diff --git a/AltoRouter.php b/AltoRouter.php
index 04f9bba..8b3f631 100644
--- a/AltoRouter.php
+++ b/AltoRouter.php
@@ -139,7 +139,7 @@ class AltoRouter {
 
 		if (preg_match_all('`(/|\.|)\[([^:\]]*+)(?::([^:\]]*+))?\](\?|)`', $route, $matches, PREG_SET_ORDER)) {
 
-			foreach($matches as $match) {
+			foreach($matches as $index => $match) {
 				list($block, $pre, $type, $param, $optional) = $match;
 
 				if ($pre) {
@@ -147,13 +147,17 @@ class AltoRouter {
 				}
 
 				if(isset($params[$param])) {
+					// Part is found, replace for param value
 					$url = str_replace($block, $params[$param], $url);
-				} elseif ($optional) {
+				} elseif ($optional && $index !== 0) {
+					// Only strip preceeding slash if it's not at the base
 					$url = str_replace($pre . $block, '', $url);
+				} else {
+					// Strip match block
+					$url = str_replace($block, '', $url);
 				}
 			}
 
-
 		}
 
 		return $url;
@@ -250,14 +254,18 @@ class AltoRouter {
 					$pre = '\.';
 				}
 
+				$optional = $optional !== '' ? '?' : null;
+				
 				//Older versions of PCRE require the 'P' in (?P<named>)
 				$pattern = '(?:'
 						. ($pre !== '' ? $pre : null)
 						. '('
 						. ($param !== '' ? "?P<$param>" : null)
 						. $type
-						. '))'
-						. ($optional !== '' ? '?' : null);
+						. ')'
+						. $optional
+						. ')'
+						. $optional;
 
 				$route = str_replace($block, $pattern, $route);
 			}
diff --git a/tests/AltoRouterTest.php b/tests/AltoRouterTest.php
index 2a9160c..9444549 100644
--- a/tests/AltoRouterTest.php
+++ b/tests/AltoRouterTest.php
@@ -233,7 +233,27 @@ class AltoRouterTest extends PHPUnit_Framework_TestCase
 		$this->assertEquals('/test/someaction.json',
 			$this->router->generate('bar_route', $params));
 	}
-	
+
+	/**
+	 * GitHub #98
+	 */
+	public function testGenerateWithOptionalPartOnBareUrl()
+	{
+		$this->router->map('GET', '/[i:page]?', function(){}, 'bare_route');
+		
+		$params = array(
+			'page' => 1
+		);
+		
+		$this->assertEquals('/1',
+			$this->router->generate('bare_route', $params));
+		
+		$params = array();
+		
+		$this->assertEquals('/',
+			$this->router->generate('bare_route', $params));
+	}
+
 	public function testGenerateWithNonexistingRoute()
 	{
 		try{
@@ -364,6 +384,35 @@ class AltoRouterTest extends PHPUnit_Framework_TestCase
 			'name' => 'bar_route'
 		), $this->router->match('/bar/test/do.json', 'GET'));
 		
+		$this->assertEquals(array(
+			'target' => 'bar_action',
+			'params' => array(
+				'controller' => 'test',
+				'action' => 'do'
+			),
+			'name' => 'bar_route'
+		), $this->router->match('/bar/test/do', 'GET'));
+	}
+	
+	/**
+	 * GitHub #98
+	 */
+	public function testMatchWithOptionalPartOnBareUrl(){
+		$this->router->map('GET', '/[i:page]?', 'bare_action', 'bare_route');
+		
+		$this->assertEquals(array(
+			'target' => 'bare_action',
+			'params' => array(
+				'page' => 1
+			),
+			'name' => 'bare_route'
+		), $this->router->match('/1', 'GET'));
+		
+		$this->assertEquals(array(
+			'target' => 'bare_action',
+			'params' => array(),
+			'name' => 'bare_route'
+		), $this->router->match('/', 'GET'));
 	}
 	
 	public function testMatchWithWildcard()