Okay, newbie question

Yeah absolutely!! They are caled clip-on aerobars. Since you are on a budget i would recommend getting the best bang for your buck. When you go to the store try out the cheap ones, when i looked at all my options...i ended up buying  a $29.99 set (same weight as $200 ones). They work fine a clip onto my road bike fine. If you want you might want to re-adjust your seat carefully, or get a bike-fit if you want to spend some good money.

Just pretend you bought the good ones.....and add a bike fit. If necessary.

I am a huge fan of the T2+. Have a set on my trainer bike and my road bike. Lots of adjustablilty for a good fit. Had a friend get a different set of aero bars on line and set them up for her. She never uses them since you can not adjust them at all.

Wrote this review that might be helpful

http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/cms/article-detail.asp?articleid=1146

tricrazy - 2008-10-15 1:38 PM So, don't laugh if this is a really dumb question please.  Although i have been running a while, I am fairly new to this whole triathlon and biking thing.  In February I purchased a 2007 Cannondale Caad 8, which I really like.  I don't have a ton of money to buy multiple bikes and for now this is my bike.  I am doing my first HIM in May and a previous participant told me the winds are so strong she really recommends aerobars.  Can I put aerobars on a road bike? 

 Definitely!

 BTW- if you find yourself a little horizontally stretched out while on the aerobars, look into Profile Design's Fast Forward seatpost. It puts you in a more forward position on the bike, which can improve comfort and efficiency. 

I think as a beginner you will prefer the comfort of a something more like the airstryke which keeps your wrists in a more natural position than the T2's, which forces your wrist to bend much more. The nice thing about airstryke is the way the elbow pads flip up out of the way when you are off the bars.  A more traditional style of aerobar can be had much cheaper especially with the Performance housebrand (Forte).

Just remember that the handling will be much twitchier to start with until you are used to it. Some people practice on a trainer first, or with one hand resting on a brake hood until they are more confident. Also keep in mind that you will be further from the brake so your reaction time is much slower.  Mostly an issue on serpentine downhills or in tight group rides (in my own experience, anyway)

D.Z. - 2008-10-20 9:50 PM

Ontherun - 2008-10-15 5:00 PM

I am a huge fan of the T2+. Have a set on my trainer bike and my road bike. Lots of adjustablilty for a good fit. Had a friend get a different set of aero bars on line and set them up for her. She never uses them since you can not adjust them at all.

Wrote this review that might be helpful

http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/cms/article-detail.asp?articleid=1146

I had the T2+ and didn't like them. OTR is nuts. You'll want to go to a shop and "try" them as much as you can. Tell the guy/gal/person you are looking to find something comfortable and would like to "try" them, even if it means pulling them off the wall, lying them on teh counter, and assuming "the position".

Sorry you did not like them D. I like them because they have a ton of adjustability and can be mounted further back on the road bars for better handling.