Originally Posted by
CJ C
at the moment it takes me 17-20 minutes to get to work, on the just a smidge over 4 mile commute.
Right now i roll on a HEAVY huffy beach cruiser to work. Its a flat city/urban commute which means a stop light every .5 of a mile. its a mixture of road, hopping curbs, potholes, glass, sometimes sidewalks, a road that butts up to a forest preserve so there is loose gravel on the road in some spots.
now will a road, track, or hybrid bike realistically be able to shave off more than 5 minutes on this commute? will it even make a difference? or should i just work on making my legs stronger to cut the time down?
A lighter bike will have less inertia, and will accelerate more quickly. Shaving 5 minutes off a 20 minute commute is 1/4 the time; it's more like cutting than shaving. How much do you weigh, and how much stuff do you bring? The bike's weight is only part of what you're moving.