Bicycle Austin forum

Yes, it is certainly reasonable to plan on riding a bike between South Lamar/Manchaca and downtown/convention center.  I live near the South Lamar/Manchaca intersection and I commute by bike daily to UT, north of downtown, so I know the ride well.

I recommend the following route:  Start by riding north on South Lamar (there is a bike lane), take a right on Mary St., cross the train tracks, and take a left on South 5th St., which turns into Dawson St.  At the bottom of the hill, go straight across Barton Springs Rd., through Butler Park (to the left of the pond), and cross the Pfluger Pedestrian Bridge.  At the bottom of the corkscrew ramp, use the crosswalk across Ceasar Chavez St. and go right on the Lance Armstrong Bikeway.  Follow the LAB as it takes a left at the creek and take a right to cross the pedestrian bridge over the creek.  You are now at Nueces St. and W. 3rd St., in front of the Austin Music Hall and the 360 Tower.  If you want to go to the convention center and E. 6th St. district, use 4th St. or 2nd St.  If you want to go north to campus area, use Nueces St.

You can find more direct routes if you don't mind riding with more car traffic (e.g. use South 1st St. bridge, or ride all the way down South Lamar to the Pfluger Bridge).  However, I think the route I described above is rather pleasant and still practical.  Note that if you keep riding East on Mary St. you will get to South Congress.  Check out the bicycling maps on Google Maps and the City of Austin web page for other options.

There is a significant hill when riding home, between Barton Springs Rd. and South Lamar/Manchaca, no matter what route you take.  However, it is a fairly gentle grade spread out over 2-3 miles, so it's not too bad.  If you want to avoid it, you can use the bus routes up South Lamar (3 and 338), which have bike racks.

The route I described above is safe to ride at night.  Of course, you should use front and back lights, preferably bright and flashing.  The only sketchy part is riding the bike lane on South Lamar late at night because the painted line does not offer much protection against drunk drivers.  After midnight I often ride the sidewalk on South Lamar to put a curb and some more space between the drunks and me.

You do not need to worry about street crime in this part of town.

FYI, there are a lot of very good, locally owned restaurants, bars, and shops along South Lamar, and I encourage you to check them out.  The "Austinville 78704" shopping center at the intersection of South Lamar and Manchaca has great tacos, soups, smoothies, sandwiches, and ice cream.  (I have no vested interest in these; I'm just helping out my 'hood.)

I hope this helps.  I'm glad you're using a bike to get around during SXSW – from my experience it is the best way to do it.  Enjoy your trip to Austin!