I'm not going to try and factor in the route you ride with respect to time. However, when picking a particular bike vs. another bike with speed in mind the most critical factor for us non-professionals is the gearing, the second most important factor is the stiffness of the bike; when I say "stiffness" I'm not talking about exotic frame material, simply talking about shocks, which most bikes seem to have at least front shocks nowadays and many have a shock in the seat post. I never get a bike with shocks, robs too much of my performance.

Back to gear ratios. I ride a heavy Raleigh hybrid with bags on it, since I'm also a commuter. However, this bike's biggest gear is 52/11, not going to get that with any huffy and not really worth it to try and upgrade. However, when riding with high gears you need to have the horse power.

However, it's also important to work in higher cadence in lower gears. So another overlooked aspect with respect to speed is the engine turning over the pedals. Don't get too wrapped up in high performance bikes. No shocks, multigearing, with a really big gear in there, and practice. That's the secret to faster rides for us normal joes.