Getting around on a bike in Tulum

[TnTWalter]

OK DH likes to bike so I'm thinking since he doesn't want to rent a car, perhaps the bikes will come in handy.....

So those that have been there...

1)would it be relatively safe to bike from the south beach area to the ruins to check them out one morning and hang on that beach for a while?

2) Do they provide a lock for the bikes so we can leave them somewhere and venture off?

3)what about going to say either sin kaan or gran cenote? would these be fairly nice rides?

by safe i mean won't get smushed like a squirrel...dh and i are pretty athletic so riding 20+ miles is exercise but ...

just pondering it and figured it would help others....

they have the rentals for bikes everywhere so i was wondering what people used them for. LOL.

THANKS.:eat-drink:

[beachreader]

I don't know about the locks, but Rene said that they rent bikes at La Luna, which should be convenient for you.

I think you'll be fine since you guys are in good shape, but please ride single-file! I can't believe how many groups of bikers I come upon who insist on riding side-by-side as though they're the only ones on the road.

You'll be seriously hot, but I guess if there's water at the other end of the ride, that won't matter, right?

Anyway, I think you're fine on the beach road and the pueblo, but heading onto 307 or even the main Coba Road might be a bit on the scary side. Truckers and buses use the Coba Road as it's the only artery out that way, and it gets scary! But maybe you can ride your bikes out to the San Francisco and take a taxi from there or something.

Personally, I wouldn't ride after dark, but if you do, I'd recommend bringing some of those dorky reflective vests so you can be seen from all sides. I almost hit some people walking who had headlights on their foreheads, but that didn't help me see the people themselves, just what they were looking at.

I think Rene said he has some lights all the way around his bike so he can be seen at night.

[kimba]

I was twenty pounds over my normal weight when I was in Tulum (as I am again. sigh ... ) and I rented a bike and rode up and down the playa road. I stayed at Zahra/Copal, so I rode from there to the ruins and back. I rode down the playa road until I just couldn't handle dodging one more pothole ... I don't know how far that was ...

I also rented a bike in Valladolid and rode 7kms out to Dzitnup and Samula.

You do have to remember that they don't rent sleek road bikes, but rather heavier mountain bike types. It is also really hot and easy to get overworked, so I don't know, I'm not used to hot weather (even in the summer here I wear turtlenecks) so if you live somewhere where you are used to riding bikes in 90+ degree heat you'll be fine. It's pretty much flat, so the only difficult thing about it is the heat. Take a lot of water!

[TnTWalter]

Thanks. I knew La Luna rented bikes that's where my curiousity came into play....

Good to know. I figured 307 would be SCARY....wondering if we could ride them into town to catch the bus to head to some cenotes along 307....I guess it depends on whether or not we can lock them.

Thanks.

:moped:

[hummingbird_206]

Before we went we were thinking about renting bikes. After we got there I was really glad we didn't rent them. It's not so much the heat as it is the humidity! Ugh, I just couldn't imagine riding bikes in that humidity...and yes, we're pretty athletic and used to going on 20+ mile bike rides.

If you do decide to rent bikes, maybe you should take your own bike locks along with you just in case they don't provide them. They don't take up much space in the luggage, and the peace of mind would probably be worth it. Have fun!

[kimba]

Oh yes I forgot to mention (mostly because I wrote about it and I always think people read my stories : ) when I rented the bike in Valladolid and rode the 7kms out to Dzitnup and Samula ...

the bike went into the trunk of a taxi for the ride back!

[DougSR]

Watch out for the topes. Those things were brutal on the scooter. I can only imagine how they would be on a bicycle.

[La Luna]

We have locks for our bike's!

It's an easy way of transportation, and healthy too.

You can ride to town and catch a collectivo to go to some cenotes!

hasta luego

[TnTWalter]

Rene...thanks for La Luna info on locks.

Kimba love the idea for way back when it's hot...don't know if 2 would fit though...DH could ride back! LOL.

Doug we'll definitely look out for those!:eat-drink:

Thanks all!

[Hammock Girl]

Watch out for the topes. Those things were brutal on the scooter. I can only imagine how they would be on a bicycle.

where does one rent a scooter? i'm planning on some light bike riding for fun but i'll be there in july so a scooter would be an interesting alternative!

