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?

You might want to invest in a cheap computer, and monitor it as you go along to get an idea of just how much effort you're putting in to reach certain speeds.

Is it an hour from the time you hit the seat to the time you dismount, or are you including getting the bike out of the garage, locking it up at work, etc. in the hour it's taking you?

I doubt the problem is your equipment, it's the engine. Get a computer that tells you your average moving speed and try to do better every time you ride.

My one way commute is 5.5 miles and it takes me about 30 minutes or less. So based on that, you are on par with me.

I agree it's probably the engine more than anything else. Try doing a separate "training" ride of at least one hour (2 hours would be better) once a week with lactate threshold intervals spread throughout. The only way to get faster is to ride faster.

I'd also check to make sure your brake pads or fenders aren't rubbing, even slightly.

Time yourself exactly as you pass various waypoints. See where you're losing time. Obeying traffic laws will certainly cause a terrible loss of time.

Just becoming aware of the slow parts might be sufficient.

If you're not fitting the bike, or are carrying lots of stuff, or dressed in a slightly less efficient manner then your speed will drop. I'm much much slower on my commuting bike:

More weight
Less lively geometry
More upright position
No clipless pedals
Wider tires
More air resistance

Just makes the whole experience that much less quick. I probably average 12 mph on my commuter vs. 18 mph on my real bike.

My typical speed for flat ground is about 15mph. I can do 18 without pushing too hard and 20 when trying to keep closer to car traffic speed. However, on my ride into work in the early morning hours I often find I drop down to around 13mph and as low as 10 if I don't keep an eye on it. I think a lot of it for me is just that it's early in the morning and I know I give myself plenty of time to get to work.

Get a cheap computer to keep track of your speeds, or keep track of what times you pass certain points. I know that if I am turning onto one road at 5:15 I'm making good time, but at 5:20 I need to watch my speed a little closer.

Also, how much are you carrying and how? I typically ride with 15+ lbs. in my panniers, and on a heavier hybrid bike with full rack/fenders. I can come pretty close to keeping up with the roadies I see, but there is just a limit to what I can do with that bike.

It is the same as with boxing: a fast road bike, with narrow tires and no cargo with a fit cyclist in the saddle will always beat a slower, wider-tired heavy bike carrying a good about of cargo, even with a very fit cyclist in the saddle.

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.

I do 6 miles in about 20 minutes, 28 hilly miles in an hour and a half. Take that for what it's worth.

It is an hour from hoping on my bike (kept in my living room) to rolling into work (i keep my bike a closet behind my desk at work).

I think you are right. I think if I have a computer that will give me an average speed as I ride then I can try to push a few percent faster.

+1

On my way to work in the morning, I'm lucky if I can do 12mph. However, when I went into work over the summer, and could go in any time I wanted, I usually averaged around 15mph.

Also, when I get to my office, it is usually about 1 hour after I leave my house, but the computer on my bike says 45 minutes (or there about). Those 15 minutes didn't just disappear. They were spent getting out the door, putting on my gloves, waiting at stop lights, and possibly stopping to talk to some of my students at their bus stops.

There is no need for such an intense workout. Like others have suggested, get a computer and start paying attention.

I found this on velonews.com. Is this what I am looking at attempting to do to ride faster?


Finding your LT
• Find a flat or slightly uphill stretch of road (avoid undulations or hills)- you may also use a trainer (but this is mentally tough)
• Warm up for at least 10-15 minutes
• Ride a thirty-minute time trial with your best possible time
• If using a heart rate (HR) monitor, record the last twenty minutes of your ride. - Your average heart rate over this period will estimate your HR at LT
• If using a power meter, record the last twenty minutes of your ride – Your average power over this period will estimate your power output at LT.

Where do you stand?
To put things in perspective, untrained individuals usually reach LT at about 60 percent of their VO2MAX. Moderately trained athletes reach LT at 65-80 percent VO2MAX. Elite endurance athletes have a very high LT relative to their VO2MAX . They are able to ride at 85-95 percent VO2MAX, and it is this ability that allows them to making a living riding bikes.

Or, disregard everyones advice and just enjoy the ride I run 14.2mi in right about an hour including time spent in traffic. I can shave the average, but then I just arrive tired.

-R

I don't carry much. I take the bus once a week to take the clothes I am going to wear for the week (and return home with the dirty clothes). Everything else I have will fit in my saddle bag (money clip, cell phone, clean socks, and a granola bar). I used to ride with my messenger bag but that became brutal when I would ride home into headwinds or was riding in the heat of the day during summer and would feel like I was overheating.

checking time on way points is a good idea.

my commute is 11 miles and it takes me 45 to 50 min (kona smoke 2-9 with full trunk). mixed traffic; red lights, school crossings, and peds.

lately i've found relaxing and non-stop pedaling (non fixie), is as fast as if i push. i push, i break more, and stop more. same as in the car.

the game i play is not to touch the ground with my feet (i'm no trackstander). i time red lights, but never stop pedaling. just go, take it easy, and enjoy the ride.

btw, i'm a noob. so take it for what it's wroth.

Doesn't sound too bad; any faster and I'd probably be sweating seriously when i got to work. On my roadie, I could probably average over 20mph easily over 11 miles if I push it, but you're riding to work, not in a race, unless you're looking drop some pounds.

I respectfully disagree. If you want to get faster, you need to ride faster, period. If you aren't stressing your body, it will not adapt. It can be done other ways, but lactate threshold workouts are going to be the most time efficient way to get faster.

To improve from 11mph to around 17 mph, there is no need to do intervals at that high a level. It is ludicrous. All he needs to do is ride longer and that strength will translate into speed at shorter distances. Lactate intervals are not easy and the OP is probably not thinking about training that hard. Consider context before giving advice like that...

That's around the speed I ride around town(So Cal),works for me.I can't count on anybody following the traffic laws.Most of the people don't speak english anymore,so I'm sure they know what the street signs say.

In the AM, a few stop lights......10 miles, 28-30 minutes. But, this is FL. No hills.
In the PM, lots of stops, close calls, ducking for cover, outrunning gangsters, etc, 40 minutes.

Could be a combination of the tires you're running and other things such as traffic lights. Since you said you're slower than other roadies, you might look into switching tires to something that rolls faster such as Continental Ultra Gatorskins in 25c. Not going to be as comfortable, but I know your speed will improve. My wife run those tires on her bike and was constantly complaining about the bike being sluggish. I talked her into switching to the Gatorskins and she was very impressed with how fast the bike was after the switch.

I run a 2006 Tricross Comp as my commuter and have 25's. My 22 mile, one way commute takes me about 1.15 hours. I don't have that many lights though and it's pretty flat. YMMV.