As a roadie looking for road cycling options while in Mexico, I kept coming up short when looking what was out my front door in San Miguel de Allende.
From everyone I spoke with and what I’ve seen, road biking only happens on highways – some of which are designated as bike highways – and mostly only ever in groups for safety.
Trucks tend to drive half way in the shoulder so cars can pass them halfway over the center line. This means the already cruddy shoulder you might mistake for a bike lane will be shared with trucks.
Even in checking Strava segments and routes, there simply isn’t anything for road cycling in the city.
“Why?!” you may wonder? Well. San Miguel is mostly all cobblestone roads and hills and is a rough ride even by car. Anyone riding in town is typically on a mountain, gravel, or fat bike, and even then is typically heading out of town vs around town.
That being said, outside of town there are some good segments, and there’s even a local road race every year.
Bike Rentals and Tours in San Miguel de Allende
If you’re just here a short while or didn’t bring a bike, heading out on an organized bike tour in town is a great option.
Beto (Alberto) of Bici Burro runs a number of great local bike tours that include transportation from his local shop to various trail heads, mountain bikes, helmets, gloves, water, and wonderful local history.
His father open Bici Burro as the first bicycle shop in San Miguel and Beto was literally born behind the bike shop.
Of course if you’re looking to buy a bike, need a great mechanic, or just want to pickup parts, his shop has every you need for that, too.
I’ve enjoyed heading out with Beto on a few rides and have met some other like minded cyclists visiting or relocating to SMA.
Bike Riding Routes Near San Miguel de Allende
If you have your bike and a car, there are actually some pretty great options near SMA.
Querétaro – the biggest city just southeast of San Miguel – has a ton of great cycling.
South of SMA is an incredible volcano – Cerro El Picacho – with a few great climbing options.
Riding down to and through Comonfort is another common route.
Hey Jeremy – I appreciate your article…NOT a lot of info on riding in San Miguel.
Quick Question: We are heading to SMA with 12 couples towards the end of September and I’m trying to coordinate a fun Mountain Bike experience for the guys one morning – for a group of active guy who’d be up for an adventure, do you recommend a ride? Good views, fun terrain, etc… or is this experience not worth our time?
Any thoughts and/or feedback is greatly appreciated – we’re traveling from the states and heading in blind… I don’t want to plan something for a group that becomes a complete bust (LOL). If it was just me, no worries…but asking collectively.
Thank you in advance!
Heya, Ryan! GREAT question and yes, there is SO little info on riding in SMA. Beto of Bici Burro does group outings and has a van that can bring everyone – and all the bikes – to the trailheads and all. There are various routes available based on how adventurous your group of guys is. Like you can do full day, half day, technical, chill, whatever you’d like. He mixes in some great history along the way, too, as much or as little as you like. For example, on one of my rides with him, we visited an ancient astrological site in the middle of the desert. Another time we visited a Unesco World Heritage Site along our route.
We are headed to Queretaro/Allende area in a few weeks. My husband is an avid cyclist in mountains in Colorado. Did you find any cool gravel or road rides he could do w/o tour? We will have a car and his own bike. Thanks!
If you have a gravel bike there is SO much he can ride. You won’t find much road cycling, and what you do find wouldn’t really be safe solo. The gravel bike will not only be good in town but also between towns and such, too. With the car you can even get to some great mountain biking a short way out of town, too.
Do you know where he can find safe gravel bike routes? I saw a loop that started around Colon…is that area safe to ride solo?
We’re going to San Miguel in May and are looking for both road bike and mountain/gravel bike rentals. I didn’t see anything on the Bici Burro site regarding rentals. Do you have any recommendations? Thank you.
Hi, Eric! Bici Burro has mountain/gravel rentals, just reach out to Beto to arrange. He also has lots of great local riding recommendations, too!