Scraping pedals. That's a matter of pedal clearance and pedaling while cornering. If you race, it can be a buig deal (especially for criteriums and on the track). For the rest of us, it is usually just a matter of learning when those pedals hit and coasting before we get there.

Three factors add up to determine when pedals hit: How high the bottom bracket of the bike frame is above the road, how wide and low your pedals are and how long the cranks are. Looking at each of those separately:

The bottom bracket height is a function of the frame design and how large your tires are. Non-racers rarely change frames just to get better pedal clearance; we just learn to live with it. (I've had bikes where I hit routinely. I consider pedal appearance to be expendable. Aluminum cleats step on the tops, bottoms get scuffed by roads. In other words, well ridden pedals look it.)

Pedal width: There is a lot you can do here. Platform pedals are dome of the widest and worst for pedal clearance. SOme of the clipless are so small that your shoe and foot dictate the clearance, not the pedal. But there are strong reasons to go to the pedal system that will work best for you in terms of foot comfort, locking and unlocking system,, etc. Pedal clearance is seldom the driving factor except for some racers.

Crank length: This is so related to your pedaling style and efficiency that pedal strike should never be the driving force (although one may choose the smaller of tow options if it is 50-50). An exception I made was when I was riding a bike set up as a fix gear that had a very low bottom bracket. I used the 170 length cranks that came on it instead of the 175s I ride on every other bike and still hit the pedals almost every ride.

All this said, look at your pedals. Will striking them gamage them? If yes, be more careful. SOme pesals have pressed joints at the corners that wil loosen up with enough strikes. Others you can grind away for years. Also, keep in mind if you change things that hitting a pedal on a bike the strikes pedals early is no big deal. Hitting one on a bike with a ton of clearance means you are leaned way over and it IS a big deal!

Been there, done that (all of the above!)

Ben

Aerodynamics.. the fastest IHPVA bikes are shaped like Fish.

That lines up with my experience. One good example is a day last summer when I was riding my Opafiets to downtown. I got in with a handful of MAMILs on road bikes. They'd take off from lights much faster than I but for a good distance I'd keep catching them at the next light. For this mile or two our speed as the same (but I think they were sweating more).

I average about 18-20 mph on my road bike for 25-40 mile exurban loops. I'd guess on these same routes I'd do about 13 or 14 on my Opafiets.

Okay, got it.

Somebody has to be the world's fastest commuter. Otherwise, why would the UCI award a jersey for it?

http://40.media.tumblr.com/c83952401...o0yso1_500.jpg

"Moving" implies acceleration, as it would not make sense that the tire is already at a constant velocity and thus not accelerating in either vector direction. In the context of the discussion, which is about increasing overall speed, acceleration is inherent and even required in order to get from point a to point b.

Nice backpedal but moving does not imply acceleration and tire weight plays a very minor role in speed. The energy required to spin up a tire, regardless of its weight, is negligible.

My commute is about 11 miles each way. At this point I have covered nearly 1100 miles commuting since mid March. One intersection has a 2 min cycle time, which obviously impacts total time. The best time is around 36 min. The average speed has been creeping up the more I ride.

In the beginning it was about pain management, then a couple of months ago it changed to breathing management. This week it was about heat management! The heat index the day before yesterday was 108.

When the weather is good, out comes the '91 Pinarello Montello (<22lbs) and the ride is fast. Threat of bad weather brings out the RockHopper (40+ lbs.). Differences is about 2-3 MPH average. Clipless on both but different systems and shoes.

I don't worry about time to get there, it is about the ride and I try to push it. In the last two months, there aren't very many that pass me. I don't mind being passed, I do mind all the impediments to riding consistently, like slower people. But, I was one!

I have been riding off and on for over 50 years including places like Maryland, Japan, Hawaii, Germany, Austria, India, various places in the Pacific North West, and now in DC. Riding on the road is dangerous, I have scares with a plate and 7 screws to show for it. You must be extreme in being defensive and know your bike, your bikes limitations and your own. Don't take stupid risks. Be like Chuck Yeager and be informed and use fore-thought for each situation so you don't have to face making decisions when they are presented. Be prepared with being in the right gear ahead of time. If uncertain, increase your awareness of your surroundings. Learn to read the vehicle language. You can tell if a driver is uncertain about what he is going to do or if they jump into thoughtless situations.

I would not say "don't take risks" because you can't learn how to exist in different environments or test your self otherwise. Just don't do it blindly, think of the consequences of actions you and others take.

