Triathlon - Anyone ride a tri bike regularly on the road?

Curious, I had been looking seriously at tri bikes but primarily for solo road riding. Anyone here have a tri geometry bike that they ride on the roads? If so, some questions:


1. is it comfortable position for 25+ miles?

2. is it an enjoyable ride, or do you have to either ignore the scenery or get a pinched neck from cranking the head up too far?

3. do you feel safe enough in traffic?


Thanks

I've ridden my P3 for multi-hour training rides on occasion. I had a good bike fit done by someone that primarily deals with tri bikes, so I'm quite comfortable on the bike for hours.

My front end isn't so low that I really have to crank my neck to look straight ahead when down on the aerobars, a concession to comfort at the expense of better aerodynamics. I generally accumulate a lot of tension in my neck and upper back/ shoulders (all day, not just on the bike) so I regularly look far left and far right to help loosen these muscles, which makes looking at scenery more part of the ride.

Most of my solo riding is on rural roads that are either relatively deserted or have reasonably wide shoulders. If I have reason to believe that the route involves more urban traffic and roads then my hands will be on the base bar near the brakes a lot of the time anyway, and if that's the case then I might as well be riding my road bike, since it's more comfortable to be on the hoods than on the base bar. I feel as safe on one as I do the other.

If I ride solo, I ride my tri bike. It's very comfortable and I enjoy it because I'm about 1.5 mph faster than I am on my road bike :) I feel just as safe on it as I do my roadie...you just need to get used to it...like anything else.

I ride my tri bike once or twice a week. Always alone. I just like to change things up and I think its good to train some on the bike you race on. I feel very comfortable on my tri bike - as much as I do on my road bike.

I do long training rides on my tri bike, though the bulk of my training is on my road bike.
When I get closer to my event, I'm on the tri bike more.
It's very comfortable and it's good to ride what I'm going to race on.

I have a feeling you are asking the question because you are in the market for a bike, and it is going to be your only bike. You are also thinking about doing a triathlon in the coming year. AM i right so far?

If this is correct, the general consensus is NOT to buy a tri bike as your only bike. Get a road bike, clip ons, and flip the stem when you want to ride in "tri-mode". You will be MUCH happier you did this. If you get really into triathlons in the future, buy a dedicated tri bike then.

My tribike is my only bike, thus all my rides are on it. I ride with several friends, none of them have a tri-specific bikes. Depending on my mood, I'll either ride on my aerobars or my handlebars...sometimes both during the ride. Like Chris, I don't have any issues with cranking my neck to look around.