# Bicycle Trip Through Mexico



## houstcarr (Sep 10, 2011)

I would like to know your opinions on the following trip that I have been planning for almost two years, mainly in terms of safety.

My friend and I are trying to bicycle from Tijuana down south through Baja to La Paz, this part of the trip I'm not worried about. From La Paz we intend to to take a ferry across to the mainland, either to Los Mochis or Mazatlan depending on what is available. Our original plan was to bicycle south along the highway right on the coast, staying west to avoid Tepic, but still hitting cities like PV and Acapulco. We plan to go all the way to Tapachula and cross into Guatemala. Our goal is to make it to Panama and fly back to the US from there.

Our concern lies with the coastal states that we will be going through such as Sinaloa, Nayarit, Jalisco, Colima, Michoacan, Guerrero, and not as much but also Oaxaca and Chiapas.

We would obviously only be cycling in daylight hours, and not be getting wasted running around the barrios at night.

Even so, I have been following the news coming out of these areas regarding this narco war and it isn't exactly encouraging. Most of my info comes from the Blog del Narco which is very helpful, and I have spoken to several people on that site about this trip. Most of them have said the trip is not a good idea, in the form of "save for your funeral" or "it would be safer to bicycle down a river of lava". 

Anyways, I would greatly appreciate hearing from you guys, especially those who live or have spent significant time in these areas recently, as it seems that things have gotten much worse in these areas just within the last few months or so. I figure with the amount of time we would be spending on the roads, even if only during the day, it's pretty much gauranteed that we pass some cars whose occupants are involved with the big cartels or just local gangs.

If anyone has any info on taking buses from Mazatlan to anywhere south no matter how near or far, I would love to hear it. And about bringing bicycles on buses in Mexico.

Also, I know this digresses from this part of the forum, but if anyone has some input on the situation in Central America that would be great.

Sorry for such a long post, but I'm trying to provide and get as much reliable info as possible. Not really looking to get my arms and legs chopped off this year.

Gracias


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## TundraGreen (Jul 15, 2010)

Sounds like a fantastic trip.

I would not hesitate to do it. I have ridden buses over all of your planned route in Baja North and South, Sonora, Sinaloa, Nayarit and Jalisco, and taken the ferry. You should have no problem. There is always a chance that you could be in the wrong place at the wrong time, but that could happen to you anywhere.

You will have to put your bicycles in the storage area under the buses. My main concern would be someone throwing a box or suitcase on top of one and bending a wheel or derailleur or something. Check to see if the compartment is tall enough to stand the bikes up along the side. That would make them less susceptible to stuff going on top of them.


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## sparks (Jun 17, 2007)

You say you are not worried about Baja and maybe a few other sections ... but wait until you share those narrow roads with buses and semi's. I would be using buses for most of the trip and just bike where you plan to stay for awhile. Hugging the coast south of Mazatlan is not possible the whole way to to swamps and lagoons. You'll probably be on the old highway more than you'd like. You can skip Tepic by turning off to San Blas .... but then after Las Varas you are back on very scary highway 200

Futura bus runs from Mazatlan to Acapulco once a day but there are lots of shorter haul buses in between. In fact that bus runs from TJ to Acapulco


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## RVGRINGO (May 16, 2007)

Much of the route has no shoulders and the drop from the pavement can be severe; so, Spark's advice might be worth considering seriously.
On the other topic: I've never heard of an armed gang hijacking a bicycle. They want tinted glass, 4WD and an automatic transmission.


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## DNP (May 3, 2011)

I can't recommend such an adventure. You will feel like a moving target.

Cars and trucks rule on the road. Pedestrians, cyclists, etc. get out of the way! Proceed at your own risk.

WashDC/SMA


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## houstcarr (Sep 10, 2011)

thanks for the replies so far. i'm well aware of the lack of shoulder on these roads and the danger this poses. but i have read dozens of accounts in cycling forums of people taking these roads and while they say it can definetley be stressful at times it isn't out of the question. my main concern remains being the target of cartel members, not so much the road conditions or even being in the wrong place at the wrong time. i look forward to hearing more opinions


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## RVGRINGO (May 16, 2007)

Ask yourself, "Why would a cartel gang be interested in me?"


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## DNP (May 3, 2011)

probably getting better advice on those cycling forums...



houstcarr said:


> thanks for the replies so far. i'm well aware of the lack of shoulder on these roads and the danger this poses. but i have read dozens of accounts in cycling forums of people taking these roads and while they say it can definetley be stressful at times it isn't out of the question. my main concern remains being the target of cartel members, not so much the road conditions or even being in the wrong place at the wrong time. i look forward to hearing more opinions


WashDC/SMA


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## sparks (Jun 17, 2007)

Some inspiration videos for ya

Stuck on Earth: Going Where No Band Has Gone Before by tricky coyote — Kickstarter


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## houstcarr (Sep 10, 2011)

Does anyone have any knowledge about the law regarding bicycles on the toll roads? From what I understand bicycles are technically not allowed on these toll roads... but in practice it isn't really enforced?

