Buying a bike in France for the Camino

[Graham]

Seeking advice on purchasing a bike to cycle the Camino. I'm planning to purchase in Biarritz, Bayonne or Anglet. I'd appreciate any suggestions on where to go to get a suitable bike and all the additions necessary.

[Covey]

There are companies who do cycle rental for pilgrims. Probably costs a lot but at least you do not arrive in Santiago and then have the problem of getting the bike home.

There are companies who organise biking runs down the Camino Frances and occasionally I see their mobile support workshop van sitting outside a bar. Whilst the cyclists have a beer and something to eat, the support crew are fixing and tweaking the bikes ready for the next stage.

The majority of bikes you see on the trail are mountain bikes, some of which are seriously hi-tec and expensive. Both France and Spain are cycling mad, but the kind of bike you want for the Camino, might take a few days to locate and buy, so you probably need to factor in a week for the buying and preparing phase, before you actually get around to contemplating that bloody great hill the Good Lord saw fit to put between St Jean and Roncesvalles.

A lot of the cyclists, especially the Spanish, start at Roncesvalles.

You might find it easier to fly in to Madrid, buy a bike there and then train up to Pamplona and ride to Roncesvalles as a warm up!!

[Graham]

Thanks Covey,

I have a strategy to get the bike home, so no probs there.

I'd prefer not to head to Madrid. How about closer to Biarritz, Bayonne or Anglet - any knowledge of the range of bikes available?

I appreciate your advice Covey - it sounds like you've done it a few times? Starting off in Roncesvalles seems thrill seeking!

[Covey]

I have walked St Jean to Santiago four times but am not really an expert in matters biking.

In my wandering around St Jean I have not seen a bike shop, and Bairritz is an up-market beach resort, mainly for the French, but I would not think it is over run with trail bike shops.

Even in London, my younger son had to try quite a number of different bike shops before he found exactly what he wanted, at a price he was prepared to pay.

It might be an idea to find the make and model you want and see if they are sold in France. Then get a list of dealers from the Head Office/Importer and arrange to have what you want waiting for you at a convenient store in or around Bairritz/Bayonne. Otherwise, it might take a few days for you to choose which bike you want and arrange to have one delivered.

[Graham]

Thanks Covey,

You are a wealth of information.

Since I fly into Bordeaux from London (I'll spend four days in London after flying in from Sydney) I'll focus on searching there.

A lesser option is to purchase in London. Just in case this is the case can you recommend your son's bike shop and the model he chose?

I'm impressed that you've clocked up four Camino walks - what has made you go back for more? How has your body responded?

Many thanks,
Graham

[Covey]

I would have thought buying in London was a better bet if just from the language side.

There is a firm called Evans Cycles why have a lot of stores all over London and southern England and Chris bought a brand called Giant. It was not cheap at ?800 inc bits & bobs but had all the Big Boys Toys hanging on it.

Evans normally have a website which is down today, but stick the name in to Goggle and have a look.

A lot of us ask the question "Why" we go back. When I have worked out the answer I will let you know. I do not do it for religious reasons but it has a hold on most who walk the Way, despite all the trials and tribulations.

[Graham]

Good point re: language barriers.

I guess when I've finished my journey I'll have a notion of what can draw you in. Trials and tribulations are not necessarily bad things - I'm looking forward to the challenges and surprises.

Thanks again for your generous advice.

[robin]

As you are going to be sitting on it for weeks it needs to have become your best frend before you set off.
Buy a good tourer in England and ride it long enough to break in a Brooks B17 saddle,which I don't find takes as long as most people think,having just broken in a new,wider,one.
Whilst you can't hardly spend too much on it almost any Dawes Galaxy (new,unless you have been building bikes for years) will suffice.Get the bike shops advice on fitting it,by which I mean frame size and reach,you don't do this sort of thing on the internet.
If you don't know how to maintain a bike then halfway to Compostela is too late to start learning.I'd like to suggest that anyone embarking on a long tour should be able to strip a bike right down and rebuild it.I could do this when I was 12 so its not that hard.I perfectly well know that this advice will be ignored,of course.
When kitting up for touring the whole notion of cheap is inapproprite,and won't deliver a cheap solution.You want to hit the quality/price curve where it starts to flatten out,for this you need advice.Fashion has no place in cycle touring.
Spend on tyres,Panaracer Paselas or any of the lighter Shwalbe touring tyres will resist punctures,indeed,you may have none at all.
If I were buying a Galaxy,or any other cheapish,i.e.not hand made, tourer,I'd worry about the factory built wheels,so i'd ask the bike shop to get its wheel builder to tension and true them up.They won't be right from the box.
You will probably fnd that the things like brakes and gears,albeit with abit of adjusting,cause very little actual trouble,but replacing the brake blocks with something like Aztecs or Swiss-stops will mean you can actually stop,even in the wet! take four spares.Also take spare spokes for the rear wheel at least,as a minimum for the freewheel side,even if fitting them is beyond you any bike shop can do it,although they'll moan.They moan about everything.
Get some padded gel mitts from Mike Dyason,also spare tubes.
If the bike comes with nasty cheap pedals (and they nearly all do) throw them away and get some of those Shimano ones with an SPD cleat on one side and a normal cage on the reverse.For shoes then Chris Juden of the CTC and I rather like the leather Exustars,but the cheaper Shimanos work well.
Get some bib shorts,spend money,the padding is better,you wear them without underpants.And mitts with fingers,for those long descents.
you have to wear a helmet in Spain,the more you pay the better the ventilation and the lighter,don't go mad,sixty quid should be enough.
If you are in the south then St Johns Street Cycles in Bridgewater are specialists in real cycling,as are Spa cycles in harrogate,yorks.there are others.
You don't want any sort of racing bike,but you do need drop handlebars,because they offer more hand positions,trust me on this.
Mountain bikes are horrible on-road and have bottom brackets which are always too high,coupled with excessive weight and entirely pointless fashion-victim suspension sustems that don't really work unless you're racing them and don't mind getting a five grand bike muddy.
Anything I've missed?
Just ask.
Robin

[robin]

Oh! and be vicious with weight carried,even if camping 20kgs is enough.
And its always carried on the bike,people who tour with rucksacks on their backs are idiots.
Ther are plenty of them,but you don't have to do this the hard way.
Robin