Hello all!

I regularly commute 28km round trip to work on a mid-grade hybrid bike, and although I'm reasonably fit, most people seem to smoke past me on the bike trails. But I'm getting mixed signals on what I can really do about this.

Option A: upgrade to a nicer road bike. But given the cost, I only want to do it if it would *really* make a difference. (Current hybrid is a generic "Genesis" bike). Plus, I have some bumpy roads to navigate, needs paniers, etc.

Option B: Get real bike shoes and clipless peddles (Yes I bike in sandals, please don't judge ). Would this be the best bang for the buck?

Option C: Something I'm not thinking of.

I'm new here, so I hope this is not too much of a repeat question.

Many thanks! If I can shave even 5-10 minutes off my commute this would matter a lot.