Originally Posted by
cradduck
I am having a hard time understanding why my commute is taking as long as it is. It is taking me about an hour to travel 11.4 miles.
I commute on my Specialized Tricross that has 32c T-Serv's tires on it (always at the correct pressure). I basically have a straight shot to work with only a few lights over the course of the commute (and can usually hit them green in the morning) and very little in the way of elevation gain/loss (the whole trip is along Pacific Coast Highway). I travel faster than most of the mountain bikes I encounter, but slower than the roadies. It seems like my average speed should be above 11.4 mph for the type of bike I am riding.
My only guess is that I am unknowingly slowing down during certain points of my commute. Does anybody else run into this problem and if so how have you overcome this issue? Would a cadence meter help with this?
I know I slow down... I watch for errant motorists and work to keep my head on a swivel vice focusing on keeping my cadence up and my speed up. I coast into situations that might change at any second. (left turners lining up and me on a multi-laned road with mall exits on my right... you know, that sort of thing).
I slow when approaching corners where right turning motorists from perpendicular streets might come out and hit me.
I slow where I can't see if there is a vehicle coming up in the last lane on my right as I cross a multi-laned road.
I slow to "trust, but verify" any motorist behavior. Oh heck yeah, I do slow down.