My route finding techniques (and needs) are fairly rudimentary: I look for already described routes on bikely.com and do “From/To” automatic route generation both on bikely.com and Google Maps (using the “Walking” option). Very occasionally, I will also use the aerial shots from NearMap. No doubt true bike-riding map nerds (yes, I am looking at you woowoowoo) use much more sophisticated approaches.

Comparison

The sort of features that I find helpful are (in no particular order):

Test 1: Jells Park to Flinders Street Station

If the cyclelicious app can find trails, this one should be a breeze: it should find a route following Scotchmans Creek Trail, to Gardiners Creek Trail to Yarra Trail. And it does it pretty much as expected, taking the ‘back way’ out of Jells Park, rather than charging straight over Wheelers Hill (probably a good choice, that), the route duly turns off Waverley Road just near the Holmesglen TAFE (see “Turn SLIGHT RIGHT onto Scotchmans Creek Trail. 0.69km”), and from here it’s all trails as expected.

The MapQuest directions are generally excellent, although some of the directions seem superfluous to me, and some are a little misleading (e.g. From Brixton Rise, “Turn SLIGHT RIGHT onto Gardiners Creek Trail. 0.01km”—technically correct but in practice that’s a hard right) and some important ones are missing (e.g. before “Turn SLIGHT RIGHT. 0.01km” at Glenferrie Road, a “turn left” direction would be very helpful).

Compare auto-generated routes:

• Google Maps
• bikely.com—auto-route follows freeway and City Link tollway=fail!
• cyclelicious maps

Test 2: Craigieburn Station to Burnley Station

This isn’t a route that I would expect too many people to ride, it’s more of a test to see if the system would detect and plot a route along the Craigieburn Bypass Trail (aka the Galada Tamboore Pathway) and the Merri Creek Trail. I started out making Southern Cross Station the destination and for this one and the route followed the Broadmeadows Valley Trail and the Moonee Ponds Creek Trail.

All pretty reasonable but not the trails I wanted to check, so I altered the destination: Craigieburn Station to Burnley Station follows the Galada Tamboore Pathway no problem (“Turn RIGHT onto Galada Tamboore Pathway. 5.91km”) but takes a circuitous route to get there—do we really have to do that loop on the Hume Highway? Can’t we just go across the level crossing at the train station into Potter Street and then onto Craigieburn Road?

But at “Galada Tamboore Pathway becomes Western Ring Road Trail. 3.12km”, it just gets odd. There’s a pedestrian overpass right here (flip over to satellite view) that surely must be negotiable by bike, which leads onto a trail that passes under Mahoneys Road and onto the Merri Creek Trail. So why the big detour via Dalton Road and Cheddar Road? It just doesn’t make sense.

Both of these detours are no doubt due to the nature of the underlying OpenStreetMaps data, but it would be good if users of cyclelicious maps could easily update OSM data and adjust the auto-generated route—both features are on the to-do list for the app.

Compare auto-generated routes:

• Google Maps
• bikely.com—auto-route follows freeway and City Link tollway=fail!
• cyclelicious maps

Test 3: Around the Bay

Because cyclelicious maps doesn’t do way points, I had to do this is two stages: Docklands to Sorrento and Queenscliff to Docklands. (I tried getting it to do Queenscliff to Sorrento and, quite sensibly, it told me to take the ferry.)

I expected this approach to find the Bay Trail, the Bellarine Rail Trail and the Federation Trail, all of which it does, plus the Sandridge Rail Trail down to Port Melbourne. But then, some of the route choices are a little odd, although not dangerous or ‘wrong’. For example:

• by-passing Beaumaris (where cyclists usually stick to Beach Road) adds considerable navigational complexity
• a large detour behind Devilbend Reservoir adds distance and puts the rider onto Hodgins Road and Derril Road which are both unsealed and pretty corrugated
• in Geelong, most riders would probably choose to ride along the foreshore rather than cutting through the back streets

As mentioned above, it would be good to be able to tweak the route after it has been generated. That said, I’m pleased to find that the app showed me a new route option that I wasn’t aware of: from Corio Bay through to Lara I would continue along Shell Parade then via Rennie Street to Lara. However the proposed route here goes via Limeburners Lagoon and Hovells Creek—I’ll have to try that variation next time I’m down that way, it looks much more scenic.

