That is true also, there are many uninformed shoppers out there that see tri's and think its a great idea. I have a friend of 15+ years that I am finally talking into a properly fit road bike. Up untill now he has been on an oversized mtb with clip on aero bars, despite my advise otherwise.

I overheard a conversation at our shop today that went like this:

cust: I'm riding a mtb and want to go farther, longer and faster. What is the difference between this tri bike you sell and that tri bike that you don't sell?

lbs: I'm not sure about the differences, but I'll tell you about the one that we sell.

cust: That tri bike is going to be more because of the name right?

lbs: Many frames are made by the same plants in china or taiwan, but why do want a tri bike. We often ride many miles, and many of them solo and don't use a tri bike or aero bars.

So yes, its true, its not just tri's riding tri's. That being said, there are many runners and swimmers out there that want to combine the two in an event and since the ironman popularity they have turned to tri's. However, they are not cyclists and have no experience on a road bike to begin with before buying the tri bikes that are shown on tv coverage and worse yet have no working knowledge of group riding techniques.

Add these factors together and the simple conclusion is, if you want to ride in a group you should ride on the proper bike. You want to ride a tri/TT bike do so alone like in the races or with a tri club.

Likewise, if you have poor skills and or haven't been able to prove yourself in group riding, get outta the way.