Is it common to see cyclists on these roads?


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## TundraGreen (Jul 15, 2010)

houstcarr said:


> Does anyone have any knowledge about the law regarding bicycles on the toll roads? From what I understand bicycles are technically not allowed on these toll roads... but in practice it isn't really enforced?
> 
> Is it common to see cyclists on these roads?


I don't know about the laws regarding bicycles on the carreteras, but it is not common to see bicycles on any highways in Mexico.


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## sparks (Jun 17, 2007)

houstcarr said:


> Does anyone have any knowledge about the law regarding bicycles on the toll roads? From what I understand bicycles are technically not allowed on these toll roads... but in practice it isn't really enforced?
> 
> Is it common to see cyclists on these roads?


It's illegal. They have no bicycle signs, like no smoking signs, near the toll booths. Enforced ??

Now and then you see guys that work in the fields use them but they aren't going far


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## circle110 (Jul 20, 2009)

For the past 20 years I cycled over 400 miles a month in the US. I have sadly decided to give up my passion for cycling now that I live in Mexico due to fear.

However, I think you are fearing the wrong thing. The chances that the drug cartels would bother you are probably one in several million. The chances that you will be run over on the highway are more like one in twenty. Mexicans don't drive like Americans do. If Americans make crazy maneuvers on the roadways on a scale of one to ten, in Mexico you have to make that scale go to a hundred. 

Right turns from the left lane? Standard. Passing using oncoming traffic lanes on a blind curve in the mountains on a two lane highway? Standard operating procedure. Driving at 100 mph on highways where others are driving at 35 mph? All day every day. Cars left parked on the highway causing drivers to swerve wildly? Yup. Stray donkey/horse/goat/cow on the highway causing the same swerving? Common enough.

Also, you have to be aware that shoulders are considered an extra lane and people drive in them regularly. Imagine the pleasant situation where a truck going 60 mph driving on the shoulder (very normal) comes around a blind curve and finds you pedaling at 17 mph in his "lane". Oops.

It seems I hear of or read about a cyclist killed on the roads every other week, and that's just in the Guanajuato area. I've driven enough around Mexico to have seen how it is and I sadly have given up riding -- something I dearly love -- based on first hand experience on the roads. 

As mentioned in previous posts, bicycles on the highways aren't that common so drivers aren't expecting you to be there. I would consider riding in a large group because the sheer size of the cycle group alerts the drivers to your presence. I did meet a fellow who was riding alone all the way from Alaska to Patagonia and he had made it as far as Guanajuato so, of course, it can be done. His trip sounded awesome and I hope he made it OK. 

On the upside, road rage is almost non-existent in Mexico. Nearly every ride I ever did in the US I got honked at and/or flipped off (even intentionally run off the road occasionally) -- and I was/am a very courteous rider. It seems many US drivers are looking for something to get pissed off about. Here in Mexico there is much more of a live and let live attitude on the roads, so you won't incite anger. Unfortunately, the driver's mellow attitude and good intentions won't help you if you wind up in a heap on the side of the road.

drug cartels = no fear
drivers = AAAAAYYYYYY!!!!!
(to quote Mystery Science Theater 3000... "Be ascared, be very ascared.")


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## RVGRINGO (May 16, 2007)

A year or two ago, one driver took out a large group, maybe 21 cyclists in our area, where they practice for conditioning on Sundays; with an escort vehicle!


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## circle110 (Jul 20, 2009)

RVGRINGO said:


> A year or two ago, one driver took out a large group, maybe 21 cyclists in our area, where they practice for conditioning on Sundays; with an escort vehicle!


Hmmm, I guess I had better think hard about even riding with a large group. I guess that just adds weight to the point that cycling in Mexico is pretty chancy... and not because of willful violence by narcos.


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## travelinhobo (Sep 17, 2010)

From one touring cyclist to another... this is absolutly the wrong forum board to post on. Go on over to the LP site. Here, you're talking to people who don't get us and we'll never get them. I agree with what Mr. RV ****** said - the drug cartel won't be interested in you. What have you got that can serve them any purpose. "Chopped heads from bicycle tourers" isn't too attention grabbing to the media. Don't worry about them. I say this as someone who's been warned about the gypsies (they'll rob ya!), the Mafia (they'll kill ya) and getting rob on some road in Venezuela which never happened. You know you need to talk with and listen to other cyclists, so do it.