Compare auto-generated routes:

• Google Maps—from point 38 to point 40, this route is not negotiable by bike.
• bikely.com: Docklands to Sorrento and Queenscliff to Docklands—auto-route follows freeways and City Link tollways=fail!
• cyclelicious maps: Docklands to Sorrento and Queenscliff to Docklands

Conclusions

Although I’m no expert in this area, I can see that I’ll be adding cyclelicious maps to my modest collection of route planning tools. It certainly provides different (and arguably, better) automatically generated routes that the other tools that I use, and that’s a great head start when plotting a new route in unfamiliar territory.

The good:

• The OpenStreetMap data—helps tap into “local knowledge”, leading to arguably the best automatic route finding (bikely.com is the worst, with all of the sampled routes above using motorways that are not open to pedal cycles!)
• Streetview integration—I can’t overstate how handy this is for examining routes in unfamiliar territory
• MapQuest directions

The bad:

• No waypoints
• Not able to drag-and-drop any part of the route—can’t tweak the start and finish points or move part of the route around to force it through certain way points
• “Google directions” and “Google bike layer” options don’t appear to work for Australian locations (not a huge loss, as far as I can tell)

Wishlist:

• Everything on the to-do list!
• Cumulative rather than interval distances between directions (or possibly both)
• Sequential numbering of the directions
• The ability to view and select variations to the route (as per Google Maps)
• Option to choose whether the route should use or exclude off-road bike routes (I don’t know about elsewhere, but in Australia bike paths/shared paths are almost always longer, meandering and slower, sometimes I want that and sometimes I don’t)

Overall, it’s a tool that is highly useful as-is, and shows plenty of promise if the to-do list items (and my wishlist!) get implemented. Let Richard know what you think, and let me know if you have any suggestions for other similar toys that I can play with!

I’ve actually done this before. I rode every day in November 2008, and then kept going for nearly 180 consecutive days. I was pleasantly surprised by two things: how much fun I had finding new ways to go for a ride, and how easy it was to stack up the miles. I had one or two months where I logged more than 1000km on the bike.

So as a ‘old hand’ at #30DaysOfBiking, I’d like to discuss three questions that may arise about completing a run of consecutive days:

1. What ‘counts’ as a bike ride?
2. What to do when you need to squeeze in a ride before midnight?
3. What to do when you don’t know where to ride?

1. What ‘counts’ as a bike ride?

Clearly, sitting on your bike on the porch doesn’t really count as riding. But what about riding 100 yards down the street to test ride a puncture repair? Is that enough? How about once around the block? Around the corner to store?

Really, it’s up to you. You’ll know what counts as a ‘real’ bike ride. As long as I’m fit and well, I’ll count 5km as my minimum ride. You might measure your minimum in distance or time or heart rate or volume of sweat–whatever you like. But you might want to be flexible. During my last #30DaysOfBiking effort, I sprained my ankle, and on that day I was very pleased indeed that I was able to gently turn over one very slow mile, up and down the street. I logged that as a legitimate ride.

Why is it important to know your ‘minimum’ ride? Well, it becomes relevant when we turn to the next question…

2. What to do when you need to squeeze in a ride before midnight?

Life isn’t all about biking. Sad, but true. Sometimes other stuff gets in the way of the bike and you find yourself just about ready to turn in for the night when you remember that you haven’t been for today’s ride. This is a turning point: you could say ‘screw it’, go to bed and break your run. Or your can jump on your bike and do your minimum ride.

When this happens, I do what I call the ’round the block criterium’. A criterium is a bike race held as several laps around a short course. So as the name suggests, I just go out and ride around the block (without racing) until I reach my minimum distance. I’m lucky to live in a quiet area where it’s safe to do this at night…with lights on, of course! I’ve done this a number of times as the clock approached midnight–while I’ve been sick or injured, after going out for dinner, in the rain–and never regretted it.

It is astonishing how much pleasure you can get from simply trundling along the familiar streets around your home, so give the ’round the block criterium’ a try sometime.

3. What to do when you don’t know where to ride?

I usually have a purpose for my ride, either commuting to work or running some sort of errand. But what to do when you don’t need to go to work and you have no errands to run? (“What do you mean we don’t need any milk or bread?!?”)

My fallback when I lack any ideas about where to go is a ride I call ‘No Right Turns’. There is only one rule for this ride: get home without turning across the oncoming lane of traffic. So leave your home, turn left as you enter the road and keep turning left until you get home again. (Where I live we have the left-hand rule of the road—if it’s right-hand traffic in your area, make it ‘No Left Turns’ and keep making right turns until you get home.) You get the idea.

This doesn’t mean you always have to ride the same route, in fact the real attraction of this ride is finding new routes that are possible while sticking to the rule. You see, you don’t have to turn at each intersection you come to, but if you do it has to be a near-side turn. I have ridden variations of this route between 5km and 12km, and all of them have taken me down interesting roads that I wouldn’t have thought of riding on before. Again, this is a surprisingly enjoyable experience.

So there you go, three thoughts on riding every. friggin. day. Hopefully there are one or two ideas there that you can use. If you give any of these a try, I’d be interested to know what you think.

Collected thoughts on bike commuting

• 5 Great things about cycling to work in the London winter.

• 6 Bike Commute Options: “Commuting by bike…need not be always a round trip of riding from home to work and back every day…Here are a six alternatives which you can try and still claim to commute by bike.”

• [What Prompted you to Commute by Bike?](http://commutebybike.com/2009/01/03/what-prompted-you-to-commute-by-bike/ “What Prompted you to Commute by Bike? : Commute by Bike): “…driving a car to work was my path of least resistance until car problems forced me to try cycling. Once tried, I couldn’t give it up.”

• Interesting facts about bike commuting and utility cycling, with a Northern American slant, including “A person is 7% more likely to bike or walk to nonwork activities for every 1,000 retail workers within a half mile of their home.”

Collected thoughts on randonnees

On riding with your buddies, the Daily Randonneur says:

Take a minute and think about the great rides you had this year, and the laughs and tribulations shared with your riding buddies. That’s what it’s all about, my friends.

And on a similar line at Randonneur Extra:

I think the best benefit of the regular monthly permanents is being able to connect with all your great cycling pals all year ’round.

After a freaky streak of 84 consecutive months of centuries (yep, that’s seven years!), Mike Dayton speaks of camaraderie but also observes

I have a profound appreciation of the goals that can be achieved on a bike, and of the magic landscapes that are accessible only on two wheels.

Ditch the car to save money

Wall Street Journal columnist Brett Arends argues that

Whether you drive a hybrid or an SUV, your car is a cash-guzzler. Families trying to save real money should consider going without.

He runs through the onerous costs of car ownership and some options for cash-strapped car owners and concludes:

Necessity, they say, is the mother of invention. We are going to see a lot of necessity. It may lead to some interesting developments.

A few more suggestions off the top of the head:

• ride a bike (of course)

• sell the car and join a car sharing scheme like Flexicar or GoGet

[via Pirates of the Burley Griffin]

Bike fun, anyone?

Do you get Bike Fun? If you’re in (or anywhere near) Melbourne you should subscribe to get Bike Fun:

Bike Fun Melbourne promotes cycling, cycling community and cycling culture in Melbourne through prolific bike fun.
We’re currently out riding bikes, relaxing in a pub, or exploring our city (and beyond).

The calendar is online but I reckon it’s most convenient to subscribe for the email bulletin—it’s such a pleasant reminder when it arrives in the inbox!

Oooh, look! Bikes!

I agree with box on Metafilter:

I like old bicycles. High-wheelers, choppers, BMX bikes, mountain bikes and old ten-speeds. Especially personal bikes from personal collections. I like ‘em all.

Not so keen on that damn Queen song though. [Thanks tom]

Brand Management 101 for LBS operators

An interesting article from Bike of Doom’s backlist: Seven deadly sins of Local Bike Shops…and how to fix them gives some advice on marketing for local bike shops. The key message: neglect those cheap department store bikes at your peril. [via twitter.com/cyclelicious]

Wittering on twitter

Yeah, I’m on twitter. At last. Grudgingly. But I’ve already picked up that interesting link above, so I guess it could be worth it.

“Follow” me if you’re so inclined.

The target

My own November target was somewhat more modest: simply to ride every single day of the month. No excuses. Now that doesn’t sound like a big deal, but if you don’t have a daily habit you should try the experiment. It’s well worth the effort.

