First post here...

I just wanted to chime in that I have a Rans Tailwind with a Zzipper Fairing and a Mueller mount I got used. Keeps me MUCH drier and cleaner than riding without it or riding my upright.

Doesn't help speed much (but did seem to give some... hard to quantify as I'm still getting used to riding bent), but gives an enormous help with the weather though, leaving me much more comfortable and faster on long rides by breaking the cold and wet... keeps pretty much everything below my shoulders dry as long as I'm moving.

Tacoma area... so without it I'm generally soaked to the bone in a matter of minutes without it, I've done 20+ mile rides in a downpour with it and stayed relatively dry... only issue becomes seeing since I wear glasses and the water/fog ruins my vision. Combined with an AeroTrunk from Anglelake Cyclery and I saw a significant speed increase. Haven't run with the trunk and without the fairing so don't know if it's additive.

Also as far as sidewinds... I did my daily commute with it a couple of weeks ago in 30mph winds with 50mph gusts. Bike was more controllable than I think my upright would have been... heck, I think I'd have called my wife to come get me if I had to suffer that wind hitting me from head on to directly from the side on that bike. I could feel it on my face pounding me at freezing temperatures as hard as I've ever felt going all out down a hill... but I was climbing an approximately 8-10% grade at about 4-5mph with it trying to blow me back down the hill. Behind the fairing I could concentrate on pedaling with most of my body in relative comfort. Then I got to continue riding directly into the wind at about 12-15mph... I suspect I'd have been down to about 8mph on my upright and wearing myself out.

I don't think I'd still be riding in January (I've done about 250 miles this month, all on my bent) without it. I lost about 100 miles this week because I blew a rim out Friday before last coming home and had to build a new wheel which I got done with this last Friday and put 33 miles on yesterday... about 8 in the rain that was attempting to be snow... Hey it's Western Washington.