• For 2024 Pilgrims: €50,- donation = 1 year with no ads on the forum + 90% off any 2024 Guide. More here.
    (Discount code sent to you by Private Message after your donation)
  • ⚠️ Emergency contact in Spain - Dial 112 and AlertCops app. More on this here.
  • Get your Camino Frances Guidebook here.
This is a mobile optimized page that loads fast, if you want to load the real page, click this text.

Walking and Biking the CF

Humbertico

Active Member
Time of past OR future Camino
Plan 2018
I was curious to see if individuals have done the CF walking and biking conbination during different stages and if so where can you rent a bike and turn in at another town so as to not carry with you all the time. This would seem to help those that may be pressed for time or get injured or May not have the endurance. I would appreciate all feedback and experiences. My wife and I will be doing the CF Sept-Oct 2018.
Gracias Peregrinos!
 
Camino Jewellery
A selection of Camino Jewellery
EXPRESS BOURRICOT - Transport
Transport luggage-passengers.
From airports to SJPP
Luggage from SJPP to Roncevalles
We rented bikes in St. Jean Pied de Port and finished in Santiago May 3. Use bicigrinos. Reserve an albergue or pension where you want to pick up and another reservation where you want to drop off. They will deliver the bikes there. The meseta is very boring but the people in the towns were wonderful to us. There is nothing but endless wheat fields (trigo). The should really call it the Mesetas not meseta because it is just one mesa. Go up the mesa, flat for awhile, then go down the mesa, flat then up the mesa. It's just a plateau which has been cut dozens of times by rivers and streams. Every downhill run ends at a river. Do NOT use bikeiberia. We used them and they delivered 7 year old bikes that were broken down and we had to pay to have them fixed. They wouldn't respond to our complaints. Bicigrinos replaces their bikes every year.
 
My son and I rented bikes in O Cebreiro and rode to Triacastela where we handed them in. I was having real trouble with my knees and had heard that stretch would be particularly hard on them. So we did one day as bicigrinos. Based on our experience, some tips:
- If you are just using a bike for a section and not the whole thing, think of what you will do with your stuff. People who bike the whole Camino have proper panniers. People who walk have backpacks. Maybe you want to use a service to carry your backpack ahead of you if you know where you will be staying. I ended up fastening mine to the metal carrier at the back with bungee cords. That didn't work for my son and he ended up wearing his, which raised his centre of gravity a bit and made it harder on his seat.
- If you are carrying your stuff on the bike, uphills are *really hard*, much tougher than when it is just you. That extra weight made a lot of difference and I gained a lot of respect for bicigrinos who ride up hills. Although the stretch I rode was mostly downhill, there was a lot of up and down for the first 5 km. I ended up walking my bike for the uphill portions.
- Think about whether you want to ride on the trail or the road. Initially we planned to ride the trail but, perhaps because of the weight of his backpack or the bike we had rented wasn't fitting him just right, my son found that too hard on his seat so we took the road. The road was much smoother and still very scenic but it wasn't marked with the yellow arrows.
 
Get a Spanish mobil number + data while on the Camino
Get a spanish phone number with Airalo. eSim, so no physical SIM card. Easy to use app to add more funds if needed.
Thank you
 
Gracias
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest Camino Photo

Most read last week in this forum

Similar threads

LIVE from the Camino Walking the CF for Teresa
Replies
47
Views
3K
MARSKA
LIVE from the Camino Janet and Phil on the CF 2023
Replies
29
Views
4K
David Tallan
The future regarding the CF: Food for thought?
Replies
16
Views
394
Peterexpatkiwi
Menu
Log in
Register