This subject is tired old stuff in other less friendly groups, but I am interested in hearing it aired in a proper venue. A couple of days ago, at the bike shop a triathelete came up to me, recognizing my position of issues of steel and lugs and dt shifters and such. He said that classic handlebars are great but that when he switched to triathalon bars like we used to call Scott bars in days of yore, he gained 2 to 3 km hour in his time. I responded that a low position with bent elbows must be almost as good at cheating the wind, but he said that the "elbows-in" position and with energy conservation of not having to support the body that the tri bars are vastly superior, in all areas but stability and manoeverability. Two to three km per hour seems optimistic to me, plus the bars seem hideous and dangerous.
Next, I was psychologically accosted by one of the wrenches who said that modern technology has speeded up the pelaton. I said that I thought that what speeded up the pelaton was the use of drugs, and improved training methods. I can't see how the loss of 2 pounds of bike nor the convenience of brifters could possibly improve the biker performance more than infinitesimally. I have ridden a modern bike and feel that nothing other than shifting ease is an improvement, and in a crit race, I could see a definite advantage of brifters, however small. Some track racers still prefer toe clips with double straps over clipless. And many track racers seem to prefer steel over aluminum or fiber stuff. Have we reached a point in bike technology where nothing is an improvement only a difference?
Garth Libre in Miami Florida