Time Trial Bike?

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My first to races next year will be time trials. They will be my first of this type not including a mountain time trial. These will be flat so I'm going to need to get aero. I have done 3 races and am a cat 5 and will be for atleast the first race next year. My question is will I have any chance of wining on a road bike with aero bars or are most of the winners going to have $10,000 time trial bikes. I can get an Rudy project aero helment and skin suit from my team for a really good price and might even have acesses to a disk rear wheel. The one thing that worries me about loosing time is not having the bar end sifters.

My first to races next year will be time trials. They will be my first of this type not including a mountain time trial. These will be flat so I'm going to need to get aero. I have done 3 races and am a cat 5 and will be for atleast the first race next year. My question is will I have any chance of wining on a road bike with aero bars or are most of the winners going to have $10,000 time trial bikes. I can get an Rudy project aero helment and skin suit from my team for a really good price and might even have acesses to a disk rear wheel. The one thing that worries me about loosing time is not having the bar end sifters.A road bike with aero bars is probably a good start. Some of the members of this forum will be able to quantify what advantage you will get from a disc wheel, aero helmet etc...and you'll find that the advantages won't be earth shattering. I'd focus on building strength first, then address the equipment side of things later. Get some aero's so you're in a tuck position...then work like hell to get your strength and cardio system stronger.

I'd maybe leave the skin suit in the cupboard for now...it's kinda screams "Hey, everyone...I'm Michael Rogers!".

From the research I've done, the helmet is actually the most important in terms of time savings. Then look at a disc wheel. Other simple things: remove your bottle cages (most club TT's are about 16km, shouldn't need it); get some booties for your shoes.

But, yes, I'd look at the helmet first. Definitely clip-ons, at the very least.

Good luck with it!

my first couple of races were TTs. when i did the full 40k's for the first time, i had a standard road bike. then i got some money together and went all-out and as aero as i could get. aero helmet, skinsuit, booties, Zipp 909 set, aero bike, the works! i dropped 12 minutes off my time instantly.

Aero is big, and i've read some numbers that agree with what others have posted, the aero helmet makes more of a difference than a disc wheel, remember you are the biggest drag on a bike, so therefore whatever you can do to make yourself more aero will make you faster, so helmet, skin suit, shoe covers, no gloves are first and foremost. I don't agree with the guy who says hold off on the skinsuit, almost everyone around here i see racing TT's uses a skin suit (NJ). Take the bottle cages off your bike, or get the new bottle that bontrager is putting out, says it's faster to have it than not have anything, so aero advantage even if you don't fill it up and drink from it. Aero bars are huge, get some that can work with your current road bike now, and will also work with a TT bike if you are so inclined and really get into it. You can be competitive with minimal expenditure. I did a cat 4/5 TT as a 5, with a road bike and clip ons, no aero wheels and got 4th, if i had all the aero stuff, maybe i would have been 3rd, but only maybe.

Clip ons and work on your aero position. The other goodies will prove minimal compared to getting your position right.