Will it make a Difference?
 

I tried searching the commuting forum but i guess the question is more specific to me i guess.

I am wondering how much difference a different bike would make on my commute?

at the moment it takes me 17-20 minutes to get to work, on the just a smidge over 4 mile commute.

Right now i roll on a HEAVY huffy beach cruiser to work. Its a flat city/urban commute which means a stop light every .5 of a mile. its a mixture of road, hopping curbs, potholes, glass, sometimes sidewalks, a road that butts up to a forest preserve so there is loose gravel on the road in some spots.

now will a road, track, or hybrid bike realistically be able to shave off more than 5 minutes on this commute? will it even make a difference? or should i just work on making my legs stronger to cut the time down?

Not being a physicist, I'd reckon there'd be some improvement, but cannot say how much. There was an article ~6 mos ago floating around about a UK doctor that recorded that he noted no reasonable change in speed between his cheap steel road bike and his expensive carbon bike (the notion itself torqued off a lot of folks - there's talk that the piece might have been satire). Somewhere here on BF, someone claims that he's faster on his Hybrid than his road bike because he doesn't sweat plowing through potholes and over rough terrain on the hybrid whereas he's concerned about damaging the road bike.

If nothing else, I'd reckon that on a lighter bike you'll be able to get up to speed faster when leaving a light, so that should shave a little time.

the way you describe the commute with lights and the distance another bike wouldn't get you 5 more minutes.

I have a 3 mile mile commute, just getting the lights timed takes off five minutes. the difference in the three lights I have is 17minutes vs 12 minutes.

The only way a new bike would help is if you can get fast enough to time the lights, if that is even possible.

A lighter/sportier bike will FEEL faster, even if ridden at the same speed as the cruiser, and will be easier to get up to speed. Such a bike would probably be a bit easier to ride at a faster speed on clean pavement, but the nature of your commute probably kills any advantage that would bring. I'd say a sporty hybrid or cyclocross with 32c tires would be the best mix of speed and versatility for your commute.

All of that said, I doubt you'd see any significant time savings (unless the slight increase in speed alows you to "make" timed lights that would otherwise stop you). Stoplights are the pace equalizers.

Just this morning, while in my normal commute groove, I blasted past a guy on an old schwinn while riding along a lengthy east-west road near downtown (i.e. lights every 1-2 blocks). He rolled up while I was waiting at one of the (notoriously) longer lights 10 blocks later.
It is the nature of urban riding.

I find that a lighter bike and more performance-oriented design changes the way I try to ride; it's more fun to ride a lightweight bike fast, especially when I'm wearing cycling shoes and using clipless pedals, which results in shorter trip times. I crank harder when my feet feel secure and when I don't feel a heavy bike resisting my movement. (For me, a significant weight difference isn't steel versus carbon, it's more like loaded-trunk, rack and pannier or not.) If that's fun for you, go for it, but if you'd rather ride casual, a couple of pounds won't make a big difference.

I started off commuting to school with a hybrid and I couldn't help but move onto road bikes for the positioning. I have a few harsh areas with gravel and potholes but i normally just stand up and tough em out. If you manage to sit on the saddle the whole time, good luck. Although my commute speed hasn't gotten all that faster, about 20 minutes for 5 miles (with stop lights), I just feel better riding a bike that is lighter and more aerodynamic.

So in short, speed might minimally increase, but your enjoyment might skyrocket. Get a "low end" roadie to start out with that can take some punishment.

no

+1

I ride faster on road bike because the road bike rewards me for my efforts.

Based on what you've said, it sounds like there's about 8 stoplights on your route. Keep track for a week or so how long you sit at lights on average to see what % of your total time is lost there. The rest is what you have control over. You to need to average about 16 mph to complete your commute in 15 minutes. That's doable but again, it depends on the lights.

Getting stronger will make the biggest difference but trying to ride a beach cruiser fast just seems wrong. ;)

The other thing to think about is that while you may be able to cut 5 minutes off your time you're not going to be able to do it without working pretty hard during your commute. Some people like that, but for others that takes the enjoyment out of it.

Thanks for all the helpful info, great resource this website is! you can get help and great tips from the elitists to the hipster fixie dude to the suburban weekend warrior.

the reason i had the 5 minute benchmark thing, is thats around the difference in time from driving to what it takes my to bike. I know crazy only 5-7 minutes diff, chalk that up to urban commuting.

There is a route that i would be able to time the lights, but its the least safest so that is way out of the question.

i guess from all the wonderful answers i should just roll with what i got mash the pedals harder and enjoy the view, which is actually a awesome view and i get to work smiling my azz off.


P.S. you guys made the wife happy as she is complaining that "you just bought a bike and now you want a new one for fathers day?" now i will just get a tie :(

its my competitive nature, the first two commutes were leisurely and then the third i timed myself, yesterday i tried to beat my commute in time on the way home (i lost because wind gust were rocking 18mph). today was a sit back and chill ride due to i was late already because my son and i were going crazy with glue sticks and colored paper. on the way home today i think i might try for a record time.

"but trying to ride a beach cruiser fast just seems wrong"

LOL i bet its funny to watch me tuck and crank away like a mad man.

