If it feels like you're faster, I'm sure you are... Just if you go faster, then you get tired a little bit more, which slows you down a bit to compensate till you adjust. Or something like that.

You sort of did the same thing as aerobars - I'm definitely faster & more efficient if I'm on aerobars, just certain parts of me & the saddle don't tend to get along when I lean that far forward. Part of it's the aerodynamics and I think part is which set of muscles you start using.

I was riding my surly the other day and think I really wanted to change the handlebars for something, or I at least need to change the stem. They're not happying. I've got it set up with 8 speed mountain bike components, but I now have bar end shifters, so I could put mustache style bars on (the ones I originally bought for it that didn't fit mtb shifters) and bar end shifters and convert it to a 9 speed...