Cars are Traffic - Road Riding in Mexico City

As I state in the intro, not your typical tourist route, but one that I'm fond of. There is sense to the chaos if you allow it to happen and do no try to control it, but to try be invisible inside of it. Most cyclists try to be visible to stay safe, but once drivers see a cyclist they start to behave in ways that they normally wouldn't, making it harder to predict what they'll do. Often they'll just slow the entire flow of traffic down which comes from a place of concern, but I don't want to be the cause of a ripple in the web of movement. I like the idea of highly skilled rider moving faster than anything else in a city while also causing the absolute minimum interference to others movement. This aproach only makes sense if you have thousands and thousands of hours of experience in traffic. When even the most senseless actions no longer surprise you. I've been riding full time for 20 years, most of those as a messenger.

There's so much to take in and process when riding on the streets. At these speeds you can't be thinking about what to do, it just needs to happen. The people, the animals, the road conditions, weather conditions, the cars, trucks and buses, the sounds, a plastic bag blowing across the road... If a loud bang or a horn goes off next to your head while riding between two cars and you flinch that might be the last thing you do. None of this comes naturally, all of this is trained. The only training I know of is years on the road as a messenger. That industry is dwindling and the volume of runs has seen a sharp decline almost everywhere since the early 2000's which means the volume and quality of training available has seen a sharp decline. That's not necessarily a good or bad thing, but it is a reality. This is a dying art.

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[AzeemLive]

my heart rate is higher than Safa's HR while watching all the close calls😅 what a ride (y)

[andrewcalladine]

Normally a fan of your videos, but not in this case. The problem I see with this, is that there is no margin for error from either yourself or the other road users. Filtering at this speed is pure lunancy.

[ernestopreciado]

You made in 20 minutes what an average daily commuter in that location does in 1 to 3 hours. But at the cost of quite a serious gamble 💀

[Tanner_o]

Como ciclista chilango puedo afirmar que no he visto a nadie ni de cerca rodar como Safa. Si logras destreza al ratonear con el tráfico pero lo que él hace está en otro nivel.

[randomwildlife]

I am blown away. That was one of the best, if not the best cycling videos I have ever watched. The way it was filmed, the numbers running on the left, the commentary and, obviously, the ride itself. It was incredible. Just try and stay safe. That's some speed right there!

[ArmyNurseCorps-uc]

You won't live long riding like this; I've been riding for 40 years and had quite a few crashes, but none I can blame anyone but my stupidity!

[jharricam]

I love your videos Brian, they contributed to getting me into cycling. You are a beast but please stay safe! Very little margin for error in this video. 4:50 brown pants time!

[njsN]

Safa, please be safe. wanna see lot of videos of you 2024 and ahead. dont take unnecessary risks

[juampi]

I have watched 3 videos of this channel and WOW. People is amazing!

[Nikica]

Damn, this guy reads roads and drivers like a book, hats off Brian.

[liquidSpin]

My eyes were GLUED watching this one. INTENSE AF!! GO SAFA!!

[SonnyDarvish]

My heart rate was jumping between 120 and 170 watching this. You should start putting "viewer discretion is advised" on your videos 😂

[joeemmerling]

I loved and hated every second of this. Pure talent, there’s no luck involved. Well done Safa, this is amazing

[skankhuntfortytwo]

damn bro you are crazy! i wouldnt even fathom myself riding like that, too dangerous, a lot of drivers, motorcyclists, and even pedestrians tend to be so unpredictable and behave in erratic manners, people here usually do not obey traffic laws and riding sometimes its very risky, yet you have the courage and the skills and maybe a spark of luck, because for real you never know whats gonna happen next or whats around a blind spot. amazing what you do, i was watching this amused and tense because Mexico City is a very hectic, unpredictable and chaotic enviroment. i wish you all the best, i wish that you are always safe in your trips, you had some really close calls. you are crazy dude, amazing!

[marielsommer]

wow! gran video y edición, muchísimo respeto a esa gran habilidad, aparte me sorprende un chingo que Safa conoce mejor cdmx que miles de personas que nacimos y crecimos ahí. Creo que es parte de la cosecha de ser tan explorador, ratonero y basicamente una leyenda sobre la bici. Gracias por compartir la adrenalina, mis manos no pararon de sudar!!!

[ProfeTa]

5 years since the time of Hotline - Safa by Terry Barentsen... If you think Safa in this video is wild/crazy then well, you have no idea.

[teddyours]

Hi Safa, idk if you are reading this but i just wanted you to know that i've come to cycling like 4 years ago and really started watching your videos 2 years ago and they all are awesome and really helped me get more confident through traffic and in descents but this one is by far the most impressive and the footage is awesome, i could nearly feel it... thanks for all the skills your videos taught me anyways §

[mikenations]

One of best yet safa, love it. 19:55 pedestrian guy probably freaked me out the most.

[rafamenjau]

i didn´t had to start watching the video before hitting the like button, every Mexico City video is always epic. You really inspire so much people, hope to keep watching amazing videos.
Greeting man.

[largadeugnt]

You guys are nuts. Going through all that heavy traffic swaying and tight passing makes me truly apprehensive and nervous. What a cycling day you got there!