I would say good for you you are doing your 4 miles faster than I usually do my 4 miles and the last couple months I have been riding mostly road bikes. Of course my commuter to work is more than half up hill. The college i work at happens to be the highest point in town. LOL I don't think there is any ay you could get 5 minutes faster on a different bike especially if you have plenty of stoplights.

Keep riding what you have for a while until you or your wife feels like its time to reward your efforts in riding to work. If you need help calculating that reward (gas saved no gym membership needed etc) we can help you out. =)

4 miles is not enough distance for it to make a meaningful difference. If you were riding 20 miles each way, then yes, it would be noticable.

Look at your current bike as a heavy trainer. Similar to how a baseball player warms up with two bats or a weighted bat, once you get some better legs under you, you will FLY when you do get another (n+1) bike!

+1 If you do anything change your tires to 1.75-2.00" street tires if you've got knobbies on your bike now. That being said I rode for 5 years all pavement on knobbies 20 mi rt daily...but I got the tires for free out of a dumpster. In changing bikes get a hardtail/stiff fork mtb from the early-mid 90s. A Specialized Rockhopper, Giant Rincon off of CL, a yardsale, thriftstore, pawnshop, etc. They're around and are great commuters. Cheap, too. Usually between 100-250.00.

How many red lights do you hit on average? I find that to be the biggest difference on my commutes. A lighter bike won't necessarily help you unless you you miss one or two red light cycles because you accelerated fast enough to get through.

For example, I ride about 7 miles in 26 minutes. I hit 2 or 3 red lights (about 4 minutes added a light to overall ride time for full light cycle) for total ride time of about 35 minutes. I make all my time on bike paths, MUP and low traffic streets where I don't have to stop for lights.

Holy ****. I'm either incredibly slow then, or stop lights do make that big a diff.

go ahead and cobble together a freecycle/dumpster road bike and enjoy accelerating to the next stop light faster. You might cut off a minute or two when feeling your oats.

+1

On a 4 mile commute, the difference in commute time between a heavy/cheap Huffy and a road bike would probably be on the order of a minute. Not worth it IMO, especially when you factor in the downsides of a road bike - it could be a bigger theft target, and you have a lot more to lose. It's likely to be more easily damaged and more expensive to repair if you hit a road hazard. You may not want to ride it in all conditions.

I might move to something a bit lighter like a hybrid bike but for a 4 mile commute, I don't think there's much sense in going nuts.

i wont count the first set of lights (explanation below) but i hit 4 after that when taking the safest route. if i took the fastest route (the unsafest one) i would actually hit three more lights but easier timed light though.

the first set of lights are the worse for me its a cluster****** of 4 major streets so it depends on the timing if i cross two lights or three or four. Google map area code 60630 and look for where Foster ave, Central Ave, Milwaukee Ave, and NW HWY, I90, and train tracks all meet.

LeeG and ItsJustMe, I already dug out a old schwinn 10-speed i had in the late 80's early 90's. goal is to get it new rims and tires, new brakes and change it to a single speed. thing is i need to figure out if the cost of all that will be cheaper than a wally world Mongoose Cachet. Goal is to keep cost as close to zero, as discretionary cash was already used on a Bell Coccoon kid seat and front basket and new pedals.

A lighter bike will have less inertia, and will accelerate more quickly. Shaving 5 minutes off a 20 minute commute is 1/4 the time; it's more like cutting than shaving. How much do you weigh, and how much stuff do you bring? The bike's weight is only part of what you're moving.

I think for a flat commute of that distance, the Huffy is probably not just suitable, but probably optimal.

I have ridden my 20 mile round-trip commute on a European commuter bike, hybrid, and road bike. Travel time is mostly a function of stoplight timing and is nearly independent of what bike I use.

The lesser convenience and durability of the hybrid or road bike relative to the cruiser would likely overshadow any slight performance gain. As others have mentioned, for some people, the pleasure of riding a more performance-oriented bike could overcome the disadvantages.

Paul

A roadbike might shave some time off of your commute, but like others mentioned, it would probably be negligible depending on the conditions.

all i bring is my lunch (somedays), a crescent wrench, and a water bottle. I ride in my work clothes and in dress shoes. I keep it very simple. just grab my wallet, keys, phone and jump on the bike and go.

If you factor in the time you spend trying to motivate yourself to ride, a nicer bike will definitely cut 5 minutes off your commute time. It will also probably lead to you wanting to ride more. It's easily a justifiable purchase.

I'd have to say that you are giving far too much credit to the Huffy as far as durability goes. I think it'll do just fine but I'm willing to bet something's going to break on it before it would even on a decent road bike.

You say that to all the new bikes ;)

actually no motivation to ride, i now look forward to riding to work and was actually bummed that i couldn't ride today. its addicting!

oh i agree quality is not there, i have to adjust my handlebars every other day and the keep shifting no matter what i do. (any tips on how to correct it)

and thats the thing with my huffy purchase, i knew was low on funds, so i got the cheapest and simplest bike possible. simple=less to break. I have no gears and only a coaster brake. so i just have to worry about the tires, chain, and rear hub. hoping a wrench and grease will keep my cruiser rolling longer than most wally world specials.