Since I couldn’t cross over the border directly into Mexico, I was hoping to at least fly into Mexico City for two reasons: 1.) More options for affordable bicycles (or at least I hoped), 2.) It would give me more distance to bike south in order to see more of this beautiful country before reaching Guatemala. It turned out that flights to Mexico City were about $100 more than flights to Cancun, so I opted for Cancun. I checked online and there were more than a handful of bike shops in and around Cancun and I was hoping to find a good solid used touring bike for cheap…or so I thought.
My flight touched down at about 2pm and within an hour I had taken a taxi to my hostel, dropped my bags and was already headed out to one of the many local bike shops I found online. The first shop I visited was Elite Cycles, a high-end bike shop with prices that clearly indicated that they did not carry used, low-end or mid-range ANYTHING. They had some of the most beautiful bikes and some of the most expensive prices, but still nothing that I was going to suite my adventure and carry the weight of my gear. Over the course of the next 2 days I took taxis all over Cancun and visited 8 different bike shops. Most shops had a wide variety of mountain bikes, beach cruisers and a handful of road bikes constructed mainly of breakable plastic parts. I checked Facebook Marketplace, I talked to local backpackers and fellow cyclists at the hostel and I checked in with friends back home. One resounding message kept coming back to me: “If you are going to carry all of your gear on a bicycle and you want it to take you all the way to Patagonia, with minimal problems, you need to buy something new and reliable and you need to pay top dollar for it”.
So day 3 in Cancun, in the middle of a rainstorm, I marched back down to Elite Cycle and told them what my cycling travel plan was and exactly the type of bike and rig I was looking for. There was nothing on display in the store, but the sales rep took me in back and showed me what he thought would work perfectly for my adventure, and holy shit was he right! It was a GIANT brand touring bike with front and rear fenders, double disk brakes and rear rack already attached for travel paneers. It was glowing! It happened to also cost about 3 times more than I had anticipated paying, but if it was going to be my home for the next 6 months or longer, it would be worth the investment. I also purchased a few inner tubes, a multi-tool, toe cage pedals, a heavy-duty lock and a tire gauge.
For anyone who has every purchased an expensive item of luxury that brings them great joy such as a guitar, snowboard, surfboard, motorcycle, classic car or, in this case a bicycle, they know that we don’t choose them, they choose us. As I pedaled away after spending over $1,000 on a bicycle I didn’t have an ounce of regret or remorse. I was now ready to load up and start peddling south.
Now that the bicycle purchase was out of the way, I could relax a bit and enjoy some of what Cancun has to offer. I had met some great people in my hostel, so we all hit the beach one day, visited some night markets, and ate at some local food stalls and restaurants. I would like to say something in defense of Cancun. Cancun gets a bad rap. When you tell people that you’re going to Cancun, it conjures up images of unsightly resorts and and hotels surrounded by an over-indulging strip of bars, clubs and touristy restaurants (and there is nothing wrong with this, if this is your thing). It’s true that this spectacle does exist, however the city of Cancun is much larger (population 743,626) and has more to offer than just the resort and hotel zone. It is a big beautiful city full of friendly and beautiful people. It has exciting night markets, delicious food and a unique landscape and design. I encourage anyone visiting Mexico to give Cancun a proper shot and see what it has to offer.
Just before peddling off I visited Koko Dogz Skate shop for some needed hardware to put my skateboard together and I inquired about the local skateparks. I was advised that all the skateparks were in dangerous areas of the city and foreigners were known for getting robbed and their skateboards stolen. The staff at Koko Dogz did fill me in on some of the skate spots I may potentially visit as I biked towards Playa Del Carmen and Tulum.
Now I was ready to head back to the hostel, pack all of my things on my brand-new bicycle and head to Playa Del Carmen to visit my good friend Chris Hunt who lives there. Little did I know that my lack of preparation and the poorly distributed weight on my bicycle would make my travels between Cancun and Playa Del Carmen more of a nightmare than an adventure.