Cycling in Mexico?
 

I'm heading to Mexico for the summer and really want to bring my bike. Three months with no cycling would really suck. I'll be in San Miguel de Allende, which from what I have been told and read, is a pretty nice place (they have a pretty decent bike shop there too).

Has anyone done any serious cycling in Mexico? I'm trying to figure out how much paved roads ill be able to find and how much cobbles/dirt I'll be riding on. I was thinking of just bringing my back up 32-hole clinchers and getting some Gatorskins and ridin the hell out of 'em.

Any info/advice would be much appreciated!

I know there are some areas around San Miguel where you can ride on trails. I've been to the city Guanajuato which is very similar to San Miguel and not too far away from it. The only cobble streets there were in the center of town and the same might be true in San Miguel.
You mentioned there is a decent bike shop in town. I would suggest giving them a call and find out some info from them. If you don't speak Spanish, I am sure you'll be able to talk to someone in English. San Miguel is a very touristy town with lots of Americans and I would assume people in business there would be familiar with English.

Good luck and I know you'll have a great time.

I have lived in Mexico for most of last 20 years, in Nayarit, to the west of San Miguel. I don't know that area very well, but the weather in the highlands is great all year-round. No reason at all not to bike, in fact it's a great way to get to know the area. I would make pretty much the same recomendations as in the US. Stay off the main 2-lane highways, they are narrow, heavily-travelled, and extremely dangerous. Secondary paved highways are usually fine, the problem can be finding enough of them. Lots of great gravel roads if you're into that. Urban commuting is fine, too, although the streets are generally pretty rough (I use an mtb). If you can, take a road bike and an mtb. You can probably borrow or rent an mtb locally. There is probably a local group of recreational riders that you could hook up with.

The drug violence is getting to a ridiculous point, and I don't recommend Mexico to anyone for a vacation. On the other hand many areas are peaceful, and I haven't heard of any problems in Guanajuato state. However, if you're driving down, the northeastern border areas are a war zone.

I live in a small city (pop. 400,000) which is also the state capital. Like all the Pacific coast states Nayarit is a traditional drug-producing area, but violence was always minimal and was limited to people involved in the drug trade. Last year we had over 400 drug-related murders, many of them innocent people, and about 150 so far this year. There was a big shoot-out yesterday on a main boulevard with automatic weapons and grenades in which six narcos were killed and a couple innocent bystanders wounded. The government is worse than useless, the cops and politicians work for the narcos too. Kidnapping is an industry, extorsion and robbery are becoming common, and everyone is afraid. This is a beautiful place and life here has been great up till now, but we're seriously considering leaving.

He's a story about a really nice guy I mountain biked with in Jamacia. Ken was murdered while traveling to buy land for a mountain bike park in a formally peaceful area of Mexico. The comments are most interesting, the locals post that it's been bad for months but nobody outside had much of an idea how bad it had become:
http://www.borderlandbeat.com/2010/0...-coahuila.html

The problem with Mexico is the situation is very dynamic. Regions shift from peaceful to full out drug war in a matter of days. If you're not a local it's easy to stumble into a dangerous situation that can result in death. Check out this website for updates in English (the stories and photos are very graphic):
http://www.borderlandbeat.com/

Yeah you might not want to venture around alone. Search for a recreational group. As mentioned before, the areas bordering Texas are a war zone with what seems like daily killings, I would recommend flying into Guanajuato.
Luckily, I did my travels across Mexico back in early 07' before things heated up. Kroozer: I passed through Tepic as well, nice area.

San Miguel de Allende quite possibly has more Gringos than locals. I'm sure you could find a group to ride with around there. I also have never been there, and have no idea what the cartels are up to in that part of México. Here in Yucatán, I go out without a care, as long as I stay on the main highways. We don't have any drug issues, but we do have opportunistic robbery, as you will certainly find anywhere south of the border. Let us know how it works out.