[DougSR]

Right next to the San Francisco in Tulum pueblo you will see a Hertz with their scooters out front. But be prepared to shell out $50/day with insurance and all. Don't get me wrong...they are great and fun to boot, but not inexpensive.

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1175/1443372964_3fc742a66d.jpg?v=0

[Hammock Girl]

I had a horrible bike experience in Tulum (coming up in trip report)! But it was mostly my fault (and the hellish heat/humidity). I wanted to ride a bike to the ruins from my hotel, Las Ranitas (big newbie mistake right there - i had no idea it was as far as it was) so i rented a bike from Amansala. It seemed fine when i first tested it, but about midway to the ruins (past the pothole part of the road) it got stuck in one gear so it was pretty much like pedalling uphill the rest of the way. And in that heat I was ready to die. I think if the bike was in the right gear i might've been fine (rented one in Akumal on my last day to go to Yal-Ku and it was a breeze). Thank goodness i had a bottle of water....

[pattyayers]

I had a horrible bike experience in Tulum ... ... Thank goodness i had a bottle of water....

"Thank goodness"? Would you have gone on a bike ride in the daytime heat in the tropics without one??

[pattyayers]

OK DH likes to bike so I'm thinking since he doesn't want to rent a car, perhaps the bikes will come in handy.....

So those that have been there...



I spent five weeks in Tulum last winter, and getting around on the bike gave me some of my happiest times.

I bought a bike for about $80 US at the San Francisco supermarket, and it got me everywhere for weeks. I stayed at a hotel in town and used the bike to get fresh fruit juice in the morning, wander endlessly around the wonderful wonderful Tulum pueblo, go out to the beach for the day, visit friends, and go to the bars in town at night.

I took two little road trips on the bike which turned out to be absolutely the most spectacular moments of a totally awesome stay in Tulum: one out to Gran Cenote, the other to Cenote Escondido. Both required highway riding for about 1/2 hour each way, which was admittedly a little scary because of the harrowing speed of the traffic on those ruler-straight Yucatan roads. But all was well, and I had the coolest adventures. On the way back from Gran Cenote there's another cenote on the same side of the road, marked with only a hand-painted sign -it was almost deserted and just an amazing swim. I'll never forget the way that water feels - it's like magic.

Anyway, I found biking in Tulum to be delightful in every way. Even the day I got a flat tire on the way to the beach turned out to be a fun adventure when I had to ask for help at a gas station and was treated like royalty. That was some of the best Spanish practice I had during my whole trip, since Tony (who I will never forget!) who drove me to 2 different bike shops, spoke only 3 or 4 words of English. He refused any payment too.

[MadeInTexas]

I've rented bikes near Zahra and we rode them up and down the beach road as well as into town and down 307 to the Escondida and Cristal cenotes with no problem. Stay single file and keep at a steady speed. On the way back, we stopped at Charlie's for some food and cerveza!

[Mr Five]

Does the bike path run next to the road into the pueblo? That is the impression I have but I'm not sure if it has been explicitly stated.

Thanks for all the helpful posts, I have found answers to most of my questions just poking around various threads.

[minniemex]

Yes, there is a bike path into town. I am not sure how far it goes now along the beach road, but I think I heard Zama's?? Correct me if I am wrong guys. My brain is now half on vacation and may not be functioning correctly.:D

[beachreader]

The bike path runs from the beach road, starting in beachtown, out the Coba Rd. to 307, but it doesn't officially run into the pueblo (unless some of that road work on the north end of town included a bike path). And actually, the bit from beachtown out to the Coba Rd. is more of a sidewalk, but it works.

Before you get to 307, there's a side street where you can turn left and avoid the big traffic on 307 for a while before you turn right to head out to the main drag (pick your street).

[Margoinmexico]

Yes, there is a bike path into town. I am not sure how far it goes now along the beach road, but I think I heard Zama's?? Correct me if I am wrong guys. My brain is now half on vacation and may not be functioning correctly.:D

:wave:IT stops at the little beach town, so not all the way to Zamas.....

I went from my house, center of town, to Casa de las Palmas in like 25 minutes.....takes me almost that long in my car!

Minnie, vacation brain is totally a great excuse....!:sun::palmtree::boat::beachball::beerch ug::cool::burp::star::fan: