How do you decide which bike route to take...
When going on different routes I have to weigh the quality of the road, traffic, traffic lights, shade (trees). Just wondering if some of you will take a bumpier road, if it is more beautiful, than a smooth ride in an ugly place. How much do you weigh traffic and stops on your ride?? I HATE narrow streets with many cars parked on the right hand side (opening doors and pulling into traffic). I also hate having to come to a complete stop!! So how do you decide on your routes??
It depends on the ride I'm looking for.
If it is strictly commuting to work, I look for the route that is easiest to maneuver. Least amount of traffic, fewest stop lights, least amount of having to go from the bike lane out into traffic for a left turn, things like that.
If it is a ride for enjoyment, we have a bunch of them that are listed on our cycling clubs web site, They have maps and turn by turn instructions, so it makes it really easy. They are also rated by difficulty level as it pertains to the amount of hill climbing.
My first two things that I weigh for those weekend enjoyment rides, is amount of climbing and is there a dedicated bike lane. I kind of flip a coin on which one is more important. Some of the more rural roads I'm O.K. with no bike lane, because there is rarely any traffic, so it's not an issue. But when the cars are flying by at 60+ I want a little bit of bike lane.
Living in an area with a lot of wineries, I also take time of day into account. If we can get out and going by 7-8 am, we can get in a 4 hour bike ride before the wineries start serving the weekend drunks. I like to be done with the tourist areas and the drunk drivers area before they even get started.
Most of our county roads here are in need of repair, some are pretty horrendous, so I don't even take that into account when planning a ride, because I know it's going to be bad no matter where I go.
Scott
If it is strictly commuting to work, I look for the route that is easiest to maneuver. Least amount of traffic, fewest stop lights, least amount of having to go from the bike lane out into traffic for a left turn, things like that.
If it is a ride for enjoyment, we have a bunch of them that are listed on our cycling clubs web site, They have maps and turn by turn instructions, so it makes it really easy. They are also rated by difficulty level as it pertains to the amount of hill climbing.
My first two things that I weigh for those weekend enjoyment rides, is amount of climbing and is there a dedicated bike lane. I kind of flip a coin on which one is more important. Some of the more rural roads I'm O.K. with no bike lane, because there is rarely any traffic, so it's not an issue. But when the cars are flying by at 60+ I want a little bit of bike lane.
Living in an area with a lot of wineries, I also take time of day into account. If we can get out and going by 7-8 am, we can get in a 4 hour bike ride before the wineries start serving the weekend drunks. I like to be done with the tourist areas and the drunk drivers area before they even get started.
Most of our county roads here are in need of repair, some are pretty horrendous, so I don't even take that into account when planning a ride, because I know it's going to be bad no matter where I go.
Scott
The first time you do something - It's going to be a personal record!
I almost forgot...
Are there services available along the route. I have been on a couple long rides where there was no place to refill water bottles. It probably wouldn't have been a big deal in the winter or spring, but during the middle of summer, running out of fluid and still having 20 miles to go before you can get any is no good.
So I like to know if there is a gas station or quick stop or something similar along the way.
Another thing to consider is that when I broke my collarbone on a ride last year, I was in an area that 2 types of cell service, none and spotty. I had to trave quite a ways to get a signal and call for help, then lost signal again and so I ended up play tag with my wife while she was trying to find me.
Scott
Are there services available along the route. I have been on a couple long rides where there was no place to refill water bottles. It probably wouldn't have been a big deal in the winter or spring, but during the middle of summer, running out of fluid and still having 20 miles to go before you can get any is no good.
So I like to know if there is a gas station or quick stop or something similar along the way.
Another thing to consider is that when I broke my collarbone on a ride last year, I was in an area that 2 types of cell service, none and spotty. I had to trave quite a ways to get a signal and call for help, then lost signal again and so I ended up play tag with my wife while she was trying to find me.
Scott
The first time you do something - It's going to be a personal record!
when I was choosing my long rides, my first priority was to make sure there were convenience stores at good spots, both for fluids and for comfort ;) I also tried to pick either backroads or main roads with large shoulders to ride on. It depends a lot on time of day... 5pm weeknights in NY is pretty dangerous everywhere, but especially on a main road without a shoulder, folks here are just nuts!
Most Active
Recent Topics
