Originally Posted by
Hollow_Cyclist
Im bigger than both of the people I mentioned by atleast 40lbs. Im not a big guy but Im not small either. Im not a climber. Most of my rides are climbs. I live nearby mountains and thats all I do because I enjoy going downhill at 40 to 50 mph. Im slow to climb. Anything over 7% grade will have me going at 6 or 7mph. I have decent acceleration but Ive seen other people out accelerate me. Im not a sprinter because I can sprint till I explode and I am still going 34 mph at best for only 3 or 4 seconds. I get passed a lot on bike paths by riders doing over 20 mph.
I think the advice of riding with a group is probably your best way of increasing your speed. I noticed that you live in Orange County, California. We have several groups that you could ride with on a Saturday or Sunday.
Here are a few:
http://www.canyonvelo.org/index.cfm
http://www.ocrebels.com/
http://www.ocw.org/
http://www.bikeirvine.org/
There is a difference in experience between these clubs. If you do decide to ride with a club, I would start with the Bicycle Club of Irvine. They are less structured and ride mostly for fun and exercise. The Velos, on the other hand, are fast competitive riders that are either professionals or close to it.