Scotland and all the airport hassles with a bike box. Our machines were £220 each for 14 days hire two years ago. The airline charges alone amounted to £140 per bike and we'd have still needed to buy panniers. They provided a water bottle, rack, panniers, handlebar bag, spare tyre/tube, tools and helmet for each machine...

Our trip wholly on roads took us nine days and we covered 625 miles. If we'd more time we'd have walked it all but maybe when I retire!

Buen Camino!

Tez
Forres, Scotland

 

[Enda]

Buen Camino!

Tez
Forres, Scotland

Thanks very much for the info. This forum really is very helpful.

I'll be sure to add an update with my own experiences once, well once I have some to add

 

[Tez Watson]

The roads were delightful to ride, motorists very courteous, we never wore the helmets except in busy city traffic... the ride of a lifetime.

 

[Natalie judson]

Hey, I will be riding the camino next week and I plan to hopefully start in Roncesvalles.. but I'm finding it difficult to get myself and a rental bike to that point (I fly into Biarritz at 5.30pm).

Anyway, I was just wondering if anyone had any good itineraries for a 14 day ride, starting from Roncesvalles or Pamplona.

I'm still in two minds whether or not to just buy a bike from Decathlon or hire one.. I'm on a pretty tight budget.

 

[Tez Watson]

Our route from SJPDP in 2014 was as follows:

5th September 76Km Pamplona
6th September 160Km Najera
7th September 72Km Ages
8th September 97Km Boadilla del Camino
9th September 117Km Mansilla de las Mulas
10th September 97Km Rabanal
11th September 73Km Vega de Valcarce
12th September 94Km Portmarin
13th September 100Km Santiago de Compostella

We flew from UK to Biarritz then took the train next day to St Jean. Bikes were hired from Portugal and were waiting for us at Lecumberry. They collected them from Santiago and supported us through a few troubles - broken spokes/collapsed wheel...

Missing out out the Pyrenees is an error I'd say as a. it's not as tough as you might imagine and b. it sets you up for later on in the Cantabrians! The Meseta is hard going - carry plenty of water - we drank 20 litres between us on one long day... Lived on canned fish and chocolate as in-fill meals on the road. Ate lightly and often during the day, then a pilgrim menu meal in the evening either in an albergue or local hotel/café.

We carried only one pannier full of gear, maps and snacks in bar bag - never wore our helmets except when police were around... See my other post above...

Buen Camino!

 

[Natalie judson]

View attachment 25079

Our route from SJPDP in 2014 was as follows:

5th September 76Km Pamplona
6th September 160Km Najera
7th September 72Km Ages
8th September 97Km Boadilla del Camino
9th September 117Km Mansilla de las Mulas
10th September 97Km Rabanal
11th September 73Km Vega de Valcarce
12th September 94Km Portmarin
13th September 100Km Santiago de Compostella

We flew from UK to Biarritz then took the train next day to St Jean. Bikes were hired from Portugal and were waiting for us at Lecumberry. They collected them from Santiago and supported us through a few troubles - broken spokes/collapsed wheel...

Missing out out the Pyrenees is an error I'd say as a. it's not as tough as you might imagine and b. it sets you up for later on in the Cantabrians! The Meseta is hard going - carry plenty of water - we drank 20 litres between us on one long day... Lived on canned fish and chocolate as in-fill meals on the road. Ate lightly and often during the day, then a pilgrim menu meal in the evening either in an albergue or local hotel/café.

We carried only one pannier full of gear, maps and snacks in bar bag - never wore our helmets except when police were around... See my other post above...

Buen Camino!

Thanks for your reply.

Few questions.

Why did you collect the bikes in
Lecumberry and where exactly did you have them delivered to? I just read something saying that alburgues don't accept deliveries..?

Why do you think missing out the Pyrenees is an error and are you referring to both parts, the french and the spanish, or just the french part?

Did you ride the walkers route or the road route to Santiago?


You say "We carried only one pannier full of gear, maps and snacks..", does that mean that you forwarded your bags (clothes and so on. .?).

From your itinerary it looks like you dud the ride in 9 days.. how many hours of cycling a day did you average? It looks like a lot. I'm looking at taking around 14/15 days, but I'm really not sure how to plan it (my itinerary).

Sorry for all the questions :/

 

[cagamblin]

We used Cycling Rentals (out of Portugal) in August 2014 and were very happy with them. Went from Leon to Sarria. They delivered the bikes to our hotel in Leon and picked them up in Sarria.