When I announced my intention on 31 October, responses were varied. MLSP grunted a grudging approval when I suggested it, whereas SuperGran thought it was a good idea “even if you just go out around the block”. I must say, I wasn’t overly impressed with that possibility.

The Rides

Not surprisingly, the bulk of the riding was my daily commute. The longest ride in the month was a 200km brevet at Wangaratta while the shortest ride was the following day: a 5km spin to pick up a take-away curry. The stupidest ride was one I actually did twice: the “around the block criterium”. Yep, despite my resistance to the idea, circumstances (i.e. illness in the family) conspired to the point that it was either ’round the block or nothing. I chose to ride—and loved it! (Gangnails suggested I get myself an indoor trainer for those situations but would that really count as “riding”…?)

The new target

About halfway through the month it became apparent that if I maintained an attainable average of about 30km per day, I’d crack 1000km for the month. I had a new target. But life tends to get in the way and despite my best efforts, in the final week of the month (like wurple) I realised that an extra effort would be required to reach my new goal. I added a detour along the Yarra Boulevard to the ride home on a few days.

It was fortunate that the month ended on a weekend, allowing me to ride the remaining 150km that I needed across those two days. On Saturday I took myself up to the hills, riding 40km from The Basin to Monbulk and back via Mt Dandenong. On Sunday it was a flat round trip to Mt Eliza, including my fastest 100km ever (I think). The family even met me for coffee at Black Rock, which topped it off perfectly.

The annual tally

In the process I also clocked 5000km for the year. (How’s that? It took ten months to reach 4000km, but only one month to add then next 1000. I reckon I must’ve been taking it easy until November.) I probably tipped the 5000km mark as I rode in some grotty bike lane down busy Langridge St on Friday, but I prefer to think that it happened early the following morning somewhere along the peacefully deserted Ridge Rd, with the fog still shrouding the treetops.

Hey, it’s my 5000—I’ll decide where it happened!

Conclusions

I have no idea if those distances really are milestones for me, as I only just started logging my mileage late last year. It seems likely though.

And I’m pretty sure I’ve never cycled on every single day of a month before. Having made the commitment, I was surprised how easy it was to get out and ride—even if it was 10pm and I hadn’t yet taken my daily ride, off I’d go (and as an added bonus, Waverley Rd is pretty quiet at that time on a week night!) And it was always rewarding, but then I can’t ever recall any time—no matter how much I’ve had to force myself to get started—that I’ve regretted taking a bike ride.

A “secret ingredient” in the daily ride program was using the folding bike a couple of days per week, easily accounting for more than 100km and eight of the days travelled. It was handy having this vehicle in the bike shed, it would have been much more difficult for me to go 30 straight days without it.

I finished the month feeling strong and fast. (Relatively. Let’s not get carried away—I’m never going to win races or break records.) And a rare encounter with the bathroom scales suggested that I might have lost a kilo or two (without any noticeable reduction in girth).

And so far, I’ve kept up the daily riding routine. Will it be another 1000km month? Not likely. I don’t count on making 1000km-per-month my new average, but when it happens I’ll be pleased. That said, in future I’d like to average a bit more than the 400-odd km per month that I did until October.

Here’s a dozen impressions of the day (in no particular order):

• little green parrots flitting through the lower bushes, galahs and sulphur-crested cockatoos bursting from the higher branches (sometimes in mixed flocks), and spoonbills and ibis

• a completely unanticipated descent out of the northern Warby Ranges (and zooming across the plains for ages at the bottom) and an anticipated descent from Beechworth

• a scrumptious apple cake at Yarrawonga

• a battle of the Celts in Beechworth (the Irish Dancers vs the Scottish Pipe Band in the main street)

• solitude and wildflowers on the rail trail to Beechworth

• puddles in the otherwise parched streets of Yarrawonga

• brown-yellow dry countryside around Yarrawonga, blue-green dry countryside around Beechworth

• quiet country roads and the good manners of the vast majority of motorists

• a cold Blue Tongue (or two) at the end of the ride

• good company all day

• favourable breezes and fair skies

• a strange hankering for a cheese sandwich on plain white bread in the last hour

I’d highly recommend this ride. With it’s choice of distances and varied and interesting countryside, it’s a winner. Most importantly, riders are also never too far from a coffee stop—a vital ingredient for a successful ride in my book!