Ok, here's the story behind my bike
My dad's doctor told him to lose about 70 pounds. His response was to go out and spend $700 on a new mountain bike.
Four years later, the bike was collecting dust, so he gave it to me in exchange for a stationary bike that was taking up space in my house.
The bike is a 1999 cannondale F500. It has nimbus EX smooth tires. Here's the thing. I live in the Calif. central valley which is one of the flattest places on earth. So road bikes are fairly prevelant on the flat, straight windswept farming roads around here.
The bike fits me, and I can hold a steady 18-19 mph on a flat surface in calm air.
I don't plan on racing, and I'm no olympiad, but I do like to go as fast as I can. I also like to commute to work (about 12 miles each way).
My questions are this. First, would I go much faster with a road bike? Second, how an I make this bike go faster?