freefallkev

(cross posted in Texas forum as well)

I'll be moving to San Antonio for work later this year. What's riding like there? Hilly or smooth? I don't know where I'll be living but I'll be working at Ft Sam Houston, and would like to live somewhere within reasonable riding distance (15ish miles) of post and the city itself... any recommendations? Is there anything else I should know about the town?

Thanks!

adaminlc

Was stationed at Ft Sam a few years ago. The town is quite hilly, and the roads around post are pretty torn up. I can't make any real recommendations as to housing as I lived on post and didn't really have any experience with off-post housing. I do know that most of the neighborhoods in the immediate area are a little rough, but you can get into some nice neighborhoods within 5 miles or so (or at least they looked nice as I rode through them). San Antonio is a fun town, have a good time. Only other observation I can make is that the drivers were generally considerate to cyclists (at least to my other experiences). I never had a problem my whole time there.

coolio

I spent a lot of time in San Antonio as a kid and that area does not remind me as being awfully hilly. The North and West part of the city is kinda hilly. I think they put in Sea World and Fiesta TX parks there in some hilly areas. There's a lot of utility bikers in the Downtown Alamo part of the city (mostly restaurant workers and service folks). Parking is a little outrageous there so that makes a lot of sense. Cars paid me a lot of respect when I biked there about 3-4 years ago. Most of the city is so flat that there are some flood canals that were built so that there wouldn't be flooding. The rainwater has to have somewhere to go.

freefallkev

great thanks for the replies! hopefully some others can chime in to clarify the hill question

jrich179

disclaimer- I only have a vague and passing knowledge of the area by Ft Sam, but hopefully I can drop a little knowledge that you'll find helpful.

You'll encounter some topography just about anywhere in the city- north and especially northwest of the city limits is the area specifically designated as "Texas Hill Country", and it would be a great area for recreational rides- rural, hilly, beautiful- Medina Lake, Hwy 16 between Helotes and Bandera, Kerrville...Government Canyon if you mountain bike.

Ft. Sam, if I'm not mistaken, is north-northeast, inside of Loop 410 (the inner loop, versus 1604, the outer loop- scope a map, and that will make perfect sense). I think I can rightly say that as a general rule, residential areas that close to 410 aren't the greatest, although it's prime location for commercial development, and in many parts of town, neighborhoods turn pretty nice as you go further outside the loop, and I'm also pretty sure the NE gets downright ritzy in places. 1604 used to be the absolute outer reach of town, but over the last 12 yrs, it's gotten insaaaaanely developed out there, especially the Northwest- a lot of it is pretty luxurious too. And again, you start to get into the Hill Country out that way- The poster who mentioned Sea World and Fiesta Texas (Six Flags) was on point- both on the northwest of town.

I'm speaking largely of suburbs- that's where I grew up (NW SA), but that's not to say cycling isn't big inside the inner loop- I mean, really that's the part of the city you could largely forgo automobile dependence, which is saying a lot in any major Texas city. SA has a really neat downtown, and being a radial city, I'm sure you could find one of the nice neighborhoods (let's not sugarcoat- there are a ton of rough 'hoods, and east side ain't great) close to downtown, but easily take a bike out to Ft. Sam. And also if I'm not mistaken, the immediate North of downtown has some of the nicest, historic neighborhoods in town, although probably fair to say, out of most folks' price range (EDIT- I was wrong; I'm thinking of the King William District, which is actually South of downtown...which makes it now worth noting that South Town is an emerging artists' district, and I know artists who live there for dirt cheap and without cars). Also in that area (back to talking about North Downtown), you have Brackenridge Park and the San Antonio Zoo, and that whole area might be my favorite part of town, having been jaded by the burbs.

