It's probably Option C. Upgrading from a hybrid to a road bike won't really make much difference. There are some small gains in aerodynamics, but that's a matter of a few seconds over 28km. Depending on the tires you have now you might gain as much as 2 kph in average speed by switching to better tires. Clipless pedals are also a relatively small gain. Unless you feel like you're worried about your feet slipping off the pedals when you try to ride faster, clipless pedals won't really do a lot for you in terms of speed.

My guess would be that you need to train your body to ride faster. This isn't just about fitness. Riding fast requires a particular style of riding. You need good form and good cadence. A lot of casual riders are comfortable mashing along at around 60 pedal strokes per minute. That's fine if it's comfortable for them, but if you want to optimize your speed you should be spinning more like 90 times a minute.

Beyond that, it's a matter of pushing yourself. Riding every day doesn't make you any faster unless you are pushing your limits. If you're not a racer you probably think that you don't need to be training in the traditional sense, but the way that racers get faster is the same way that the rest of us get faster. They just do it more methodically. The key seems to be intervals. Use your favorite search engine to look up information on interval training. If you want to get faster that's the way to do it.

Definitely get pedals and shoes.

The reason people are passing you is probably because they are more fit than you.

If someone in sandals passed me it would certainly make my head turn.

You don't need a 'nicer' bike but one that will put you in an aerodynamic position. You don't say how fast you're riding now but 32kph is likely a good target. Panniers are going to make it more difficult so if you can use a pack instead that would be preferable.

I like clipless as they're more comfortable but my tests with a powermeter and HR monitor showed essentially zero difference between the two options for steady state riding. I would recommend it but it won't make you faster.

90% of your power goes to overcoming wind resistance so you need to minimize your aero drag. The following items will help:
1. Getting into an aggressive aero position. No need for a fancy bike to test this, just bend your arms and get your back as close as possible to horizontal. It won't be as comfortable as a properly fit bike but it's an inexpensive way to experiment.
2. Tight clothes. Baggy anything, including panniers, will suck power and slow you down. Try a ride with the tightest clothes you have and no panniers and see what you can do.
3. Decent tires. For rough roads GP4000s 25 or 28mm.

How long does it take you to go 14km? I can usually manage 31km in under an hour if I'm not against the wind but I don't have many stops and travel 30 min or so on a highway. If you have frequent stops it will obviously be more difficult.

Going from an upright rigid frame hybrid with riser bars to a road bike with drop bars increased my average speed from 14 mph to 16 mph with the same effort. Above 14 mph wind resistance becomes a factor -- and that's on a dead calm day. Add head winds and the lower, more aero position makes a huge difference. But it comes at a cost.

Just got my first road racing bike in 30 years this week. Yeah, it's faster. And a third lighter. But it's damned uncomfortable compared with the hybrid. I doubt I'd choose the road bike for commuting. I prefer a higher, heads up position riding in traffic. A drop bar bike designed for touring, commuting or less aggressive riding than racing would suit me better.

The Genesis looks like a typical comfort hybrid with suspension fork. I have a similar bike and love it for grocery runs and errands. But it's a bit heavy and sluggish for longer rides or traffic. I average about 12 mph on it now. When I first got it a couple of years ago I struggled to average 10 mph.

As a compromise you might consider a rigid frame/fork hybrid, or older mountain bike, with flat bars. These will be a bit lighter, a bit more responsive, a bit more aerodynamic without going to extremes. And you can buy 'em off craigslist or other sites for around $300 or less in good shape.

Oh, regarding shoes and pedals, etc., it doesn't matter as much as conditioning. One guy we ride with in casual group rides is capable of some serious speed but he often wears sandals and rides an old school cruiser, something like a Raleigh or Schwinn with riser bar -- bike probably weighs 30 lbs with the rear rack, basket or pannier, etc. He cruises at 15-16 mph and looks like he's loafing, not really trying. I follow him on Strava and on his serious longer rides on a road bike he's doing better than 20 mph.

Im having the strangest sense of deja vu.

Is it my imagination or did about 2 pages worth of posts disappear from this thread?

Easiest way is to suck the tail of those fast guys. 18 mph will feel like 14 by yourself.
A month ago, I was tootling down quiet streets when the U of A Tri team happened along. 2 guys leading and 2 girls behind. So I couldn't pass this chance up and I cranked up my roadster 1973 CCM 3 spd to 18/ 19 mph and kept up for a km until they went the wrong way, darn. The girls were looking back at me. LOL

A few did that to me on my commute. I wouldn't mind if we would alternate but nope, they leach of me until our ways split.

Two threads by OP, different answers in each.

I would look at the part of the commute that has nothing to do with the bike: the route. Sometimes the one slightly longer in distance will be quicker. Only right turns when possible. Learn the cycle of the lights. If there's a way to go around a hill instead of over it, by all means, do that.

Put your bike in a higher gear, get out off your seat and stand on your pedals (mash). Then when your going faster get back in a lower gear, sit down and spin. When you slow down too much, repeat. Traffic will interfere with this process, but do what you can and watch your times get faster.

Definitely mixed signals to/from OP. Is he racing or commuting or what?

This could just be your perception. Faster riders are going to pass you, but you'll never encounter others riding about the same speed as you.

To increase speed takes a lot of small changes to the bike, including reducing windage (bags, body position), smooth tires at the right pressure, clipless pedals, reducing your and the bike's weight, etc. But the one big change is your effort and fitness. You may consider yourself fit, but it takes years to develop the strength and aerobic capacity to sustain long hard efforts. I ride essentially a hybrid, and keep up with or pass most road bikes on my commute, but this didn't happen overnight.

