Originally Posted by
andr0id
So, a few comments to add...
First, triathletes are far, far worse that cyclists when it comes to being gear heads. They will argue about 0.87 watts of drag on a tri bike for hours. Just ignore all that blather about the fastest bike.
The key ingredient of ALL/ANY TT style bikes is to get you more aerodynamic and they will ALL do this. Even the inexpensive models like a P2C with 105. Those 0.87 watts don't matter much once you park a huge human on top.
Aero bars on a road bike are a huge compromise. To get aero and comfortable, you will likely need a shorter stem than what you would normally run on a properly set up road bike. So if you get a TT bar setup for you road frame, consider playing with a shorter stem and flipping it to get the drop so that your torso is more parallel to the ground.
Work up to riding distance in the TT position. Get comfortable doing a fast 25 miles and then start adding on.
My old "setup" for moving an Ironman to tri-bike was a swap of the seat post/saddle combo to a Profile Design Fast Forward and a wider saddle, tilted a bit downward, and clamp-ons. Because these were quill stem bikes, I didn't go with the shorter stem, and the seat post provided what I needed in reach. Still, I set my bars as far back on the tops as I could (a lot of older ones couldn't be adjusted here, hence my use of Scott bars...slide 'em, ride 'em.)
I never did work up to riding distance in the TT position, electing instead to ride the drops where I feel better and just pedal hard. I know I give up a bit, but I'm not competitive, time-wise. I do like having the drops, for when some person decides to illegally draft me on the isolated stretches. It gives me the ability to peek down and make sure the rider is on my wheel, and then more control (with zero warning) when I suddenly nail the brakes.....