After many, many months of planning, my wife and I (in our 50’s) finally completed the Camino Frances by bike. We took our time, smelling the roses along the way. I will try to summarize the most important point and make some observations.
Now walking and biking are very different but I do stress that they do share some points in common. What do you pack? What will I need? Etc. In both cases I suggest you start by bringing very little from home and BUY what you need at the nearest Decathlon in Spain.
We each had a tiny “carry on” Size back pack that we rode with as well as small saddlebags on the back of each bike. For shoes I had ASICS runners and a pair of flip-flops that we bought for 3 euros and discarded in Santiago. My wife had a pair of no name “Adventure Sandals” (the front part did cover her toes) that she swore by. Our bags were so small in fact that it was the usual start of conversation with people on the Camino.
What did we pack? Small tool kit for bikes, bike locks, one pair of (stretch) jeans 2 pairs of shorts, 3 socks, 4 t-shirts with chest pocket (with anti-microbial treatment), 1 long sleeve t-shirt, 3 underwear, baseball cap, rain poncho (bought at AlCampo for 1 euro), small toiletry kit, reading glasses, sunglasses, smartphone with sim card from “Orange”, small camera with 30X zoom, a package of “wet wipes”, a spoonful of mosquito cream and the same of sun cream (did not use any of the 2 latter items).
We actually started in Madrid where a friend lent us 2 mountain bikes, so as you can imagine, we had to bring the bikes somehow to Leon. We were able to bring the bikes on the bus (ALSA) as we would luggage. The only requirement was that we remove the front tire, turn the handle bar, and wrap both the tire and the bike as one package with plastic film. We purchased a roll of 50 feet. And found that 1 roll was sufficient to wrap both bikes. Once in Santiago, we repeated the procedure to return to Madrid by ALSA bus. Our biking trip lasted 10 days Leon – Santiago de Compostela.
It must be stressed that ALL (Most) of our journey was done in the RAIN. This of course dictated what we could wear: Poncho, long sleeve t-shirt, a t-shirt and either shorts or jeans. The jeans were stretch and “boot cut” allowing me to roll them up like pirate pants and not get the legs muddy.
We stayed in a variety of Albergues and hotels mostly opting for a private room. All the places we stayed had a place to keep our bicycles. We ate many “Menu del Dia” and also did some shopping in local stores like “Dia” etc.
Apart from the terrible weather, we had a fantastic trip. The mountainous portion of the Camino, “O Cebreiro” etc was extremely difficult for us and we did have to walk the bikes very often.
Parting thoughts:
Pack light. Don’t pack any “what ifs”. Buy what you need there. Ignore the Brand Names, in many cases the No name works just as well.
If I were walking, I would have packed the same, except of course the bike tools and helmet!! Actually, many walkers that we passed ended up passing us again and again!!
Noise: (most of the) people are inconsiderate, noisy, Heavy footed, door slamming, loud talking, snoring, yakking on the phone to their daughter’s back home, self-aggrandising know-it-alls. Rest assured, these are the people that will accompany you all throughout your Camino.
Bring ear-plugs as it is guaranteed that all the walls are paper thin.
Bring a Hook that you can use on the back of a door, a bunk etc. The hook has not been invented in Europe yet.
We loved the Camino, we love Spain and will do it again next year on rented e-bikes. We do it for the Culture, the food, and the nature…Buen Camino y hasta pronto!
Now walking and biking are very different but I do stress that they do share some points in common. What do you pack? What will I need? Etc. In both cases I suggest you start by bringing very little from home and BUY what you need at the nearest Decathlon in Spain.
We each had a tiny “carry on” Size back pack that we rode with as well as small saddlebags on the back of each bike. For shoes I had ASICS runners and a pair of flip-flops that we bought for 3 euros and discarded in Santiago. My wife had a pair of no name “Adventure Sandals” (the front part did cover her toes) that she swore by. Our bags were so small in fact that it was the usual start of conversation with people on the Camino.
What did we pack? Small tool kit for bikes, bike locks, one pair of (stretch) jeans 2 pairs of shorts, 3 socks, 4 t-shirts with chest pocket (with anti-microbial treatment), 1 long sleeve t-shirt, 3 underwear, baseball cap, rain poncho (bought at AlCampo for 1 euro), small toiletry kit, reading glasses, sunglasses, smartphone with sim card from “Orange”, small camera with 30X zoom, a package of “wet wipes”, a spoonful of mosquito cream and the same of sun cream (did not use any of the 2 latter items).
We actually started in Madrid where a friend lent us 2 mountain bikes, so as you can imagine, we had to bring the bikes somehow to Leon. We were able to bring the bikes on the bus (ALSA) as we would luggage. The only requirement was that we remove the front tire, turn the handle bar, and wrap both the tire and the bike as one package with plastic film. We purchased a roll of 50 feet. And found that 1 roll was sufficient to wrap both bikes. Once in Santiago, we repeated the procedure to return to Madrid by ALSA bus. Our biking trip lasted 10 days Leon – Santiago de Compostela.
It must be stressed that ALL (Most) of our journey was done in the RAIN. This of course dictated what we could wear: Poncho, long sleeve t-shirt, a t-shirt and either shorts or jeans. The jeans were stretch and “boot cut” allowing me to roll them up like pirate pants and not get the legs muddy.
We stayed in a variety of Albergues and hotels mostly opting for a private room. All the places we stayed had a place to keep our bicycles. We ate many “Menu del Dia” and also did some shopping in local stores like “Dia” etc.
Apart from the terrible weather, we had a fantastic trip. The mountainous portion of the Camino, “O Cebreiro” etc was extremely difficult for us and we did have to walk the bikes very often.
Parting thoughts:
Pack light. Don’t pack any “what ifs”. Buy what you need there. Ignore the Brand Names, in many cases the No name works just as well.
If I were walking, I would have packed the same, except of course the bike tools and helmet!! Actually, many walkers that we passed ended up passing us again and again!!
Noise: (most of the) people are inconsiderate, noisy, Heavy footed, door slamming, loud talking, snoring, yakking on the phone to their daughter’s back home, self-aggrandising know-it-alls. Rest assured, these are the people that will accompany you all throughout your Camino.
Bring ear-plugs as it is guaranteed that all the walls are paper thin.
Bring a Hook that you can use on the back of a door, a bunk etc. The hook has not been invented in Europe yet.
We loved the Camino, we love Spain and will do it again next year on rented e-bikes. We do it for the Culture, the food, and the nature…Buen Camino y hasta pronto!