One thing that can really make a difference is good wheels, are your wheels true, and otherwise in good shape, bearings & hubs serviced, are the wheels old / too heavy ... next maybe upgrade the tires.

Also, learn how to shift effectively if not already.

https://www.sheldonbrown.com/gears.html

There are some very helpful suggestions in the above - thank you.
I have no idea how 2 identical threads started (I just replied to the earlier thread with clarifications, and from that point forward something changed). Sorry about that.
And I-Like-to-Bike - not sure how you're getting mixed signals. I am commuting, but simply want to know how best to speed up that commute.

From your OP, you seem to be getting mixed signals about your own commute speed only because "most people seem to smoke past me on the bike trails."

Are you in a race with the other bicyclists on the bike trail and/or in a race to get to/from work? If not, ride whatever speed you like, fast, slow or indifferent, and forget about responding to the mixed signals you are getting from strangers on the bike trail.

You will be able to answer your question better if you first do a bit of athletic training. Measure your accomplishments over time as you execute a plan of strengthening yourself. I recommend some sort of high intensity interval training. Basically, it's where you take a minute at a time, a few times through your ride, to ride as hard as possible, to the point of exhaustion, where you can't maintain the level of exertion after the one minute. Do that every day and see how fast you get. Once you have made an improvement, you'll know which equipment changes will help. You may decide to make none, but you'll probably make one or two such as clipless pedals, lighter tires, lighter wheels, lower handlebar, or new bike. But do the training and measurement before you put money down. Your body will tell you what's next.

I use ridewithgps to track my progress. The completion times are interesting, but the conditions vary from day to day, so I don't take the times too seriously. I face some strong headwinds on some days, and my time doesn't really reflect the level of exertion. But one of the graphs this app provides is how much time I spend at each speed. I wasn't improving my overall time until I pushed myself over my 13 mph limit. I was spending all of my time at or below 13 mph and hardly any over that speed. I pushed myself to keep the speed readout high, and now I spend a lot more time above 13 mph. But this is what has worked for me and not necessarily the approach that would serve you best.

How much faster do you want to be? In real world time, a very fast rider doesn't get to work much sooner than a slow rider, but I don't blame you for wanting to improve anyway.

I'd choose option B (pick a clipless shoe and pedal system) and option C (keep riding and get bigger legs :) ). Yes, a decent road bike would also help but is more expensive and you sound like you have a decent hybrid.

Find an old road bike on craigslist from the 70s or 80s and put a rack on it. Or find something like the giant momentum street bike. Seems like a more comfortable commuter.
Socks and sandals are my favorite thing to wear on a bicycle :)

My former project lead has a pet quote that goes like this:

;)

When I'm rolling, my road bike is definitely faster than my hybrid by about 2-3 mph on average. However once I factor in traffic and other things that slow me down, the difference on a 10 mile commute is somewhere in the 3 minute range. Measurable, but not really significant enough to allow me to sleep later in the morning.

I didn't really notice much of a speed difference when I went to clipless. I like riding clipless, and I think there are benefits, but I don't think you'd notice a huge speed increase.

Possible option Cs: Better fitness, e-bike or stop worrying about it.

Here are some suggestions:
http://www.bikeforums.net/hybrid-bic...rformance.html

On my 11 km commute, a switch from a (slick tyred) MTB to a road bike, with some moderate riding effort (not to sweat), on flat ground, made under 5 minute difference one way. If even that much.

Using a backpack behind you, mounted on a rear rack, instead of panniers, will provide a difference in air drag that is immediately noticeable and measurable.

Slick tyres for pavement. If you ride rough roads, go as wide as 37 mm, but make sure they are slick and of good quality, and inflated to a proper pressure.

Make your riding position a bit more aero, if it's comfortable. Lower the bars, make them narrower (i like mine cut to about 50 cm), or both.

Clipless pedals are not bad, but I wouldn't expect much benefit speedwise, especially on the flats. For commuting and convenience, I prefer platforms with studs, so my feet don't slip.

Do you also ride recreationally? Might you want to? If a road bike is an option, get one -- With clipless pedals, shoes, etc. Ride it hard on weekends. Maybe join a club. When you are comfortable on your new bike, put your work stuff in a day pack and ride the road bike to work. You will be faster---guaranteed.

Surly named a bike after him: Big Dummy. No helmet!! What's he thinking?

The 100 mph 'dodge-em' car, built for BBC Top Gear show, was piloted be the enigmatic 'Stig', who in his white boiler suit
and non speaking role, is never seen without his full face helmet on, & visor down...

My questions for the OP
- how long have you been doing this commute
- how much other bicycling have you done
- where is your current commute the slowest - traffic lights/path interruptions? long hills?

My experience is that for a short (10-20km one way) commute, the speed will vary mostly with the rider and traffic, not the bicycle.

If you've been riding a while, presumably the bicycle should fit you well and you know if the delays are due to traffic/intersections or hills.

If you haven't been riding long, you'll find the commute will get faster as you get used to it and know where you can go fast or are slowed down. If this is the case, If you haven't already, make sure the bike is set up well - I've seen a number of new riders happier after adjusting seats, stems, brakes to make the bicycle more comfortable.

Sounds like your hybrid has smooth tires and plenty of gears (more than 1), so I'd expect any significant time savings on your commute to come from building strength or changing your route, not your bicycle.

Poster
 

I commute around 45-50km a day. Had no problem with distance but it took way too much time. I converted to pedal assist e-bike and shaved the time to about 1/2. Now averaging 20mph in the city is no problem