I haven't lived in SA for about 13 yrs now, but I know a lot of my friends get around on bikes, inside 410, and they love it (for reference, around the west side as well as the Brackenridge Park/Broadway/St Marys area). If I'm not mistaken, there's also a lot of new growth going on in the Northeast of town, near 1604, which might serve you well, but as I mentioned, I grew up on the NW side, and you wouldn't believe how far away that is from the NE, so I was rarely out there. I visited a couple months ago for the first time in over 3 years, and spent a lot of time around my old stomping grounds, and aside from the MASSIVE amount of new development, I was also surprised by the number of bike lanes, which I'd never noticed growing up (because I don't think they were there...not because I was ignorant of my surroundings from inside a motorized steel cage)- mind you, these were mostly glorified shoulders, road debris and all, but nevertheless, it was clear to me that cycling was at least in tokenly mind when the new streets were laid out. edit- Another new development since my last visit was an epic extension of the Riverwalk, which now incorporates a bike path that goes well south of town (I believe it's a trail to the historic missions), and may very well extend north into Brackenridge Park- I know it at least goes to the SA Museum of Art, and beneath I-35. It was honestly very impressive.

That's all to say you'll love biking in SATX; it's hilly enough in town to keep your commutes rigorous and non-boring, but for the most part, the killer hills lie in the surrounding country. Oh, and I bet you'll find that many if not most of your colleagues at Ft Sam live on the northwest side, and commute by car, despite the insanity that is SA traffic- they'll complain a lot about it, but will cope by telling themselves "at least I'm not on a bicycle"


*** Now that I've reread my post and also looked at a map, I'm gonna go out on a limb and say you should really look into the Brackenridge Park area, just north of city center. It's a super neat area, beautiful, and actually a LOT closer to Ft. Sam than I was originally envisioning, and as I already mentioned great for cyclists.

WillynHook

jrich179 has collected a lot of accurate information. Around the miltary bases in San Antonio (including Ft. Sam) you are going to encounter mostly older concrete roadways with lane markers that are raised domes (not paint). I call the lane markers (forgot the Texas DOT name for them) wheel killers because if you hit or clip one going full speed you will change the geometry of your wheel and probably take a tumble. If you haven't seen these before, I advise you to make note of them. It practically never rains in San Antonio, so you will more than likely never have need for rain gear as part of your cycling. (However, when it does rain, it pours and floods everywhere. Also, when it does rain, the roads get crazy. Rain in San Antonio is like snow in other locations. It hardly rains, thus a great deal of road "oil, grease, gas, rubber, etc" builds up over time so any moisture and the roads get very slick.

The heat is what you have to watch out for if you do a lot of commuting and biking. (It is a dry heat). It can be nearly 120F cycling on the roadways during the summer, but find a bit of shade and it will feel like 80F.

Bike theft in San Antonio is a tremendous problem. Plan accordingly. A bike locked up on the street is never safe for any amount of time. (Sorry, if this offends any SA folks, but it is the truth. I've lost a couple in SA. My relatives all report the same in SA.)

Road surfaces get incredibly hot during the summer months. I've seen bike tires melt on the rim while parked (cheap tires, but nonetheless). If you bike at night, or, before the sun rises be aware that rattlesnakes sometimes keep themselves warm on concrete over night. (Yes, there is a story there).

With that said, Biking in SA is pretty good! There are some very nice locations to ride. Downtown is great, around the Hemisphere fun, the riverwalk is fun, the northwest & northeast sides of the city around 1604 loop is good. (Up and down Huebner Road from 410 to 1604 is long with good curly climbs and falls.) Nice rides in Brakenridge Park, around the zoo, near UTSA, around the Alamo, etc.... If you can bike to an get into the western development called "the Dominion" you will see some spectacular scenery and
incredible houses in Hill Country (plus a local celeb or two...). There is also John James Park which used to be part of Ft. Sam and was known as the "Tank Trails". It is a series of trails that parallels Salado Creek. You need to do some real exploring to find all the trails. Located on Rittiman Rd., about halfway between Harry Wurzbach Rd. and IH 35.

You will also be close enough to Austin TX (a cycling mecca) for cycling events there as well. (about a 1-2hour drive depending on what side of SA you live on.)

And, if I might,... BikeWorld San Antonio on Blanco Rd. / 1604 is a great place for all your needs. There are also many other smaller nice cycling LBS scattered around.

Lastly, the economic downturn is (as far as I can tell) not noticeable in SA. They are building and opening up businesses about 1 every hour - building and development is just crazy. The entire NW side starting just inside 1604 going out appeared in the last 5-8 years and is humongous. Plus, learn to eat at Luby's, Bill Miller's BBQ, and Papadeaux's (just cycle it off later). Don't disparage the SPURS - they are a religion down them parts.

Dr. Joe