Switching from a road bike to a triathlon bike, should I expect to be in more or less discomfort?

I am Selling my Pinarello Galileo road bike and buying a Quintana Roo Seduza triathlon bike, I have never rode a triathlon bike and dont know if a couple hours or a hundred miles will make me not want to saddle up the next day to do it again...which is what I want to avoid. My Pinarello is aluminum, with alum forks, I ride that with mild discomfort, mostly in my hands and lower back (I know it is not set up correctly). The Seduza is carbon with carbon forks, but instead of regular handles there are aero bars.....anyway if anyone has spent much time on a road and a tri bike and know the difference please let me know.

Generally Tri Bikes are setup to cheat the wind with a better Aero dynamic position than a regular road bike- not neccassarily more comfortable.

Could be many things causing your discomfort - fatigue or improper fit are most likely.
As many miles as you are riding - you probably want carbon or titanium or steel frame ....to cut down on fatique (caused by stiffness of aluminum).

At this mileage a professional fitting - will make a big difference. Get this done before you buy a new bike...they will save your measurments.....and can adjust your current bike and a new one to fit.

A TRI bike will have a lower overall postions too and a greater angle bend of your back - in order to achive more aero positions. This could potentially cause even more lower back stress and some discomfort in your nether regions too.

You can buy aero bars for your pinarello - get some clip ons to test that thoery. More hand positions with less weight on hands may equal less pain/stress. You do loose some control with aero bars - so riding in a pack can be a challenge at first - so be careful.
You could also try a carbon seatpost and a better seat like the brooks someone else reccommended.
But ultimately pay for a real pro bike fit & you'll be faster and more comfortable.

Are you riding Tri's or in groups?
That should tell you the kind of bike you need.

I have known a few traithletes, to include myself, that cross train on road bikes in the winter mnths. I will get in several long rides on my road bike and when it becomes time to transition over to more tri specific training, I can not ride as long and I am more fatigued on my tri bike. Tri bikes use a slightly different muscle group bc of the unique angles. And they are usually slightly heavier bikes. There is a transition both physically and pyshcologically. Allow yourself some time to transition over from a road bike to tri bike.

If you're gonna ride that much road, get a Brooks.

http://www.brooksengland.com/shop/shopPr...

I've about 700 miles on my B66 Champion...your @ss will thank you.

Regardless of the type of bike you change to or from, the most important aspect of your comfort is a proper fit. Don't take a bike off the rack in a shop, pay and leave. Ask for a specialist to fit you, if you are in a quality shop they should have this service in place. A good fit may take as much as an hour if done properly. Hey, you spent the money get the service you deserve. It will make all the difference in the world!

I had the same problem with my hands on my road bike and in that respect I find the aero bars to be more comfortable

Your back tends to fatigue more on the tribike and I think that my core training this winter has helped to relieve this

With a narrow hand position on the bars and the aero tubing of the frame cross winds take some practice to handle and not feel like you are out of control

so there are some differences but at least for me the payoff is that on my first few rides this spring I gained at least 4mph by switching to the more aerodynamic carbon fiber tribike