Mark your calendar! Bike Night is back!

If you live in San Antonio and you'd like to support efforts to make this city more bicycle-friendly, regardless of the type of riding that you do, I strongly encourage you to attend the April 8th "Bike Night" event. It's an opportunity to show your support and let your voice be heard.

More details...

Why not?

Own a bicycle?

Need to grab a few groceries? Have a prescription you need to pick up? Interested in grabbing some breakfast to go for the family?

There's a good chance that your local grocery store, pharmacy or restaurant is within three miles of your home. If you're not sure, use an online tool like Google Maps to find out.

If so, I'd like to invite you to try doing that trip by bicycle sometime.

Traffic a concern? It's always a concern for me. As a result, I simply leave early in the morning when the traffic is light. Saturday and Sunday mornings before 10am are surprisingly light on traffic and that's saying something considering I live off one of the busiest and most traffic congested roads in San Antonio.

Oh, you don't have a commuter bike with a rack, bags, etc.?

No problem.

There are many backpacks on the market - some that are cycling specific - that can hold a ton of stuff. That means your road bike or your mountain bike can handle that local errand just fine!

With a few exceptions, I've ridden my bicycle on every Sunday morning since September 2008. I bike to my father's house about 3 miles away and then we bike to a local restaurant for breakfast. It's great quality time with my Dad and a fun way to get some exercise and experience our local community in a way that's just not possible in a car.

On my way home I'll take care of errands like stopping at the grocery store for some "must have" items between big grocery store runs.

Why not give this a shot? You'll get in some exercise while taking care of an errand or two. You'll also replace a very short trip in your car - and short trips are the most polluting - with a "breeze in your face" experience on two wheels that you might just find a bit addicting.

And who said anything about doing this solo? Bring your wife, husband and children. Make it a family affair. You'll arrive home just as the traffic reaches a point that might make you feel uncomfortable.

Your bike's ready to do this. Are you?

Loadin' groceries on the bike

Reevaluating the bike route to/from work...

It takes me longer to get home from work when I bicycle commute since I have to take a different route that keeps me out of most of the rush hour traffic.

I have about 3-4 spots on my 10-13 mile commute home that involve me having to directly interact with traffic (e.g. taking a lane due to no shoulder or bicycle lane).

One of these spots is a northbound leg on a NW Military Highway. This road has two lanes going in each direction (good!) but no shoulder or sidewalk of any kind (not so good!). The speed on the road is 45mph.

Most of my experience on this road has been good but I've had a few times where folks have driven uncomfortably close to me since it was just killing them to wait a 3-4 seconds to hop into the left lane and pass me. Go figure.

One day I decided that instead of making a left turn onto this road, I'd go straight into a large neighborhood and program my Garmin Edge 705 to route me home. I knew it'd figure out the potential maze of streets I was entering and would direct me on an appropriate course of action to get home.

The Garmin did its job and in no time I was back on NW Military highway.

The time I spent in the neighborhood - Shavano Park - was rejuvenating. Low to no traffic, well paved country roads. A quiet escape from engine noises, honking cars, etc. A perfect opportunity to take a breath, grab the water bottle to hydrate and spin easily to recover before tackling the last few hills of my route.

When I got home I used Google Earth to evaluate my GPS track and found a perfect segment in Shavano Park that doesn't involve a lot of back tracking but gives me an opportunity to rest a little and escape some of the fast moving traffic.

Moral of the story? Always look for opportunities to optimize your bicycle routes. Just when you think you have the perfect route, keep your eyes open for new possibilities!

Calm, new section of my bike ride home

Review : Seca 400 bicycle light - a powerful ally in the dark

The Seca 400 Bicycle Light

When I started bicycle commuting, the need for a headlight became a high priority since my morning commute is under cover of darkness.

I've owned and used the following headlights: the Planet Bike Blaze 1/2 watt and the Blackburn X8. In each case, I've upgraded to a more powerful light since I have some dark sections of my commute that lack street lights.

My latest bicycle light is the Light & Motion Seca 400 and so far, I'm thrilled with it.

While the Seca 400 is marketed as an off road light, its 400 lumens of light and unique beam pattern make it a powerful ally to bicycle commuters.

Here are my primary observations after about 4 months of use...

• Beam Pattern: the Seca 400 provides a wide beam pattern with a center focus of light. It's unique design creates a wide "u-shaped" beam that does a great job illuminating the road ahead.

• Weight/Size: the Seca 400 and its small, lithium-ion battery weigh just under a pound. While weight is not as much of a concern on my commuter bike, you won't hear me complaining about this powerful, lightweight lantern.

• Mounting: you'll be amazed at how easy it is to mount this light on your handlebar (or helmet) and you'll wonder why every other light you've ever owned used something more complex. The Seca 400 has a stretchable, elastic band that allows you to attach it snugly to handlebars of various sizes. The band holds the light firmly in place no matter what kind of bumps the road throws your way.

• Battery Life: Light & Motion indicates about 2.5 hours of burn time at the full 400 lumens setting. So far, I have no reason to doubt this claim. I'm able to use the light for 2-3 commutes on my bike before recharging. I use the full 400 lumens during dark spots of my ride and either 100 or 200 lumens for brighter sections of the road lit by street lamps. On my ride home in the daylight, I use the flashing mode to help drivers see me.

Here are a few more pics of my Seca 400:


If you're in the market for a bicycle light, the Seca 400 provides a powerful, reliable headlight that lets you spot road hazards while alerting drivers to your presence. I highly recommend this well-designed and high-quality light!