Speeding up my commute

[ed_o_brain]

My commute is fairly flat on smooth roads, mainly multi-lane, just over 8 miles with about fifteen-twenty sets of traffic lights. There's a couple of open fast sections, generally lots of filtering and usually coming home a head wind or a cross wind. It isn't flat, but it isn't particularly hilly either.

My fastest commuting steed is my Pearson Hanzo. It sports a 79" fixed gear, 23 mm tyres, mudguards and weighs in at roughly 9.5 kg. I'm not carrying many extra pounds and my luggage for commuting sits in my rucksack.

Despite all the stop/start I can pull an average moving speed of about 19mph.
Is it possible/sensible to chop a little time off my commute by changing bike?

I'm thinking that I would like a bike based around a lighter/stiffer frame for finer days, equipped with raceblades in case it rains. I'm wondering whether to take advantage of the cycle2work scheme. I've looked at the Cannondale CAAD9 and also the Cannondale Capo.

I think price and requirement for stiffness mean the material of choice will be aluminium. I do have a CF bike upstairs but I daren't use that for commuting.

What do you reckon?

 

[fossyant]

79"..crikey..... 74" here but it's a bit hillier going home for me.... mine weighs 8kg's loaded (guards pedals) without lights (still under 9kg's though), but I carry my locks etc in the rucksack which is seriously heavy........ 10-15kg's......

My average is about 17 with traffic over 8 or 11 miles- cruise speed on 74" is 21-23 mph.....about 110 plus rpm..... drop a road bike in then it goes up by about at least 2 mph...... easily...

Fixed is easy for maintaining, that's why I use mine..........

 

[ed_o_brain]

My first fixed was a 74"... eminently more sensible.

I wasn't doing this commute at the time I bought the bike - I'm thinking a geared bike might be better because I know my biggest danger is speed differential between me and the remainder of the traffic. My spinning is getting faster, but I've never liked reaching crazy RPM and although I've followed the advice and tried to get used to it, my knees don't like me still pushing them for the extra speed when my legs are already spinning fast.

And I don't think a taller gear is sensible, between the stop/start and looming winter.
Then again, twenty or thirty gears just seems like overkill.

I'm thinking too hard about this!

 

[Tharg2007]

ed, the more bikes the better, I normally take my ribble fixed out on most days when there is any kind of wet, i too dont like to spin out too much either and cruise around 20mph i think, gearing is 75.6, on dry days I sometimes take the bob jackson fixed (same gearing) or sometimes take my raleigh geared bike, taking the geared is a lot faster on the straights and feels great for a change. If you have lots of bikes, which i know you do then mix it up a little and if you need another bike to mix it more then it has to be done

BTW, saw you outside asda in trafford with your trailer of shopping a few weeks ago

 

[Perry]

I doubt there would be much in it.

 

[BentMikey]

I doubt there would be much in it.

+1 no real change IMO.

 

[gaz]

My commute is fairly flat on smooth roads, mainly multi-lane, just over 8 miles with about fifteen-twenty sets of traffic lights.

I envy you, i have over 100 traffic lights to though on my commute, want to swap?

 

[davidg]

you could get aerobars!

 

[malkie]

Come on people,shape up , we are clearly not fulfilling the OP`s shopping needs here ...

Of course you need another bike ... it will make a massive difference etc etc ...

Reminds me of a conversation I had with my other half explaining why I needed a new bit of kit , this to a woman who would win shopping medals at any Olympics " Yes dear " she said , " You NEED another one , it`s not like you only want one " .... busted,big time

 

[jimboalee]

Yes, of course you need another bike.

But please listen to this.

I've been commuting through the West Midlands area for 30 years, Birmingham and Coventry.

The most dangerous factor in commuting by bike is the motorist's ability to judge my speed. They simply don't expect a bicycle to be doing 20 mph in a residential or city 30 limit.
They pull out of sideroads, pull across from parking spaces, reverse into the road, join islands in front of me.

After a couple of years riding 4 miles along the A41 to work, I decided I had a better chance of survival if I lowered my gearing and slowed down.
Then there was more time for Mr Motorist to see me, assess my speed and make the sensible choice.

All the near-misses I've had were when I was behind time, rushing to catch the train in Coventry.
After being pushed into the kerb my a SMIDSY, I revised my timetable and planned to catch the next train 15 minutes later.

You may say I'm bowing to the motorist, but it's MY LIFE I'm talking about.

 

[Origamist]

But please listen to this.

I've been commuting through the West Midlands area for 30 years, Birmingham and Coventry.

The most dangerous factor in commuting by bike is the motorist's ability to judge my speed. They simply don't expect a bicycle to be doing 20 mph in a residential or city 30 limit.
They pull out of sideroads, pull across from parking spaces, reverse into the road, join islands in front of me.

After a couple of years riding 4 miles along the A41 to work, I decided I had a better chance of survival if I lowered my gearing and slowed down.
Then there was more time for Mr Motorist to see me, assess my speed and make the sensible choice.

Good post. In the city I ride a fixed gear bike as it puts a cap on my top (leg) speed for the reasons outlined above.

 

[ttcycle]

yes I'd agree with the constraints of speed - if you want another bike and can afford it- go for it.

However, I can reach fast speeds on the bike but often don't cycle at that rate all the time as people often misjudge your speed - I think I often take a bit longer for safety margins and one of the elements that has made the commute much more enjoyable is not rushing and allowing myself more time.

 

[ed_o_brain]

On the main part of my commute I don't really encounter pedestrians. Most of the junctions are traffic light controlled, those that aren't, I know exactly where they are and where to slow down.

The biggest danger to me on my commuting route is the speed differential on the open stretches. Especially on the proper DC section which has crash barriers running down the side of it. The speed limit is 40 mph and the biggest hassle I get is from motorists coming up behind me trying to force there way past me in my lane because they have not properly anticipated and moved over to the right far enough to pass safely.

On the way home at one point the road bends around to the left and it runs slightly uphill - if I move too far over I disappear from the drivers line of sight so I'd rather take the lane.

On a good day on the fixed I can spin fast enough to this, placating the drivers stuck behind me, and I even got applauded by a chav hanging out of a ride two nights back. I have no idea how fast I was going because I don't ride with a computer, but the traffic was flowing freely and I was only a bit off it's pace.

This is where I reckon an extra few miles an hour would make all the difference.

Still, I need to keep a cool head about the idea for now. I can't think about contributing to a cycle scheme bike until I've received an anticipated settlement.

 

[Origamist]

On a good day on the fixed I can spin fast enough to this, placating the drivers stuck behind me, and I even got applauded by a chav hanging out of a ride two nights back. I have no idea how fast I was going because I don't ride with a computer, but the traffic was flowing freely and I was only a bit off it's pace.

This is where I reckon an extra few miles an hour would make all the difference.

Ed, I very much doubt a few extra mph will make "all the difference" - a small difference perhaps, but on a 40mph road you're more likely to be viewed as slower moving obstacle, rather than a fast moving bike, whether doing 27mph or 30mph.

 

[jimboalee]

Ed, I very much doubt a few extra mph will make "all the difference" - a small difference perhaps, but on a 40mph road you're more likely to be viewed as slower moving obstacle, rather than a fast moving bike, whether doing 27mph or 30mph.

Yup.

Most of my route is along 40 and 50 limit.

If a whack down the hill at 30 and into the 40 from the 50, to a motorist's point of view, I'm still "In the bloody way".