Oh yeah, you don't ride enough! Get out there and enjoy the freedom and control you would not otherwise experience. A 4 mile commute is very limiting environment and should get boring after awhile! I didn't ride today and now I am very restless needing to get those legs pumping!

I find beans and other gassy foods often give me that JATO boost I want.

Here are my thoughts on commuting faster.

Be thoughtful with what takes up your time at either end. I was taking longer overall, from desk to armchair, to ride my road bike home than my MTB because of the time it took me to dress out to ride hard on a hard saddle with clipless shoes etc. I made some refinements to what I carry and what I wear in morning and evening and what I bring in the car on drive days.

Just ride harder. A good tool for this is just a $10 Walmart bike computer, although you can get a lot more elaborate with splits, cell phone, Strava segments, etc. Strive to beat your overall time. Another way is to set your cheap computer to show average speed for the day and try hard to increase it.

Get a faster bike. My experience was 2mph from knobbies to slicks on my MTB, another 2 mph from there to road bike.

Gas only slows one down unless ignited, then one smells like burnt hair for the rest of the day.

Hello, everyone. I have been commuting everyday to work for the past 15 years. Mostly for 50 miles or more. I commute mostly on flat and straight roads. I'm looking into getting a hybrid (carbon aluminum) wheel for my commute. I'm considering the following three wheels. Your advise on them will be greatly appreciated

1. Shimano 9000 C50 clinchers
2. Trek aura 5
3. Mavic Cosmic sls
4. Zipp 60

Thanks!

Whichever is most expensive is best.

Yeah, I would just relax and enjoy the ride. That being said, I have a 4 mile commute as well. I am in the Ozarks so I have good hills on the commute. I usually don't worry much on the way in and just enjoy it, it takes me between 18-20 minutes usually. On the way home I play more. I got home yesterday in 14 minutes flat. The thermometer on the bike read 101 F and I'm riding a Surly LHT with bags and junk in them. I never seem to empty them so it isn't a lightweight bike. I'm running 38s as well. I use platform pedals with studs, so you can pull up a bit, but I don't usually.

Enjoy your own ride and don't worry about anyone else. If you feel like pushing it, do it, when you don't, don't. My ride is one of the best parts of my day, no matter how hot it is. I love it.

!!! but if he doesn't get a commuting skin suit, aero bars, and teardrop helmet he will soon be surpassed and reduced to yet another fred...

:roflmao2:

You must be the slowest sprinter on the planet. It takes me a minute or two to hit 30 mph.

You jest...but I commute on Cole 38mm carbon hoops. I find that my worry over whether they will suddenly assplode into graphite dust to be oddly exciting.

Or whichever three look best on each corner of his tadpole

i would happily race any pro road racer (but not a track racer) on my dilapidated beater (32x11 is the highest ratio) vs my 16 lb road bike for prize money.

How long are you maintaining that speed? Pretty impressive for commute standards

1) You're probably lying. 2) Where in my post did I say anything about sprinting?

Only earns style points for the owner if everybody else knows that the bike is sporting the most expensive gear available; just like giving an expensive bottle of liqueur or chocolates as a gift, if the recipient doesn't know the price tag all the snob appeal value is lost.

You should be able to blow the roadies off the road!!!!

4 miles and you're done. You could do that at a full sprint.
Whereas... I'm always out for a minimum of 10 miles... and often somewhat longer, perhaps 40 miles in an afternoon. Catch me on the way home, and I'm just not as fast as I'm heading to town.

4 miles is a bit short for considering the benefit of a "road bike"... but why not? There are lots of deals on Craigslist for moderate quality bikes in the $200 to $300 range. Or, if you want a fat tire bike, consider a cyclocross bike with some of the benefits of the road bike, but also built more durable.

The more you push yourself, the better you'll get.

I've been pulling cargo around quite a bit, and also pushing distance a bit. I think the body reacts to changes rather quickly. It seems as if I just work harder pulling a heavy load than a light load. And, the next day, the empty bike fells very light.

So far this year, I've also done two 100+ mile rides, and a 181 mile ride and a 145 mile ride.
After a 181 mile ride, my typical 17 mile (each way) rides just seem short.

Ok, that makes a little more sense, but even 10.5 -> 22 is not a matter of just equipment changes. Add in that the OP is riding on the sidewalk sometimes...seems to me it would be a 2-3mph improvement from much better equipment, then somewhat more improvement from serious training. With all that I would think it would still be more like 50% speed increase, and that's if there's no stops or lights...

200m is a sprint. 4 miles is not a sprint.