Thanks for all of the information so far! Yes, I suspect a faster bike will not necessarily mean time savings. Perhaps I have invented this lie in order to justify buying a new bike. I do think being more comfortable is a justifiable decision (also saving 9 dollars in metro fares a day, so surely I deserve it). It sounds like a gravel bike or perhaps an endurance bike (i.e. Domane, Roubaix, Synapse) would also work, though perhaps the tires might be a bit thin. On the topic of new bikes, I see the Coop ARD 1.4 is on sale for about 1700. This seems pretty enticing given the certainty that comes with REI’s customer service. Shimano 105 components and Giant makes the carbon frame. Does anyone have experience with this bike?