thiocyclist

...is the fact that I keep outpacing road/cross/touring bike users on my commute.

Commuting mostly on a 3-speed Windsor Oxford and occasionally a Public e-bike, the other day I tried a Surly Straggler the other day and my heart melted. It felt so good and made a local park I'm very familiar with go a lot faster with less effort. I've been having some health issues (see my other recent thread) so anything to love biking a little more is great to get me "over the hump" on bad mornings. The e-bike is going to be unbeatable for speed in most cases, and certainly in exertion, but I like the endorphins from a true workout. Hence I am really wanting to purchase that Straggler, or a similar steel bike that might be a bit zippier than my Oxford.

But for some reason, on my 3-speed, I am regularly pushing ahead of people on road bikes and staying ahead of them. The exception is long uphill stretches, and only about 1/2 of them overtake me here (I'm thinking of a couple of specific areas in the commute). I am not trying to brag about this; I'm truly perplexed. The only advantage I know of with my 3-speed is how quick and smooth the shifting is, but then again so are most good derailleurs.

Of course this isn't a race track, but a lot of these commuters look in shape and ride decent bikes. Particularly the ones on road and cross-type bikes.

A) What the heck is going on here?

B) If I should still transition to a cross bike from my 3-speed, what should I look at besides the Straggler?

tjspiel

The biggest factor in determining how fast a bike will go is the person that's riding it. You are either a stronger rider than the people you are passing or they are choosing not work as hard. I doubt that there is anything special about your Oxford, other than perhaps the fact that you really enjoy riding it. I suspect you will be passing the same people you are now if you get a road bike and maybe a couple more.

The biggest advantage a road bike would have over your Oxford would be aerodynamics. The lighter weight might mean fewer people catching you on the hills, but again, the particular bike doesn't matter as much as a lot of people think when it comes to performance.

CliffordK

How long is your commute?

I will admit that sometimes I go fast. Sometimes I don't. Usually faster in the morning than the evening. For me, a "shortish" ride is about 10 miles each way, usually with a few stops in the middle, and it is not uncommon for my RT distance to be around 40 miles.

Just seeing a person for 30 seconds, it is hard to judge what the rest of their ride is like.

And, not everyone considers life as a race.

gregf83 

not really sure what you're perplexed about. Are you thinking you'll go slower on a road bike? That's not likely to happen unless you get one that doesn't fit. Why do you want a road bike?

spare_wheel

Just think how much faster you would be if you rode a real bike* and learned a few skills.


*that was sarcasm, iltb.

hyhuu

Let's face it, you are just too awesome. Give yourself a pat on the back.

thiocyclist

15 miles round trip, and fairly hilly. I consider commuting a race against myself. I want to be at work or home sooner than later, because I have things to do or I just want to be with my wife a little longer than if I were slow. It's also nice to know if I may be getting fitter over time. Most other cyclists I encounter each day (probably half a dozen) are also commuters so I suspect they have similar things in their minds. Even on "fun rides" I like to go at the same pace I commute at.

Like I said, this wasn't a brag post. I want to know if, by buying a road-styled bike, will it really help my commute or am I purchasing the emperor's new clothes because I've bought into conventional wisdom? My 10 minutes on the Straggler felt great, but maybe the glee of it went to my head? It's just odd that I regularly (without intent to race) overtake people on bikes with that general type of frame and gearing.

I'm wondering why I keep outpacing people on bikes that conventional wisdom says are definitely better than my 3-speed for anything besides comfort. I have pretty strong legs, but these people don't look any less in shape than I am. Since I want a Straggler or the like in the hopes of getting to work a bit more efficiently, I need to convince myself it isn't just a vanity purchase. Since the only bike I have owned that compares to road bikes of today is my Schwinn Continental, I'm not sure what to think.

To be clear, there's no competitive spirit behind my thinking or my post. It's more scientific. "Why am I observing the unexpected?"

hueyhoolihan

the answer is that most people can ride a lot faster than they do, but when they do they don't enjoy it as much, or see no point in it.

CACycling

I passed a Ferrari while driving my Buick the other day.......

fietsbob

Humble-Bragging are We?

N+1... on buying another bike is always encouraged.

treebound 

You are outpacing people because you are going faster than they are, it is as simple as that, and probably has little or nothing to do with the bikes you and they are riding.

See if you can borrow or rent a roadish bike for a few days for your commute, maybe a week, and see how you feel about a new bike after that. It sounds like you already know the answer based upon your observations of riding the Straggler, so maybe you just need to mentally vs emotionally justify the purchase, and only you can answer that question.

For me, personally, I'd go for it if I could afford it if I were in your situation. You already said you felt more efficient and that your heart melted, so there you go, get thee back to the bike shop and get that new bike.

spare_wheel

I'm perplexed.

Andy_K 

The main advantage to keeping the 3-speed is that you get more SCR points that way.

grolby

Sigh. Uh-huh.

Nailed it.

