Originally Posted by axolotl

It's inevitable. Virtually every time that someone comes here and mentions biking in Latin America and particularly in Mexico, folks who have never biked in Latin America feel compelled to issue dire warnings. You can bet on it. I've biked in Latin America 8 times, including a tour earlier this year in Colombia. I've toured in Mexico a few times, and toured in several other countries in South & Central America. Yes, there are regions I would personally avoid in Mexico, Colombia, Peru, and at this time, all of Venezuela. But there are plenty of regions I've either already biked in or wouldn't hesitate to bike in. I would ignore blanket irrational fear from folks on the internet who've never been.

The OP doesn't say if he already can speak Spanish. If he doesn't, I second djb's comments about attending a language school. I attended a language school in southern Mexico and another school in Costa Rica. I lived with a local family each time. The experience was rewarding and I improved my Spanish sigificantly. A couple of towns in Guatemala are well known for their many inexpensive language schools.