For Kona, do I *really* need a wetsuit and/or aerobars? (Page 2)

This is like asking "I just won a date with Jennifer Aniston, should I brush my teeth and put on clean clothes?"

Of course you should.

This is Kona. Give it your best. This is a big deal and probably a once in a lifetime experience. 

Unless you really love your road bike and have sentimental attachment to use it, get a good tri bike and good equipment. You don't need a P5 or anything crazy, but get a tri bike that fits you well and get a good position.  You can buy one used and when Kona is over you can always sell it and probably break close to even.   If you try to make a tri-bike out of a road bike with aerobars you will be sacificing comfort and likely speed.  This will also probably not be the cheapest route because you will likely need a shorter stem, and might even need a different seatpost to get the forward position.   Probably cheaper to buy and turn over a tri bike after the event. You can't use wetsuits in Kona but a speedsuit is OK. 

This is a big deal and if you are going to take the time and spend the money to fly to Hawaii, don't show up without being prepared. If money is tight, just ride your road bike and save money for hotels and airfare.

Congratulations.

Another way to put this is instead if going 20 mph, you go 19 mph and have all that energy left for the run.  Being more aero can mean less power consumed on the bike.  The run portion will be more "fun" if you've got lots of gas left in the tank.

definitely get aerobars ! it's a hella long way and you should take the aero advantage as much as possible.

as for wetsuit or speedsuit, I'd say don't worry about it at all, just focus on your swimming. Even if they did declare it wetsuit legal (unlikely) the water is really nice and a speedsuit doesn't help that much IMHO. more of a pain to deal with in transition.

I just did Lavaman last month and was really surprised they declared it wetsuit legal, I was shocked. but did not wear one...

I was a lottery winner last year.  I skipped the speedsuit--I didn't see the need to spend $200 to save a few seconds on what was going to be a 12+ hour day at best.  I can't imagine doing it without aerobars, though.  I second the advice to buy a used tri bike and sell it afterwards. At the very least, though, get some clip ons.  Last year was very calm by Kona standards, and the winds were still pretty bad--especially the last few miles into Hawi. 

I don't recall seeing a single road bike, let along a road bike without aerobars.

http://lavamagazine.com/gear/2011-kona-bike-count-cervelo-wins-again/

10 bikes with "drop handle bars" under the aerobar category so there are always a few.  I saw lots of road bikes with clip ons as well.

For what its worth I would think this is a terrible idea.  I have seen way too many people just slap aerobars onto a road bike and you can clearly see that they are riding in a very upright position.  They would be more aero if they just used the drops. 

Without refitting the bike to be more "tri oriented" the aerobars are a bad idea. 

Also a bad idea to just put them on the day before a race and never ride in them.  I cant imagine riding 112 miles, in Kona no less, on what amounts to a completely new bike.

I am determined to convince you to buy a tri-bike. 

If you think about the cost of airfare, hotel, meals, and loss of income while away from work, the $1000- $2000 used tri bike and $500 for kit and misc gear is a drop in the bucket.  When you get back home if you don't want the tri bike anymore, sell it for a couple of hundred less than what you paid and consider that a very inexpensive rental.  That would be a better investment than buying aero bars.  There might even be someone reading this thread that has a bike that would work perfect for you.  How tall are you, inseam, and what size road bike do you ride. Torso/leg proportions?

Aero bars + re-fit = win.

Just did this on my road bike and I've been able to ride in aero for long rides with almost no discomfort...

The "just did this", and "almost no discomfort" part is not super convincing.  

For the record, I did this on my road bike for years because there were no alternatives.  The fit was a compromise and would not have been comfortable for over a hundred miles.  YMMV.

Yes, I agree you shouldn't install one without a fit and put it on the day before.  I was assuming there was more time than that.  There is a bike shop there, Kona Bike Works, which is a complete bike shop.  I rented bikes there before when I went on vacation and they fitted me first before sending me out.  One was a tri-bike and the other one was a roadie.  They did a pretty good job with the fit both times.