rosco147

Hi, I've recently ordered a giant roam 2 to commute to work on. My commute is pretty much all along bike paths (approx 13 mile). I've practised this route on an old dual sus mtb but it has been taking an hour 15 mins. I'm just wondering if there are any tips to speed my commute up (just basic things as I haven't rode for about 15 years)?

Andy_K 

Slick tires versus knobbies will help a little. As you ride more you'll get a litter faster.

That said, on a bike path there's a limit to how fast you should be going. The reasonable speed depends on how many other people are on the path and what they're doing, but I don't think the time you mentioned is far off from what you should expect.

auldgeunquers

I think you will find the Roam a bit faster than the MTB from the get go. You will probably also find that you will get faster as you harden physically to regular biking.

You may even find that you are getting too fast for a shared use path and need to choose between a more relaxed ride and going on the other shared path - the one with the cars and busses and things.

Other things basic: Eat wisely. Stop smoking (if you do). Sleep enough.

Enjoy the ride.

Darth Lefty 

Get a simple computer with speedometer and average speed (Walmart has them for about $10) and time yourself and race against yourself.

gunner65

You will trim that ride down to an hour or even less after a few weeks of riding. The more road friendly Roam will help to. Enjoy the rides.

Papa Tom

Not to be a wise guy, but why do you want to speed up your commute? For a lot of people, this is the best part of the work day. If you could figure out how to speed up the time between bike rides to and from work, I'd be all-in on THAT one!

BobbyG

I have been known to employ JATO or "Jet Assisted Take Off". It's "crop-dusting" with a purpose.

rosco147

Thanks for the advice. I'm already pretty healthy and fit (just not used to riding) so judging by the comments I'll just need to get used to it. Once I've got a bit more experience I'll try myself on the roads but the cycle paths I use are luckily fairly unused but do add a couple of miles onto the journey.
P.s. the only reason I'm looking to shorten the commute is that I work long back to back shifts so I'll be fairly tired at times and over 2 hours exercise seems like a lot

Bikerdave222

My commute is 13.5 miles one way. It takes me 1 hour 10 to 15 minutes just like you. I have found it hard to shorten that time. I have several hills so that might be part of my problem.

rosco147

Thanks for replying. The start of my route has a 2 mile incline I have to get up which i am struggling with. I'm wasn't sure if it was just the cheap dual suspension/bike making life harder for me. Still I can't to try the new bike out and find out.

practical

You have some good tips here:
1. A different style of bike (no suspension, road tires, lighter) will help you gain speed.
2. Speed will come with practice. As your legs get stronger, you'll get faster.
3. A bike computer will help you monitor your speed and you'll know where you can pick up time.
4. MUPs are typically slower than a good road since you're dealing with walkers, joggers, etc. If the road is good for riding, you may find it faster.
5. On a moderately level road, you should be going 15 mph or faster (which would make your commute just under an hour). If it's hilly, the uphills can be slow depending on the pitch and length so it's hard to say what your time should be. If the hills are mostly one way, then you've got to deal with it.

baron von trail 

You should be able to get that down to just under an hour--15 mph average--in relatively short order. If the path is paved, you might even be striving for a 16 mph average as quickly as next season.