I set this website up to provide handy information and inspiration for those visiting Oaxaca, be it from within Mexico or overseas. It’s also my outlet for sharing personal experiences from the saddle, gear thoughts, and photography.
If you’ve found some of the posts of use to you, and you’d like to help support the cost of running this site and my riding with a donation via PayPal – be it for a cup of coffee, a new chain, a tyre, or towards website hosting fees – then I’d be extremely grateful. To do so, click on the link below:
But there’s no pressure to donate! I’m also very happy for you to pop by, drop me a line, and enjoy the site for what it is.
I also sell stickers, if that is something you’re interested in (-:
abhay sood
21 January 2023 at 2:01 pm
Hello,
I am thinking to do “OJOS DE TEHUACAN (TCBR, NORTE)” route late april. Looking for some advise. Planning on flying to cancun and then a flight to oaxaca or flying to mexico city from detroit and then flight to oaxaca. What do you recommend regarding : 1 whether to stay in oaxaca or Tehuacán or zapotitlan, before the trip ? 2i will be be having my bike in a large hardshell thule travel case. during th trip can the hotel keep the travel box in their storage room? 3 how to get to zapotitlan and tehuacan from oaxaca airport? i now i will have more questions, appreciate your help!
Cass
21 January 2023 at 3:25 pm
Hi!
If you’re trying to get to Tehuacan, it’s probably best to fly to Mexico City and take a bus from there, as the connections are much better than busing from Oaxaca (see route post for details). Mexico City is a great place to explore by bike, too, especially on a Sunday when much of the centre is closed to traffic.
However, bear in mind that April is the hottest time to be in the Tehuacan-Cuicatlan Biosphere, so it’s not really a great time to be riding there. I prefer to be in the Oaxacan high country in the dry season. As for your travel case, it’s best to contact a hotel directly and ask to store it there. Any further questions, please leave them on the route post!
https://bikepacking.com/routes/tcbr-norte/
Oaxacan airport logistics can be found here:
https://stilloutriding.com/2022/10/general-info-for-bikepackers-in-oaxaca/
Jeff Sanderson
25 January 2023 at 8:03 pm
Hi Cass great website. I am thinking of visiting with my wife and taking a Spanish course for the month of February and part of March. I would like to ride but don’t think I will be bringing a bike. Can you recommend rentals and any route or guide service? My plans are open and have not booked anything as yet
Thanks, Jeff
Cass
26 January 2023 at 10:54 pm
Hi Jeff,
Check out this link for info on bike rentals:
https://stilloutriding.com/2022/10/general-info-for-bikepackers-in-oaxaca/
And this one for links to different routes in the area:
https://stilloutriding.com/2022/10/bikepacking-routes-in-oaxaca/
Just bear in mind that by March, it’s getting pretty hot, so routes in the mountains are likely more enjoyable. All the best!
Bruce Thompson
5 February 2023 at 1:33 am
Cass – I’m fairly new to bikepacking having done a couple 4-5 day rides in the US. I’m planning to cut my international chops by riding La Gira de Sur Yungas in the second half of May. Wondering if there’s any updates, but mostly wanted to ask if a hammock can work (vs. my tent). I much prefer the hammock, but when there’s nowhere to hang it it’s not very comfortable ;). Also figuring 3 or so days in La Paz prior to acclimate this 56 year old to the altitude.
Thanks for the excellent advice.
Cass
5 February 2023 at 1:48 pm
Hi Bruce,
Your best bet is to post a message on the route itself, just in case anyone has any updates. I bet things have changed over the last few years. As to hammocks… my initial reaction is that I don’t think it would be ideal, and a few places we camped probably wouldn’t have worked. But I also know that people who travel with hammocks are very resourceful! And I’m always looking out for flat spots rather than trees or posts!
Bruce Thompson
6 February 2023 at 12:00 am
Thanks so much. Someone on the bikepacking site posted they rode it in November. I appreciate the work you’ve done to make us less adventurous types learn the ropes.
Cass
6 February 2023 at 1:52 am
Oh, in that case, it should be fine. I take if you saw that there was damage some years ago between Pongo to Unduavi? It would be worth enquiring locally for an update – if that area is now clear, it’s definitely worth riding, as it keeps you off pavement. Thinking back again to the trip, I do think a tent is a safer bet. On a couple of occasions, we camped on football pitches – maybe you can attach a hammock between the goal posts?! Also, I think I read somewhere that the ‘CountryHouse’ in Chulumani is no longer open – and now that I check, it seems the website is down. Not sure if you saw Brian’s blog post of the ride, too: http://www.outforawhile.com/blog/2016/6/7/the-yungus-tour-de-nevado-illimani Have a great ride!
Peter Brown
5 December 2023 at 2:03 pm
I enjoy your writing. Are you a descendant of the great American architect?
Cass
16 December 2023 at 11:20 pm
Thank you!
And sadly not (-;
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Franziska Leitzke
25 November 2024 at 7:15 pm
Hey Cass,
we will have 10 weeks off with our son (6 years) next April to July before school starts. We are planing to ride our bikes somewhere in Europe, enjoying the sun, the time and the pathes we’ll find. Since you have been traveling with your son, do you have any recommondations? We would like to avoid official campsites but are still dependent on a good food and water reply. We were thinking about riding the spanish lapplands but are unsure weather the rare supply in combination with the alltitude is a too big challenge. We would be glad about any recommandations. Thanks ahead!
Cass
27 November 2024 at 4:56 pm
Hi! I don’t have too much experience touring with my son in Europe, but we really enjoyed the Sierra de Urbasa, and the Basque country in general! There are lots of bike paths, trails, and train options in this area.
I wrote a little about it here.
https://bikepacking.com/plan/mini-vuelta-de-vasco/
Hugo Mendoza
21 April 2025 at 4:21 am
Hi Caas,
Hope you are well.
I am coming to you for some bike wisdom.
I saw that you made a Surly Ogre review back in 2017 and you addressed the issues with the horizontal drop outs.
My Surly is from 2018 and it is custom made, with front derailleur and discbrakes. Since I got it I had some issues with the rear wheel sliding forward and the spacers seemed like just one more moving part that I did not want to deal with in long distance trips, when having to remove the rear wheel. So anyway, I know this is the only way to accommodate wider tires when using a front derealiuer.
So now I am thinking of installing a Rohloff hub when I am back in Europe (still in Oaxaca now) and wondering if you think this could be a solution to accommodate wider tires (2.5+),or if I will have the same issue with having to use a spacer to pull the wheel backwards.
Please let me know what you think, or should I just look for a different bike and say good bye to my Ogre?
Cheers!
Cass
22 April 2025 at 5:56 pm
Hi Hugo!
Honestly, I don’t remember having a real issue with the spacers though yes, they are a bit fiddly. As I run tubeless, I don’t tend to need to remove my rear wheel very often – perhaps for a flight, or to change brake pads. I ran my earlier generation Ogre in South America with a Rohloff and it worked well for many miles – eventually though, the chainstay broke near the dropout due to the fore and aft forces that are applied by the hub. The later generation of Ogre – the one that you have – accounted for this. I reckon you’d be best off using the nutted kind of Rohloff rather than QR version, as they’re more stable in a sliding dropout. I’m not too sure about the tyre clearance with regard to wheel position – but the Rohloff does make for a better chainline and is a joy to use on long, mixed weather trips.
In short, I’m sure you could make it work. If you were thinking of changing bikes anyway, I can really recommend the Tumbleweed Prospector as being especially well suited to a Rohloff setup. The integration is particularly clean and well thought out, with lots of tyre choice options/mud clearance too! Hope that helps!