28km round trip is about 17 miles or 8.6 miles each way. Assuming you go about 13 mph (in sandals) that would take about 39 minutes. To cut that down 5-10 minutes you would need to be going 16-18 mph. Clip pedals will help but I think it's mainly about getting stronger. You can do that by riding more

If your already going faster in sandals (15 mph), then to cut down by 5-10 minutes, you would need to be hitting 18-20 mph. Depending on what your average speed is, it may or may not be possible without external assists.

A lot of this boils down to, pay attention to how fast you're going, and take measures to go faster

Have you looked at alternative routes that avoid the worst of the hills? I've been bike commuting for about 17 years now but for the first couple of years i simply rode on the same routes that I had been driving for years. It took a bit of exploratory recreational riding to discover that adding a few kilometers on different streets actually reduced my ride times considerably.

As a taller dude - I don't go faster than others. I do have a bike with 200mm cranks though (KHS Flite 747) and when I am on that - I sure can generate a lot of torque. I go faster on that bike just for novelty sake. In any case, crank size and speed has been studied a lot and I think the outcome is that more aero higher cadence wins. With 200mm cranks you cannot do aero without beating your belly off with your knees - meaning that shorter cranks get you more aero.

How did I miss this? Best quote I've seen in a long time. Actually worthy of a sig quote...

Good for you! I think e-bikes make good rabbits if you feel frisky enough. I once saw a dude that looked like the Michelin man come speeding by me on a mountain bike during winter. It was the slight grade going uptown on St Nicholas Ave in Harlem. I couldn't believe it. Then I caught up to him since he stopped to check his bike for some reason. I then saw the pregnant rear hub and then knew that it was an e-bike...

Option C: the best way I've found to get to work faster is to put all the pre-ride preparations onto autopilot. Out of the house & garage and on the road pronto.Same thing in the pm. With the bike... for commuting, it's all in the tires. That the bike has a certain heft is a given. Silly clipless shoes and pedals won't make you faster commuting.
So says me.
Jon in Philly

Hi all,


I thought I'd post an update. I've indeed shaved off 5 minutes! Thanks to everyone who posted constructive suggestions.


What worked so far is: a) getter better quality, even slicker tires (and I probably had a slow leak in my front tube), and b) lowering and pushing forward my handlebars.


This commute is mostly along trails, so not much stopping. I had thought that 2 years of doing it would build my endurance naturally, but i'll be trying some interval training next to further build my strength. I'll also try the power grips toe straps that someone suggested.


Cheers all.

To stay real here: a lighter bike with better wheels and tires will speed up your rolling time. So will pedaling harder. But the commute time change will be highly dependent on traffic lights if you have them. In Portland, many of the better cross-town streets have timed lights. Going in town (slightly downhill, making all of them is easy so the bike matters zero. Likewise how fast I go. Coming back, my good bikes mean that with real work, I can make all of them. Heavy bikes, I miss at least one light.

In commute hour traffic, factors like these usually drive my commute times nearly as much as the bike itself.

Ben

Yay, good you're doing so well!
In my own experience I also thought riding by its own was enough of a workout but lately I've found that Pilates (or blogilates) helps a lot. Since I've been doing it regularly my arms and core are stronger and it has helped me go a little bit faster on my commute.