Reflections on Riding, and Some Data

 The Bikes

We rented our bikes from Cycling Rentals. who provided each of us what they call their Camino package (designed for cyclists doing the Camino de Santiago) which included an e-bike, 2 20-litre panniers, a 5-litre handle-bar bag, helmet, bike lock, and a flat replacement kit. We added on rear view mirrors so we could see approaching vehicles and each other when we were riding.

We were provided with Kona e-bikes equipped with Shimano batteries. There were three levels of assist: eco, normal, and high. The batteries had great range, and we never came close to running out of power even though we made plentiful use of high assist. We missed the Turbo assist of our own bikes at home, but using that would certainly have reduced the range of the battery. The bikes had chains, different from my own bike whose mechanism is enclosed (and I have no idea how it works). This was good when we had to repair a flat on the rear tire, I suppose, but I got pretty greasy every day.

Chain grease

We chose Cycling Rentals over other bike rental companies because they will deliver bikes to anywhere on the Iberian Peninsula and pick up anywhere else on the Iberian Peninsula. Most companies would require pick up and return to the same place, which would mean travelling with the bikes on trains or buses if we didn’t want to ride a circle tour. The cost was a bit more per day than for other companies, but we considered it well worth the small cost to save a bunch of hassle.

The team at Cycling Rentals was very friendly, helpful, and responsive. We would recommend the company to anyone considering a similar trip to ours.

We did have one issue with the bikes, and that was that the handlebar height could not be adjusted, this being confirmed by several bike repair people we consulted along the way. The bike was okay for me, but not great for Elly; with the seat lowered, her knees hurt, and with the seat raised, her shoulders hurt. She needed both a raised seat and a raised handlebar. A larger frame might have worked for her, but the bike company did ask our height and chose the frame size accordingly. It's something to be aware of when renting bikes.

Would I do this style of bike touring again? I’m thinking probably not. I compare it to my previous bike-and-barge trip, where we were a congenial group of 16, guided along ideal tracks, not carrying any gear, knowing that we’d be taken care of if anything went wrong, re-meeting our accommodations every night so that there was no packing and unpacking to do. We were fed and watered generously, and the cost, all things considered, was more than reasonable. I didn't have an e-bike on that trip, and it wasn't always easy, but it was much easier than this one.

That said, this was a challenge taken and conquered, and that’s a good feeling. It may have been harder than what I expected when we started planning this trip, but I don’t regret it for a minute. 

For those wondering how it could be hard to cycle e-bikes, I'll mention again that the amount assist you get is directly related to the amount of pressure you put on the pedals. On the flat, there is no discernible difference between high power and power completely off. On the hills, pedalling fast in the highest gear, even the high assist is barely noticeable; you actually have to work to get any push from the motor. Early in a day’s ride, with fresh legs (and cool temperatures), hills were relatively easy. Later in the day and many hills later, they were a struggle. I learned to apply pressure in spurts; I also learned to stop frequently, even mid-hill, to give the legs some recovery time.  

“Why is this so hard?” I complained to John at one point during this trip. “Because you’re a couple of geriatrics!” he said. There’s a perspective!


The Data

Ezra the Maniac Cyclist (my beloved stepson and my host, along with his family, in Berlin) will probably be amused by these numbers. He and others of his ilk (I dub them EMCs in his honour) routinely knock off a hundred kilometres in an afternoon's ride. We saw a lot of them on this trip, often cycling in herds, probably heading up to the mountains of Monique. They always waved or nodded, and maybe laughed once they were past, at these old-lady pack-mules. There was one that could have stopped to help when he saw us with a flat tire at the side of the road, but he kept on going. I wonder if there isn't something like the mariner's obligation in the biking world, to stop and help others in distress. 

Oh well, along came Nelson!

(The total of the daily rides doesn't match the total shown by the bike's computer. On two days, I forgot to start recording the beginning of the ride, and it looks like I underestimated the distances of the unrecorded parts.)

Daily kilometres

Milfontes to Zambujeira                                    37.5
Zambujeira to Aljezur        14.2(?) + 17.3 =      31.5
Aljezur to Salema                 8.6(?) + 39.2 =     47.8
Salema to Lagos                                                17.4
Lagos to Silves                                                  47.7
Silves to Loulé                                                  53.9
Loulé to Tavira                                                  42.7  

Total according to our maps                            278.5 km

Total according to the bike computer              291.3 km


Total riding time                     15h 54m
Average speed                        18.3 km/h
Max speed                              49 km/h (yikes!)

Our bikes and gear, bagged and labelled, ready for pick-up