As for your bike on Mexican buses, don't worry. You'll be surprised (if you end up taking a bus) how far advanced the system is there than the US. I'm still waiting for the Mexican bus companies to overtake Greyhound. The chances of them placing any packages ontop of your bike I think is slim. Learn some Spanish (which I hope you will since all the countries are the same) and tell them, "Por favor, no pongas nada encima de las bicis."

I won't dispute the craziness of the Mexican drivers. However, out in the countryside (where you'll be most of the time), you have minimal traffic. This statement, "It seems I hear of or read about a cyclist killed on the roads every other week, and that's just in the Guanajuato " seems to lack needed info. Like the fact that the Mexicans who use bikes (out of financial neccesity rather than want) bike just as crazy as the drivers drive. Heck, it's a non-biker country and nobody follows rules or respects the other. what do you want? 

When I take bus trips, I always look at the road from a cyclist's point of view. Last year, I took a bus from Ciudad Juarez to the capital. Nice scenery and it's too bad the country gets too hot to bike that area. Many roads have margins and the bus drivers are SAFE! You can always do what one guy told me he did (met him in E. europe)... get a long stick and make the ends pointy. Then wrap some aluminum around the ends and tie the stick sideways to the back of the bike. No car will come close to you! I never tried it myself, but will always believe it works.

So in summary... Get on the bike, dude!


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## TundraGreen (Jul 15, 2010)

circle110 said:


> Hmmm, I guess I had better think hard about even riding with a large group. I guess that just adds weight to the point that cycling in Mexico is pretty chancy... and not because of willful violence by narcos.


Nobody lives forever. For me, it would be sad to let a freak accident somewhere dissuade me from doing something I really enjoyed or wanted to do.


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## houstcarr (Sep 10, 2011)

Yeah nobody does live forever, I figure if I die it should be doing what I want to do most. But.. I don't think I have to worry about that haha. From what I've gathered here and at other forums it sounds like the this cartel violence will have little or no effect on us, and that the traffic is going to be stressful but hundreds of people have done it before. As for the idea about tying a stick to the bike to make for some extra clearance on the sides, my friend's dad who has done extensive touring just mentioned this same idea to us today. 

We will be leaving from San Francisco in about a week and a half, so by the time we get to the Mexican mainland from Baja it should be well into October.

On another note.. we are looking to stay in cheap motel/hotel/hostel like places in the small towns along the way. I've heard these run about $10 -$20 a night depending on your bargaining skills. Any input on the price of these kinds of places or other good boarding ideas?


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## TundraGreen (Jul 15, 2010)

houstcarr said:


> ... As for the idea about tying a stick to the bike to make for some extra clearance on the sides, my friend's dad who has done extensive touring just mentioned this same idea to us today.
> 
> We will be leaving from San Francisco in about a week and a half, so by the time we get to the Mexican mainland from Baja it should be well into October.
> 
> On another note.. we are looking to stay in cheap motel/hotel/hostel like places in the small towns along the way. I've heard these run about $10 -$20 a night depending on your bargaining skills. Any input on the price of these kinds of places or other good boarding ideas?


If you decide to go with a device to provide extra clearance, make sure you mount it in such a way that it won't knock you over if someone hits it. I had a car hit a hiking stick I was holding horizontally. There was a long line of pedestrians (pilgrims) walking along a highway. A taxi came barreling along going way too fast. I was holding the hiking stick horizontally with the end projecting a foot or so towards the road. The steel tip scraped the length of the taxi. 

As far as lodging goes, your price estimates are about right. Beds in hostels run about $200 mxn ($15 usd). You won't find hostels anywhere except in major cities, but you will find cabins or small hotels everywhere for that price range. I think the least I ever paid was in a very small village where I got a room for $30 mxn ($2.50 usd)/night.


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## lesterb-deltabc (Nov 23, 2009)

houstcarr said:


> I would like to know your opinions on the following trip that I have been planning for almost two years, mainly in terms of safety.


Some avid cyclist friends recently finished a bicycle trip from Whitehorse to South America. I spent Christmas 2010 with them in Melaque, Mexico and they have since finished the trip and are back in Canada. If you want to check out their blog go to "itsjustarideDOTshutterflyDOTcom" and click on their Journal link. 

You'll have to change the DOTs in the URL to get it to work, sorry but my membership doesn't allow me to post URLS in the proper fashion.


