I think we all ride for fitness.

Most of us like to ride fast and feel the freedom of a silky smooth ride.

If it we're just fitness, I could drag a cinder block on a rope behind me while riding (which is probably an upgrade to some of the things you see on the road).

Drivetrain friction is essentially a non entity unless something is damaged. The ease of shifting, the ability to stay adjusted, durability, and the steps between gears is what you pay for. And weight, sometimes as a sacrifice to durability.

With your gear ratio, you certainly can climb fast. I don't know your physiology, bike weight, or mentality.

My 1986 Dura Ace group is smooth. It's like the the dark ages compared to my 2002 Campy Chorus group, which again, is barely a drivetrain compared to a modern di2 or comparable.

I don't think you should upgrade your ride. It's sounds great, keep it going as it is. Get yourself a nice 15lb carbon everything ride to supplement it, on the steep days.

NH and MA here.

​​​​​​I can't stand riding 23s. I'm fine on 25s, but that's as small as I go on the roads we deal with. You might be losing a lot of energy bouncing around the potholes.

I don't think drive train matters a lot for speed, but there's definitely a fun factor with a good one.

Many good points! Thanks.

Check to be sure a brake pad isn't rubbing a wheel.

Cheers

I think you mean it has a FREEWHEEL, not a flywheel.

your first problem is you are on an old steel bike with no snap and most likely terrible wheels , start with the frame and wheels , you cant expect to hold off trained cyclist on modern tech with an old sloppy steel POS unless you have tremendous athletic ability , i know a guy that can really smash on his steel bike with 33c tires , but he is a cat 1 pro and can output tons of energy .
if you dont want to switch your bike to a more performance based frame and wheel set , just try to upgrade wheels and tires , i dont think your drive train or gear ratios will really hold you back unless you have a triple thats really heavy , or a 2x5 speed thats just not allowing you efficient cadences !
i run sram rival force and red , and notice no difference , BUT i notice a ton of difference between wheels/tires and BB ( bb30 on one bike feels so different compared to 24mm ) oh and you can also try to upgrade your BB to a stiffer lighter one, maybe even convert your BB and crank to a more modern carbon sram ( i find carbon sram cranks for dirt cheap and they always give me a great bang for buck )

23s can measure 25 on some wheel , gives you the same width but better aero ??

there are so many factors , some guys have been training and riding for decades , i know some junior racers that have way more races than me and more miles and they are half my age , we all have a different starting point , so it really doesn't mean anything to compare yourself to others .
you have the drive and will to do better get better upgrade so you can continue your journey , i mean you wouldn't race F1 in a toyota carolla , at some point you need the machine to do more , so you upgrade .
the only way you can compare yourself to others is in a race where you start at the same point , then you can look at them and know where you need to be , and with instruments that collect data you can see exactly where you need to improve if your machine cant , or your upgrades dont !!!

No. I doubt there's any noticeable aero difference, and 23mm is basically a dead standard as pretty much everyone acknowledges its poor rolling resistance. New England roads are generally worse than those in a stable climate, plows and freezing does a number on them every year.