We kept our loaded backpacks on our backs (part of the time, I used bungee cords to put some weight on the back rack). We were sorry we rode bikes. For one thing, we initially took the paths rather than roads until we figured out that roads were easier. But, we pushed the bike A LOT even on the roads. We were in good shape for being in our 60's, but it was not a pleasant experience for us. This year, we will walk the entire time.

Please be considerate of walkers - use your bell well in advance to warn them of oncoming bikes. Buen camino!

 

[Natalie judson]

Thank you for reply.

I can't imagine riding with back backs would be very enjoyable - was there a reason why you didn't use panniers?

..Im keeping it mind that I will have to push my bike up many hills.

I agree with the bell comment. I always warn walkers well in advance.

Thanks for your advice.

Buen Camino to you too!

 

[cagamblin]

Thank you for reply.

I can't imagine riding with back backs would be very enjoyable - was there a reason why you didn't use panniers?

..Im keeping it mind that I will have to push my bike up many hills.

I agree with the bell comment. I always warn walkers well in advance.

Thanks for your advice.

Buen Camino to you too!

Just like walking...we got used to carrying the load. We were too cheap to rent the panniers! FYI, We averaged 25 miles per day riding and 15 miles walking.

 

[Tez Watson]

Hi Enda

My son and I cycled the Camino on road bikes hired from Cycling Rentals in September 2014. Their service was excellent and any problems were quickly remedied with their assistance. They directed us to repair shops and promptly repaid our costs into our PayPal account (we sent a photo of the till receipt by text message) - I broke two spokes and eventually the rear wheel was replaced!

Bikes were delivered in good time, well packed and well equipped/serviced. Likewise we finished three days earlier than expected and they collected from Santiago the next day after a quick phone call.

We found the hire far cheaper than taking our own bikes from Scotland and all the airport hassles with a bike box. Our machines were £220 each for 14 days hire two years ago. The airline charges alone amounted to £140 per bike and we'd have still needed to buy panniers. They provided a water bottle, rack, panniers, handlebar bag, spare tyre/tube, tools and helmet for each machine...

Our trip wholly on roads took us nine days and we covered 625 miles. If we'd more time we'd have walked it all but maybe when I retire!

Buen Camino!

Tez
Forres, Scotland

Thanks for your reply.

Few questions.

Why did you collect the bikes in
Lecumberry and where exactly did you have them delivered to? I just read something saying that alburgues don't accept deliveries..?

We stayed in a B&B in Lecumberry and had difficulty finding any accommodation near or in SJPDP as we only decided to go in July and rode in Seotember.

Why do you think missing out the Pyrenees is an error and are you referring to both parts, the french and the spanish, or just the french part?

We had a breakdown in Day one and in our haste to get going (having lost half a day waiting for a repair) we shot off up the road past Orisson the red walkers route. We had to turn back when the road became a grass track. Turned down to Arneguy and then back to SJPDP for a night having climbed up to the highest point. We were pretty knackered and dejected that night but picked ourselves up and rode to Pamplona next day to catch up. The whole Pyrenean bit was great in hindsight. That's the bit I enjoyed the most.

Did you ride the walkers route or the road route to Santiago

We followed a road route (apparently it's more faithful to the original route than the current walkers route) that we found a guide book for and found it a little out of date in places. We also bought the downloadable Camino Frances guide for albergue info.

You say "We carried only one pannier full of gear, maps and snacks..", does that mean that you forwarded your bags (clothes and so on. .?).

NO we just travelled light! I dumped 5 kilos of gear in the albergue in SJPDP after the first days fiasco. Smart move in truth. We still had waterproofs and change of cycling gear I left casual clothes and shoes in the hostel bin.

From your itinerary it looks like you dud the ride in 9 days.. how many hours of cycling a day did you average? It looks like a lot. I'm looking at taking around 14/15 days, but I'm really not sure how to plan it (my itinerary).

As you can see our distances varied greatly we did what we felt was right. A few times we rose before dawn and cracked on before the heat of the day kicked in. Hillier days we rode shorter distances but perhaps the same time in saddle. The meseta days we battered on like men possessed and got it behind us. I prefer hills and mountains!

We made better progress once our legs became accustomed and in fact the first day mistake was a blessing in many ways - we never misnavigated again, we got fit, we knew what to expect and we dumped our excess baggage.

If you have any more questions feel free to ask it's not a problem. Only hope my answers can help.

Sorry for all the questions :/