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## scubakevin (Jun 22, 2011)

I have to agree that most of my concern would be vehicles and safety as a result of them more than the so called drug war. I have done some 200 km bike trips on the yucatan peninsula including 65 km on the main highway 307 down to tulum to enter the center of the Yucatan.

Also there is a big difference in what is the 307 all remodeled and widened vs the Baja highways and the coastal highway from Oaxaca to Chiapas.

I mean I don't imagine 4 guys with guns stopping 2 people on bicycles to do a bike jacking.

I would really like to do that type of ride over a period of what 30 days to enjoy the trip without rushing.


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## travelinhobo (Sep 17, 2010)

*Be Safe*

Well, if you do the stick thing, let me know if it works! I'm interested in this. Have you thought about couchsurfing? It's too late to contact people for the beginning of your trip, but further out you could. Try: couchsurfing.com / hospitality.org / globalfreeloaders.com

Also, I had wanted to mention that when I was in Guatemala 3 years ago, I rode on the Pan Am Hwy some from the capital into the mtns. THere was a nice shoulder on it, so I think you'll be okay on parts of that.


_As for the idea about tying a stick to the bike to make for some extra clearance on the sides, my friend's dad who has done extensive touring just mentioned this same idea to us today. 


On another note.. we are looking to stay in cheap motel/hotel/hostel like places in the small towns along the way. I've heard these run about $10 -$20 a night depending on your bargaining skills. Any input on the price of these kinds of places or other good boarding ideas?[/QUOTE]_


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## docsurf (Aug 20, 2011)

Too funny, I'm considering a version of the same thing. I'll be living in TJ for a while getting my Spanish up to snuff and I'll be biking the same route down Baja, ferry to Los Mochis, take the train up and back to/from Copper Canyon and then begin biking my way through the heartland of Mexico.
So, with much bias, I do hope you go and enjoy yourself along the way.

Doc
BTW go to warmshowers.com and you'll find so wonderful people throughout the country that are willing to open their homes to you as you pass through.


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## travelinhobo (Sep 17, 2010)

*Things that make you go hmmm...*



TundraGreen said:


> If you decide to go with a device to provide extra clearance, make sure you mount it in such a way that it won't knock you over if someone hits it. I had a car hit a hiking stick I was holding horizontally. There was a long line of pedestrians (pilgrims) walking along a highway. A taxi came barreling along going way too fast. I was holding the hiking stick horizontally with the end projecting a foot or so towards the road. The steel tip scraped the length of the taxi.


Are you serious??? So you've tried this, eh? Did he stop and scream 'cause you had caused damage to his God? jejeje Surprised on this one.


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## TundraGreen (Jul 15, 2010)

travelinhobo said:


> Are you serious??? So you've tried this, eh? Did he stop and scream 'cause you had caused damage to his God? jejeje Surprised on this one.


He was going pretty fast, but he heard the scrape. He stopped a little ways down the road and backed up. I think he was concerned that he hit someone. When he didn't see any injuries, he took off again. Probably was not the smartest thing I ever did. But I really didn't expect him to hit it.


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## mexicoliving (Feb 9, 2009)

*We would do it now!*

My wife and I are planning such a trip ourselves. We also live in Baja and have ridden the roads. We also produce a Baja cycling event called the "Baja Love Ride", (you can Google it), and can tell you that lots of highway has been widen and completely rebuilt or built brand new in the last couple of years. 

Unfortunately, we can only let you know about Baja, because we have not ridden the mainland side, but I would suggest emailing or reviewing this guys website. They have done the exact trip you're talking about. My wife and I are listening to his audio book now. I would consider email the author direct and see what if he can provide. His name is Tim Travis and his website is called "Down The Road" dot org. Or Google it too, this site does not allow me to post URLs, until I've been a more frequent poster. 

Keep Traveling


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## houstcarr (Sep 10, 2011)

good to hear that the roads have been improved. we take off tomorrow from san francisco. should take us about 10 days to get to tj.


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## mexicoliving (Feb 9, 2009)

Houstcarr, 

My last email was deleted because it appeared like an ad to one of the moderators, so offering help doesn't come easy here. If you need any support or help while in Baja, I guess you can request it here, and we will get back to you. If you need any support and we can help, we will, we have great resources throughout the peninsula.


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## houstcarr (Sep 10, 2011)

mexicoliving said:


> Houstcarr,
> 
> My last email was deleted because it appeared like an ad to one of the moderators, so offering help doesn't come easy here. If you need any support or help while in Baja, I guess you can request it here, and we will get back to you. If you need any support and we can help, we will, we have great resources throughout the peninsula.


awesome, thanks for the offer! keep an eye out for 2 or 3 thirsty looking out-of-place gringos on bicycles


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