Getting the bike ready

I took my entrylevel Giant Iguana mountain bike with me for the tour. The frame’s a bit too big, the bike’s a bit too heavy, but it was sturdy and did the job. I wasn’t bothered if it could be scratched or not. If you want to buy a new bike, make sure that it has all the necessary fittings at the rear so that you can screw the rack onto the frame. Mine still had the old V-brake system, but since then I’ve also toured with disc brakes. Disc brakes are fine, but they make the frame wider at the back, so check first if your rack will fit onto this wider mounting.

The Camino is not that difficult in order to buy a superlight aluminium frame. The lighter the easier, but it is also more fragile, and on touring you want a sturdy bike that can take the punches and extra weight. There are some people that use road bikes, but a mountain bike has the advantage of giving you the option to ride on the gravel walkers’ footpath as well.

I did change a couple of things on my bike, though. I replaced the knobbly tyres with medium knobblys from Maxxis. It has a smooth centre for low friction riding if pumped hard, and knobblys on the edges for better grip. The knobblier the tyre the harder you have to pedal. Also check the width of the tyre, mine was 1.8 inch. Nowadays I use 2.1’s, which is still fine. The wider the more resistance the tyre generates. Two inches or less would be preferable for the Camino. To make it thorn resistant, I put a thick plastic liner between the tube and tyre. It worked, I got no flats.

My bike was a 21 speed, but I changed the rear cassette from a 11-28 tooth to a 11-32 tooth. I kept the 26-inner chain ring at the front. With the extra weight on the back you’ll need this combination to negotiate the long hills. I left the toe straps on the pedals as I didn’t want to take an extra pair of shoes with me. Thus I cycled with my hiking shoes, and used it in the evenings as well to walk around with. It worked fine, and saved a lot of weight. I also didn’t bother with fenders, but I was lucky with the weather. If it would’ve rained, I think fenders would be helpful.
Lots of people use a handlebar bag to store small stuff in and to slide their map into the top, clear plastic envelope for easy reading while riding. This last feature makes it very practical, and was something I actually missed as I didn’t take a bag with me. Every time I had to have a look on the map, I had to stop, get off the bike and reach backwards to get it out of the panniers.
My small saddle bag was from Topeak which I bought at my local bike shop. It was as size too small to be practical, but it took all my spares and tools. In the bag I carried a spare tube, a patch kit, tire levers, a tyre pressure gauge and a multi tool. You will need a multi tool to reassemble and partially disassemble your bike for the plane ride. I also took a lock, long enough to fit around a lamp post, along.

My panniers were Ortliebs – they’re great. Sturdy, water resistant and easy to mount onto the rack and take off again. I’m still using them. Maybe they could do with an extra division for easier sorting inside, though.

The rack is a simple, black, lightweight design from Tubus. It’s designed to carry 20 kg’s, and although you can buy thicker, more intricate designs that can take heavier loads, I figured that on this trip I’ll limit myself to 10 kg. Once you reach 20 kg you have a lot of stuff on your bike. Besides, there’ll always be a safety margin built into that maximum carrying load capacity.
I also put a water bottle carrier on the bike. You could fit two, but for the Camino one would suffice. There’s petrol stations all over the place where you can buy water, just remember to buy it and not to skip it and then run out of water. I fixed a small Giant pump onto the side of the frame. Figure out how to use it beforehand – you get two different sort of valves.

If you want to be really authentic and ride all the way on the walkers footpath, consider putting a bell on your bike. It’s a nice way to gently alert people you’re behind them. The walkers often walk four astride on the footpath, which virtually leaves no room to zoom past. You don’t want to shout at pilgrims all the time, do you?

I got a bike box for free from my local bike shop, and boxed the bike the day before I left. Remember that in order to loosen the left pedal, you have to turn it clockwise (this usually tightens a nut). Disassemble the bike by removing the handlebar, the pedals and both wheels. Put everything in the box, along with one packed pannier with heavy stuff. You’re other pannier is now your carry-on luggage. The airlines (BA and Qatar) and French railways (SNCF) didn’t charge me extra, but it was difficult to carry the box from bus to train station, though.