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As an Ensenada area hopeful, I am wondering if the area is bike friendly. If I don't get to live on the beach, but live a mile or so away, would I be able to bike there? It's been my understanding that you need 4WD so I am thinking that might not bode well for bikes. Is the topography flat? Is riding a bike feasible?

Bikes are a great way to get around. On a bike or motorcyle you need to be very carful of vehicles, even more so than in the USA. The number of nails and sharp objects causes a lot of blowouts- so know how to patch tires if you venture far from home. There are several huge annual biking events and they are one of the highlights of living in Ensenada. They are not to be missed and welcome all skill levels and ages. Used road and mountain bikes are very cheap in the area too.

Originally Posted by janinemc

I am wondering if the area is bike friendly. If I don't get to live on the beach, but live a mile or so away, would I be able to bike there? It's been my understanding that you need 4WD so I am thinking that might not bode well for bikes. Is the topography flat? Is riding a bike feasible?

4WD....a mile from the beach? Where would that be?
In answer to your bike question..............there are no bike lanes so you have to ride with the traffic. That is always a risk.
Another thing....if a car gets too close to anything or anybody, don't expect it to stop and attend to you. "Hit 'n Run' is a national pastime due to the high cost of insurance for national plated cars.

Better to learn the bus system. The Micros go everywhere.

NO!

Mountain biking in the rural hills is ok, but, you had best be a strong and experienced bicyclist for those workouts.

Yes. I know a number of people who bike, walk, or run on the Ensenada area. As people have noted, beware of cars and traffic.

"Friendly" isn't a word that comes to my mind thinking about bicycling around Ensenada. Nor are the beaches particularly appealing to what most people look for in beaches. Rocky, a few surf spots, a rich gringo sport boat harbor north of town, a very long sandy beach(true) south of Ensenada harbor, but it fronts a pretty gritty commercial/industrial/public housing area.

Somebody just got smashed a couple of weeks ago by a semi at an intersection.

Don't even think about a road/skinny tire setup. To handle the sharp bumps/potholes/etc... I'd suggest a hybrid(700x~~38c) minimum or full-knobby(26x1.95/2.10) mountain tires. A LOT more comfortable/forgiving but slower.

It's a loooong way to any beach from the center of town. A few people on this board live on the southern end of town in what you might call "suburbs" in Punta Banda. North of town it's mostly gated gringo enclaves.

Rosarito Beach would be my pick for what you describe. The beach actually fronts the center of the town which is largely residential(in addition to all the tourist hotel/restaurant infrastructure.)

@ Dennis: 4WD....a mile from the beach? Where would that be? I guess I kind of ran my thoughts together. The 4WD comment was about generally getting around-dirt roads, muddy in rainy season-and not actually meant as it read. Sorry. It's my understanding to travel around Baja, I need 4WD. Not to drive a mile to the beach.

@Marty Cortez: I have been speaking with someone who lives in Punta Banda, in a gated community. I didn't realize the beaches around the Ensenada area are not what I had hoped. I saw Estero Beach Resort and thought the beach looked like others I have been too. Rosarito was the place I actually started looking at but leaned more to Ensenada after reading that it is a bigger city and there is more to do there. I guess I'll get to see for myself when we make a trip there and check out all the areas.

Thanks everyone for the thoughts on biking. I am not a big bike person, but wondered if I didn't live on the beach, if I could get some exercise getting there. From what most of you have said and given my lack of experience, I'll stick with walking, driving or taking a bus.

Janinemc, You have bad info. You do not need 4x4 to get around Baja. You can drive to Cabo with 2 wheel with out issues. You can live north of Ensenda pretty inexpensively (rent about $400.00 per month). Many locals bike all the time. Go to Ensesada and spend a couple of days checking things out. When you see a place of sale call them up and see if they want to rent a place, not just the for rent places.

I think the local population doesn't think friendly or not there are a whole lot of locals that ride bike's for transportation. Then the Spandex Crowd probably fall in a different category.
Some not all of the Spandex wearing crowd bring that Entitlement Attitude with their riding and they aren't thought too well of anywhere they ride.

4 X 4's Baja are transportation in: safety, hauling, place to toss your empties .. with gas milage not primary consideration ...

We bought a pice of steel, an old Bronco from the mid 80's ... worked just fine, short trips to town for food/water and looking around at property ... we weren't into rock crawling and/or exploring with good old Mexican roads of the past ... been there .. I like the asphalt and Cadillac camping, when able

I must be a sissy ... bicycles would not be my choice on roads in Baja ... just saying

There are several organized bike clubs in Ensenada that do specialty rides and family rides. They welcome new members of all abilities. No problem finding events or places to ride.

@ Woooosh: Love your dog! I have one just like him!

@mike99km: I suppose that is the reason forums are great! Relying on one person's opinion might not give the whole picture. I'm glad to hear that 4WD is not a necessity! My husband has an old pickup that would be a great beater car for around town trips and hauling. I certainly am not into off-roading. My vision of life in Mexico is being close to the beach and spending most of my time there-watching the ocean, reading and if I'm really luck maybe being able to volunteer on whale watch cruises. We are planning on a trip later this year....waiting for airfares to be announced.

@wessongroup: I'm with you. I prefer comfort to being "rugged." :)

Thanks! You are all so helpful!

=janinemc;40403

My husband has an old pickup that would be a great beater car for around town trips and hauling.

Well....there ya go. First thing you toss in the back of that truck is your bicycle. Consider it a sacrifice to longevity.

maybe being able to volunteer on whale watch cruises.

You may want to consider a more southerly location if this is your plan. There are whales out here passing by, but it's not one of the celebrated hotspots for cruises.

BTW....are you familiar with the work restrictions for foreigners down here? Volunteering probably won't exempt you from these rigid laws.

Dennis right about the whales mostly just passing through our chilly Baja Norte waters to get to thier warmer breeding grounds furthe south. The only pic I ever got of a whale off the coast of Rosarito Beach was of his tail becasue he was so busy eating with his head down.

Don't think I could get my husband too far away from the border so south is not on the table at this point. I have done no research on the working restrictions because I don't plan on working there. If they govern volunteering and it is that difficult to do, guess I'll just have to sit on the beach and read. :)

4 wheel drive is not a necessity, just a convenience. Plenty of safe places and groups to bike with in Ensenada

You can volunteer for many things down here, a lot of people do. Working with stray and abandoned dogs is a good thing. They would be glad to have you.

We are "down south" in Guerrero Negro now on a whale watch trip

Sitting on the beach is also good, just wear sunscreen

Hope you see lots of whales!

Poor 8-year-old kid just got hit Sunday in Maneadero near Ensenada and is in critical condition.

How sad that is! Good thing I'm not a serious biker! I was just wondering if it was a plausible means to getting to the beach if I lived a little inland. I'm hearing impaired and suffer from some balance problems as a result. I know now that I won't be getting on a bike in Mexico! :)

I would agree Rosarito Beach is the place for bikes...They seem to have bike rides all the time...I have seen night rides and day rides. Some are big and some a small. The bigger rides have escort cars