thoughts on bikes styles

They use road bikes (or bikes with shorty bars) in the Olympics because it is a draft-legal race, not because they're more comfortable.

I think you got some bogus advice from your fitter. 

Mark

if you are all about comfort, then yes, a road bike is better for you.  drafting was allowed in the olympics, which is why everyone wasn't on TT bikes, there is no reason to be on one if you are allowed to sit 3 inches off someone's wheel instead.

in the end what you ride is your choice, no one is going to criticize you for showing up to any of the local tri's on a road bike, but you might get a few looks if you consistently show up to group rides on a TT bike.  unless you do the group ride at Ride On in clemson on saturdays, pretty sure that guy would be happy to see anyone show up.

On longer, non-draft legal rides the TT bike will reduce your bike split times, plain and simple.  If fit correctly, the TT bike gives you a an agressive/aerodynamic position (good power, low wind resistance).  I would say that in some OLY distance races, the TT bike can shave a few minutes off of your bike split which might make a difference in terms of making the podium.

I have a road bike with clip on aerobars, wishing I had a TT bike, just can't afford it right now.  So I'll just keep working on the engine.  You can be successful on the roadie, there are lots of 30 mph TT bikes out there powered by 15 mph engines

I like the thought pattern here.  I have been on a road bike for the last few years and just purchased a tri bike.  I already see the difference in speed on my tri bike but I still like to go on Group Rides with the local roadie club.  They don't care about tri bikes but I know it makes them nervous in a pass line if there is a tri bike in line. 

I don't have a ton of miles on my tri bike yet so I can't attest to the comfort question.  So far, I love it though.  However, I will never give up my roadie!

i agree, i have both an do 90% or more of my riding on my roadie

I ended up doing what the OP suggested.  I took off the clip-ons and the FF seatpost on my road bike and went back to the traditional road geometry and I honestly like it better.  I'm not sure how much aero advantage I actually lost, obviously some, but in going back to the road position I feel like I get much more power down.  I'm not sure how it works out because it seems like the regained power compensates for the lost aero advantage.  I don't have a power meter or access to a wind tunnel so I can't quantify what the difference is.  It just feels different.

FWIW, my road position is pretty aggressive as well.  My stem is "slammed" so to speak so I'm just a low in the drops as I was on the clip-ons.  I guess the big difference is arm position.

It's just convinced me that the aero position is just not all that great on road bikes.  I'd love to get and get fitted on a TT bike to see what it feels like.

I have a Felt95 Road bike. Love it.  Done Sprint/Oly distances only so far.  I did not radically change my setup to add clip ons. I had the proper road bike "fit" and then simply added the bars to give me a 3rd option. During a sprint last week of 17 miles, I was in the aero position 40% of the time. The rest up on hoods or in drops. Still comfortable but I did not drastically alter my road bike position. That being said, as I have grown to really enjoy the sport, I would like to get a TT bike- not as a replacement, but to supplement road bike.

I have a Cervelo S2, an "aero road bike" I have done all distance races on it, up to HIM. Last year I did a very windy HIM, and the last 20 miles were straight into the wind. I was able to pass a ton of people on tribikes who were sitting up on the bullhorns and I was able to stay in the drops. A aero tribike is not very helpful unless you are comfortable enough to stay in aero position for the whole race.

 If you can get down in an aggressive position and like it on a roadie, you can be very competetive.

That's pretty much my setup I have on my bike.  I worked with my fitter on a compromise fit that works well either on the hoods or aerobars and still have the option of riding in the drops (which I like for extremely gusty conditions and fast descents).  I ride in the aerobars about 90% of the time because it's comfortable.   I have a history of carpal tunnel symdrome and riding in the aerobars takes pressure off my hands and wrists.  I also like being able to switch positions on long rides. 

Mark

When people argue that a triathlon bike is not more comfortable than a road bike they may be right, but that is them relating their individual experience and it is often the result of bad fit and position and a lack of acclimation to the tri position on the rider's part. Nothing comes free, and getting acclimated to a tri position takes most recreational triathletes a full year.

