Finally, it’s spring. Finally, the weather is warm enough to put away our heavy winter cycling layers and log some miles in sunnier conditions. It was a pleasure to be on the bike in the warm weather last weekend.
Now’s the time when fair-weather riders look forward to bringing out their bikes after a winter of cycle hibernation. I was asked several questions about what online resources I’d recommend for riders who are returning to regular biking after the break.
It’s almost too hard to know where to start with this one. There is so much great information online for cyclists, whether you’re looking to ride a new route, buy a new bike, or start doing your own maintenance. After taking a long, hard look at my favourites list, these are my top three recommended websites.
UBC Cycling Route Planner
I’ve mentioned this before but it’s hard to overstate just how useful this resource is for Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»cyclists.
Google now also provides reasonable cycling directions, but the route planner offers a host of additional options, including the ability to restrict your ride to designated bike routes or choose the route with the least elevation gain.
You can even use the location of water fountains as a route parameter!
BikeRadar
This is a fabulous site with a wealth of information on almost every cycling related topic you can imagine.
It started life as a site for gear reviews and remains great for researching bikes and accessories, but there’s far more to it than just the reviews.
There are illustrated guides and videos that show common maintenance tasks, news about all kinds of biking from cyclocross to commuting, a guide to riding for beginners, forums, fitness recommendations and even a section where you can get answers to your bike-related questions.
Bike Commuter Cabal
Contrary to popular opinion, Google+ isn’t a social media wasteland. It’s actually home to some thriving cycle communities, and this is the best of them.
Filled with friendly folk from all over the world who are drawn together by a love of bikes, it’s a fantastic place to share stories and photos, ask for tech tips, and maybe plan a HIRL (hangout in real life) with cyclists in your neck of the woods.
I love reading about other people’s rides and bikes, and I particularly enjoy being a part of a community that — while all kinds of bike discussion is welcome — does maintain a primary focus on commuting and its related issues.
These are my top choices. But what do you think? Can you recommend other resources that I haven’t included here? I’d love to hear your suggestions and know what you find useful. The best will be featured in a future column.
Kay Cahill is a cyclist and librarian who believes bikes are for life, not just for commuting.