Now that we've established what a man-beast you are: yes, a road bike definitely will enable you to go faster than upright 3-speed bike. Part of that is the aerodynamics, and a big part of that is the fit that allows you to produce more power for the same effort (for biomechanical reasons that are complex but boil down to a smaller hip angle being more powerful). Whether a road bike will make your commute better is really up to you, I couldn't tell you. I wouldn't really want to ride 15 miles each way on an upright 3-speed, personally, that commute would be much improved by a road bike for me. But I am not you.

Todzilla

I use a road bike for commuting (Cannondale CAAD 10 105). I love going fast, so I really love it. I am extremely compromised on storage, so just enough under the seat for spare tube a flat repair, a wallet, keys, wristwatch and Smartphone.

I'm thinking of getting a Tubus Airy rack, but that starts me down an accessory path that kind of defeats the purpose of a minimalist road bike.

AlTheKiller

People on road bikes are often at the tail end of long rides, or warming up to a long ride, or maybe they're just wanting to spin easy before/after work.

I used to get cocky all the time because I'd pass high end road bikers on my fixed gear commuter, but as soon as I started doing longer road rides I noticed the same thing would happen to me. I would've just climbed 25 miles worth of hills, am on the last mile coming home, cooling down, and some kid on a MTB with a backpack on would sprint past me, probably thinking how much he just pwnd me (or not even caring, which is more likely). Judging someone's speed from a tiny section of your commute is pretty hard to do.

CliffordK

7 or 8 miles with a few hills one-way isn't bad, but isn't long either.

With racing bikes, a lot of things are optimized. Tires, bearings, aerodynamics, weight, shoes & cleats, etc. But the biggest factor that remains may be the person pushing the pedals.

Not everyone will have the same motivations that you do.

The other thing that has happened is a huge marketing of nice racing bikes to the casual riders. This may be far greater than ever occurred in the past.

And, some people have the opinion that the only way to comfortably ride a bike is with the full "cycling kit".

So, those "racers" that you pass may just be retired 60 yr olds out for an afternoon ride.

A lot of people feel a little extra boost of adrenaline and speed when passing someone else. But some simply may not care.

RubeRad

You already determined (or possibly just subjectively felt?) that you were faster on the Straggler. So as unreasonably awesome as you are now, you'll be even more awesomer if you get a racier bike.

I don't see anybody else addressing (B) what's like a Straggler?

It would really help if you could give a ballpark budget. If you like Straggler so much, you could just buy that. The very closest thing to a Surly Straggler is a Surly CrossCheck, which is basically what Straggler is a copy of, except rim brakes and brake cable routed on top of the top-tube (cyclocross-style). Surly Long Haul Trucker is also very popular for commuting, but would ride more like a truck than a sports-car, it's built for loaded touring.

You could look at any other bike marketed as a "cyclocross" or "cross" bike (or pretty much any bike with a superfluous X in the name).

You could check the cyclocross category of bikesdirect.com (is that where you got your Windsor Oxford?). I think the Motobecane Cross COMP Ti is a ridiculous deal for Titanium, if they have it in your size.

You might also consider bikes in the cyclocross-adjacent categories of "gravel" or "endurance". I'm considering buying in a few years a Volagi Viaje (steel).

There are lots of other similar recommendations out there that others may give...

PennyTheDog

Also Surly Pacer:
Pacer | Bikes | Surly Bikes

All-City Mr. Pink:
Mr Pink | All-City Cycles

All-City Mach Man:
Macho Man | All-City Cycles

bmthom.gis

I haven't noticed much of a time/speed difference between using flat bars vs drop bars. I do find drop bars to be more comfortable, and maybe I feel my ride is a little more effortless. I am just nto a fan of flat bars except on a mountain bike...and for me I don't want to go more than 10-12 miles at a time (which happens to be my commute each way). I only stop if forced to by traffic signals. There isn't really a "nice" place to stop and enjoy the scenery on my ride unless I hit a greenway for a mile or so, but that is at the beginning of my commute.
My commuter weighs in at 31 pounds with rack, bags, and fenders (unloaded bags). I say get yourself a new bike! N+1

HumanPower

Careful - with that new road bike you'll likely start passing cars, trains, and inch into the next dimension.

Passing random people is meaningless - you have no idea how far they've ridden, how far they are going, if they are injured or recovering, or how hard they are choosing to ride at that moment in time.

gregf83 

It's not complicated. You're passing people because you're pedalling harder. If you get a road bike you should be able to go faster. Yet there will still be a great number of people much faster than you as well. That's life.

noglider 

You go fast because you push yourself. Most people who bike-commute don't push themselves.

rmfnla

If you want a road(ish) bike get a road(ish) bike...

mcours2006

Here's a novel idea that no one has mentioned: Why not ask your fellow commuters why you're so much faster than they are?

Sidle up to one of them and just ask, "Excuse me, how long have you been on your bike? How much longer have you got? How hard are you working?"

That way there is no more mystery as to why you are so much faster than they are. Then report back to us. I'm very curious too.