La Vallita B-Cycle Station

Last Fall, my family and I took an Amtrak Train to Chicago.  We decided against a rental car and chose to walk, use public transportation or flag a taxi when we needed to get around.  Instead of stressing out about finding a parking space or paying parking fees, we explored quite a bit of Chicago on two feet…no, we experienced Chicago as only walking and biking truly allow.

So I was all grins when I learned San Antonio was implementing a bicycle sharing program called B-Cycle.  Last weekend, I drove to the Blue Star Art Complex – the southernmost bicycle sharing station – and with the swipe of my B-Cycle card, started my adventure.

If you take advantage of the front basket on the B-Cycle (which you absolutely should do!) be prepared for a little finicky handling when you’re just getting underway.  In just a few moments, however, you’ll adapt to the B-Cycle’s handling characteristics and you’ll find that the bike offers a stable ride and a wonderful upright riding position that lets you soak in the world around you.  The bike has a 3-speed internal gearing system that is more than enough for downtown San Antonio’s relatively flat streets.

I headed north and checked my B-Cycle into another station at La Vallita (and enjoyed an outstanding BBQ sandwich at the La Vallita Cafe).  B-Cycles are made for short distances of less than 30 minutes duration.  If you keep the bike for more than 30 minutes at a time, you incur additional charges (even if you have an annual membership).  At first, this seems unfair.  If you’re thinking, “Oh, no…there goes my plan to park the bike under a tree and spend a few hours of catching up on Thoreau” you’d be right but by limiting the rides to 30 minutes or less, there’s a very good chance that when you return to a bicycle station, you’ll actually have a bike to grab!

After lunch, I grabbed the same bike I’d ridden earlier (a smart practice, by the way) and headed north again to the San Antonio Central Library.  It’d been decades since I had a library card and the B-Cycle gave me the perfect excuse to get one and check-out some fun books for my daughter.  I also grabbed David Byrne’s “Bicycle Diaries” – it just seemed right given the circumstances!

The library offered a nice respite from the heat outside and after enjoying the peace & quiet, I hopped on my B-Cycle and headed south to return to the original station where my adventure started – and made it in 20 minutes!

When you get home, you can log-on to the B-Cycle web site and it displays information about your ride including miles ridden, calories burned and your carbon offset.  Pretty darn cool!

During my B-Cycle journey, I had the opportunity to explain the system to 5-8 folks I met at the various stations I checked into.  Folks have a lot of questions about the program and like any new program, San Antonio B-Cycle is not without a few growing pains (oh, like displaying a map at each B-Cycle station that has nice, color-coded streets…but no street names!)

That said, I recommend you get out there and check it out for yourself.  The combination of exploring by walking and riding a bike provides a enjoyable new way for you to experience the River City!