Road Bike Racing - Getting Aero

So I'm thinking of entering the Owasco stage race in July (has anybody ever been) as my last 'A' race before moving to Australia for 6 months. I've been fairly competitive in the races I've done so far which have exclusively been RR and crits, but Owasco also has a TT which I've never done. I'd obviously like to compete as well as I can so I wanted to solicit the forum for advice on TT gear. I'm on a student budget so a disc wheel or zipps are not an option. Realistically, I'd like to get an aero helmet and some clip on aero bars.

For a helmet, this is what I'm looking at, but it's starting to get more expensive: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ih=010&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT&viewitem=&item=200109678241&rd=1&rd=1

So I guess I could just use some advice from TTers, how important the different aero equipment is, etc. Thanks a lot.

Disc wheel covers. Just about as good as a disc wheel, $60. Look it up on Google.

I thought they were illegal now. Am I imagining that?

Probably. Who cares?

I thought they were illegal now. Am I imagining that?
UCI, yes, USCF, depends. Illegal for national championships, international qualifying events, and record attempts. Legal for the vast majority of races people here do.

Probably. Who cares?
A lot of Masters racers.

So you think that the commissaires go around plucking people's rear discs to make sure it's not a cover?

So you think that the commissaires go around plucking people's rear discs to make sure it's not a cover?
Do you have a clue what you're talking about? Have you ever seen a disk wheel and one with covered spokes? Your question is absurd on it's face.

UCI, yes, USCF, depends. Illegal for national championships, international qualifying events, and record attempts. Legal for the vast majority of races people here do.

Good info. Thanks.

Okay, all I'm saying is that in a TT where almost everyone is using discs, the chances that a commissare will notice you have a cover, much less care about it, is little to none.

Okay, all I'm saying is that in a TT where almost everyone is using discs, the chances that a commissare will notice you have a cover, much less care about it, is little to none.
Well that proves my point above. At races where UCI rules are in effect, all bikes in a TT must go through tech inspection. They'll care if something is out of bounds by a milimeter, I think they'd care about an illegal fairing.

At races where UCI rules are in effect

Well that doesn't affect me.

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So I guess I could just use some advice from TTers, how important the different aero equipment is, etc. Thanks a lot.

What's important is aero position, and the ability to produce power in that position. So the aero bars are by far the most important piece of equipment. Then a little time dialing in the position with them, and a lot of time training in that position.

The rest of the stuff is nice, but really not worth it for 1 short TT, as one stage of a 3 stage race.

There are officials that do check equiment like that at district events if a record is in question. At the nor-cal/nor-nev TT a women master racer set a best time and was disqualified for her aero bars being longer than limit. So I guess it isn't an issue if your slow :D

What? An Aero-bar limit? I know I'm under, but what *is* the limit?

What? An Aero-bar limit? I know I'm under, but what *is* the limit?
85 cm from bottom bracket to end of bars, measured horizontally.