In the strictest sense, if the bike is fit and positioned correctly for the rider- and very few are- then the tri bike will be more comfortable than a road bike. Here's why:

- A correctly fitted tri bike supports the weight of the torso with the skeleton, not the musculature as with a road bike where the rider uses their triceps and latissimus dorsi muscles to support their torso on the handlebars. A correctly fitted triathlon bike uses the humerus bone to support the weight of the torso on the handlebars. Here is where the problem comes in: Most fitters and almost no triathletes (including pros) know this about bike fit. Dan Empfield, who invented the triathlon bike, teaches this skeletal support approach to fitting at his FIST tri bike fitting classes. I see top pros and top industry people turn in good race results even on rotten positions. The thing is, they'd be even faster and more comfortable on a good fit.

- On a  correctly fitted (and remember, most aren't) tri bike the angle between the femur and torso is more "open" than on a road bike, particularly at the top of the pedal stroke. This is because of the more advanced seat tube angle. As a result, even though your torso may be closer to horizontal on a tri bike (depending on your set-up) the angle between femur and torso is actually more open on the tri bike than the road bike. A key error most tri bike fitters make is to get a customer on a frame that is too small and then not be able to advance the seat angle enough for the bike to remain stable and have enough reach with an open, relaxed hip angle.

- A well designed tri bike has a slightly different front end geometry that makes it more stable, usually a little more fork trail and/or a more relaxed head tube angle.

- An optimally fitted tri bike puts less weight on the saddle, relieving saddle discomfort by resdistributing almost 10-15% more of the riders weight on the elbow pads (supported by the skeleton- remember) than on a road bike with an upright positon.

At least one Universtiy study, the Garside Study (Google it) substantiated that athletes tend run faster at the same level of exertion off a triathlon bike that a road bike.

So why, then, do tri bikes often get a reputation for being "less comfortable" and "harder to ride" than road bikes? A big part of the reason is they are heavily dependent on good fit and position. Even today, when every bike shop touts their bike fitting ability, not many are truly well versed in FIST compliant triathlon bike fitting.

Also, the forum dogma perpetuates the "uncomfortable triathlon bike" mindset. Here's how: People active on forums will switch from a road bike to a tri bike, take a quick test ride on a bike not optimally fitted from them, or have a tri bike fitted to them by a fitter who is not well versed in an open torso, FIST compliant fitting protocol. In that case- they are 100% right- the darn thing will never be comfortable. Additionally, they will ride the thing 3 months and pronounce it "uncomfortable" when they are only about 1/4th of the way to being acclimated to it (remember, it takes a year).

So, it isn't as simple as, "Road bike comfortable, tri bike uncomfortable". That is the "forum answer", the quick and incomplete dogma. It's worth knowing the whole story.

 "...what bike fit you would recommend?  I got Retul'd."

Remember that fit systems such as RETUL, Guru's fit system, Serotta Size Cycle, NECA's Fit Kit and the others are tools.

In the hands of a skilled fitter they will all produce identical results. In the end, a RETUL or Fit Kit bike fitting should be no different than any other fit. The different fit systems are simply diagnostic and customer service methodologies.

It is the knowledge and experience of the bike fitter that make the fit, not the system they are using.

Moderating a position optimized for power output at given levels of exertion and a position that has relatively low drag numbers is a complex task. It's also a moving target. The optimal position for a hilly race is likely to be slightly different than the optimal position for a flat, windy race. So, a reasonable balance has to be acheived with the tools at our disposal.

Since there is only one retailer with an in-house wind tunnel (Faster, in Scottsdale, Arizona) the majority of dealers will fit within their level of diagnostic capability. Sophisticated ones use a power measurement/heart monitor device to evaluate position, others rely on their experience and the feedback of the rider.

You can't guess at aero. It isn't always as simple as lower is faster.