Camino de Santiago Tour on English 3-Speeds
My wife and I were planning to walk the Camino Frances (roughly 500 miles) in five weeks this September/October, but I had a small bike accident and tore my meniscus. Rather than give up on our plans, we're thinking we might bike the camino instead, using our Raleigh 3-speeds. We're hoping it would be easier on my knee.
We'll be staying at the refugios (hostels) along the way, sometimes camping if there's not room, and making most of our own food. I'm pretty experienced with lightweight travel (I thruhiked the Appalachian Trail in 2004) so I'm pretty confident we can put together a decent packing list, but neither my wife nor I are in top physical shape.
The 3-speeds are in decent condition, and we'll probably take them to a bike shop to get them checked over before we go. One's a 1961 and the other is circa 1968. Has anyone here done loaded touring on a 3-speed? I know Heinz Stucke has been doing it for 40 years or so, so I know it's possible. We can't really afford new touring bikes. What are we getting into? Any tips?