In 1992, Paul Dorn sold his car, which wouldn't be such a big deal, except he never bought another one.

Now he has written a book showing others how to get by with less car use or no car use at all.

"The Bike to Work Guide: Save Gas, Go Green, Get Fit" (Adams Media, $7.95, 218 pages) focuses on helping the 57 million cyclists in the United States "extend the fun they have bicycling on weekends to their daily commute."

Co-written by Roni Sarig, the book is especially timely with spring weather and the many bike-related events in May, including "Ride Your Bike to Work Day" on May 14.

Dorn, 48, didn't always have that bike-first outlook on transportation.

"When I got to the age to get my driver's license, the bike went into the garage, and I didn't touch a bike again for years. I didn't do the bike thing until I moved to California."

Over the years, by accident and happenstance, the once-non-cycling Dorn has become an expert, advocate and adviser on all things bicycles, but especially bike commuting.

And it all started when he ditched his car 17 years ago.

"That's the last time I ever owned a car," says Dorn, marketing director for campus recreation at the University of California, Davis.

A Boston transplant living in San Francisco at the time, Dorn began riding his bike to work.

"It actually cut down on the time it took to get to my job. I was enjoying the sunshine and fresh air. It was great," he said.

Dorn saw the bike as a simple solution to many complex problems, including pollution, congestion, health and quality of life issues.

In the late 1990s, he started a modest Web site where he listed tips for bike commuters, things he learned through trial and error. By 2005, he was living in Davis and began a bicycle-commute blog, which developed an international following attracting an average of 250,000 visitors a month.

Last summer, when gas prices topped $4 a gallon and many people began looking for alternative transportation, a publisher approached Dorn about writing a book. It didn't hurt that "carbon footprint" and "green living" had entered the mainstream lexicon.

"I didn't set out to become a bike commuting expert. I had a modest goal of creating a Web site, and that led me to have an ongoing conversation with bicyclists," said Dorn.

His daily routine

Dorn now lives in downtown Sacramento. His daily round-trip commute of 30-plus miles shows that a little planning and organization can make things go smoothly.

He refers to his commute as "multi-modal" and says that's something a lot of would-be bike commuters should consider to get past certain hurdles on their route, whether they involve time, distance or weather.

On a typical weekday morning, Dorn rises at 5:30, eats a breakfast of oatmeal or granola and dresses for work. It's a short bike ride to the Amtrak station, which he makes at 7:30 a.m. to catch the 7:40 a.m. train that stops in Davis.

"You start to recognize and get to know your fellow passengers," says Dorn, noting that he routinely sees several dozen regular bike commuters heading to Davis or beyond.

The trip to Davis takes 15 minutes. Dorn often looks out the window to his left and glimpses the morning commute of the automobile-bound majority.

"One of the things I enjoy seeing, obviously, is the traffic jams on I-80," he said.

Dorn is not a bike rider fixated on speed. He equips his touring-style bike with a rear rack. He usually rides wearing loose-fitting hiking shorts instead of tight-fitting Lycra.

"People should ride whatever they are comfortable in and whatever suits their style," he said.

Asked his position on helmets, which are not legally required for adults, Dorn says, "I'm not one of these helmet-enforcement types. I'm not a bicycling advocate who accentuates the danger. I accentuate the fun. Bicycling is safe. More people die in bathtubs every year than riding a bike."

But he did say that for faster rides, helmets are the right choice for safety. He also mounts two headlamps on his handlebars – a high-powered rechargeable model and an inexpensive, battery-operated one as a backup.

Call The Bee's Blair Anthony Robertson, (916) 321-1099.