Definition

Bikeshed

Also known as: Bike shed, Cycling radius, Cycling isochrone

A bikeshed is the area reachable by bicycle from a given point within a fixed time. It is the cycling-mode equivalent of a drive-time polygon and is used in bike-infrastructure planning and multimodal accessibility analysis.

A bikeshed is the polygon representing the area reachable by bicycle from a given origin within a time budget. Bikesheds factor in bike lanes, multi-use paths, road grade, and cycling-friendly routing rather than straight-line distance. The term comes from urban planning and transit literature; consumer-facing apps typically call the same thing a cycling radius or bike distance map. Bikeshed analysis is central to bike-infrastructure planning, transit station access studies, and e-bike deployment decisions.

Key characteristics

15-minute bikeshed: 3-5 square miles in cities with good bike infrastructure.
30-minute bikeshed: 12-25 square miles — practical commute ceiling for most riders.
Average cycling pace: 12 mph (19 km/h) recreational, 15-20 mph commuter or e-bike.
Steep grades (10%+) can cut bikeshed size by 40%.
E-bikes extend bikesheds by 30-60% at the same time budget.

Common use cases

Transit station multimodal access analysis
Bike infrastructure prioritization
E-bike fleet deployment planning
Active-transportation equity studies

How it compares to related terms

vs. walkshed

Walkshed uses the pedestrian network at ~3 mph. Bikeshed uses the cycling network at 12 mph. A bikeshed is typically 16x the area of a walkshed for the same time budget, but only in cities with real bike infrastructure.

vs. drive-time polygon

A bikeshed uses protected bike lanes and multi-use paths; a drive-time polygon uses roads. In car-hostile neighborhoods the bikeshed can actually extend farther than the drive-time polygon in the same time.

Frequently asked about bikeshed

What cycling speed does a bikeshed use?

Most bikeshed tools default to 12 mph (19 km/h), which represents a comfortable recreational or commuter pace on mostly flat terrain. E-bike bikesheds use 15-20 mph because the motor assist dampens grade impact. Pro-cycling analyses might push to 17-20 mph, but that overstates practical reach for most users.

How do bikesheds handle hills?

Production bikeshed engines factor grade into the per-segment cycling speed. A 10% climb can cut effective speed by half; a 5% downhill can boost it. Without grade factoring, bikesheds overestimate reach in hilly cities (San Francisco, Pittsburgh, Portland) and understate it in flat ones. E-bike bikesheds are less grade-sensitive.

Why use a bikeshed instead of a cycling radius circle?

Because bike networks are radically uneven. A city with protected bike lanes in one corridor and hostile stroads everywhere else has a bikeshed that stretches along the protected lane and snaps back everywhere else. A circle suggests that's all equivalent; the bikeshed is honest about it.

Do bikesheds include bike-share and scooter networks?

Some do. Multi-modal bikesheds combine walking (to the bike-share dock or scooter), riding, and the last walking leg. These are useful for transit station access studies: 'How much of the neighborhood can reach this station in 10 minutes by bike-share?'

Cycling Distance Map