I'm no expert here, but it sounds like a fit problem, not a Hed problem. I had a problem with numb hands during crits (left hand on a clockwise course, and in the end it came down to too much bodyweight on the front of the bike. I lowered the seat a little, then made certain it was level (it was pretty far off...), and the problem went away.

I don't know what the solution would be for getting the Hed bars fitted right, hopefully someone that uses them can add some value.

John

I don't think it is a fit problem because I have ridden the carbon X for years and have had had aero bars since the beginning of the scott bar...they all allow for ample room on the horns near the brakes. The problems is there is not enough room for my hand to wrap all the way around the end of the bull horn section of the bar. My last to fingers end up trying to cram themselves in at the base of the bar where the top section of the bar meets and as the brakes are very small I end up leaving my index finger over the brake lever in an attempt to make it fit.

I can't ride them with all 5 fingers wrapped either, there just isn't room unless you were born short a finger or 2. That being said, I find them very comfortable to ride 'on the hoods', even for extended periods. I wrap my index and middle finger over the top of the brake (the same position I use on my STI's on my road bike), wrapping my 4th and 5th finger around the bar. Gives me plenty of support, and lets me have my wrists parallel to the ground (it's comfortable, pretty aero, and good provides good shock absorbtion). I will drop back and wrap all my fingers around for tight corners, letting my 5th finger hang, then return to the top of the hoods position. I've ridden several other aero bars (combo's and integrated), it took a while to find the right position on the HED's, but now that I have, they are by far the most comfortable for me.

As a side note, the bar flexes a fair amount, which is not so good for sprinting(but that's not what they are for), but makes for nice shock absorbtion, another plus while riding out of the aero position.

Scott

Hi guys

I was looking at purchasing the HED bars, but I think the main thing that would put me off is that I climb steeper hills with my hands on the tops bar of a pursuit bar, that is, near the stem next to the elbow pads (this is currently using Syntace SL's and Syntace flat bar). I can climb very comfortably on my steep angle tri bike this way when it's just too steep to ride in the aero position (I've done some tris in France with hills pushing 10%).

I'm concerned that with the huge "wing" there's nowhere to place your hands. Do you just lose this hand position as an option?

Would be interested on your thoughts, and same thing with the Profile Carbon X (although not such a large "wing")

Camel

I ride with my hands on the top of the 'wing' all the time on steep hills, works great for me.

Scott

ditto, I ride with hands on top of the wing, and have been experimenting with tape on the bar that acts as a grip. I use skateboard grip on the bar ends for grip

Hey Greg, you are not alone. I have tried a few of the "full aerobar" (cowhorn + extension) setups on the market (not the Hed, though) and I have examined most of them closely. Unfortunately, I can conclude only one thing--most of the people who design them either never ride bikes at all or at least never ride their own bars for many, many hours in the varied and imperfect real world. Or else they live on a perfectly flat world in a different universe than me.

From looking at the design of the Hed, in my view, it is amazingly limited in its usefulness. I would never even dream of using it on a course (or in training) where there was ANY climbing or descending. It is really only practical for completely flat and short time trials (perhaps for Mr. Armstrong in the TDF) where you would be on the extensions 99% of the time and would only reach for the cowhorn sections for the 1% of the time when you would stand and accelerate out of a turn, brake into a turn, or brake after the finish of the race. For other than that, I would say the bar is useless. I would also add that I do not think it (and others like it) are safe for aggressive descending on imperfect roads due to the fact that a rider cannot anchor his weight against anything in front of him (such as against the lower section of a drop bar) and prevent himself from slipping forward during rapid deceleration/braking.

Suggestions? I cannot think of any to make the bars work, unless you plan to do some welding or carbon fiber construction. Perhaps other folks will. But there are other set-ups out there that are more practical in the real world, even for a race-only bike. For example, I use a somewhat forward 'tri' position with drop bars positioned quite low and have shorter aerobars with elbow supports that are well behind the top of my drop bar (I use Scott RCOs--not made any more, but there other aerobars out there that are comparable). If you set yourself up with a light stem, light drop bar, and light aerobars, you don't pay much of a weight penalty. About aerodynamics, I wonder what the true difference really is if there is any (assuming rider position stays the same). Add STI shifting and you can shift on the fly during standing climbing all while passing the comedians on their 'winged' aerobars!

Thanks for all the replies and post. I will try to modify my hand grip on the cow horns so that my ring and index are over the brake, but I think I may have tried this and found it very different and still resulted in hand cramps. I guess I just have to get used to it. I have never tried riding with my hands on the flat section of the bar as I just don't feel comfortable doing it. The new Easton attack bar may be the answer as it definitely has more room for your hands...I just think that the heds are the best bars around when you are going to be in the aero position 90%+ of the time. It just sucks that it isn't very good for long training rides or group rides.

Greg

I recently took a 75 mile endurance ride on my TT bike with the HED bars. I rode the LA Tri bike course and back home. I probably rested on the brakes about 90% of the time without any discomfort.

I don't know if you are wearing gloves while you ride but if you don't i suggest wearing them. If you already do you might want to get something with gel inserts.

Well, maybe I have large hands (or you folks have small hands?) and my hands need somewhere to rest. Here's another question thrown out there: not sure where garthic rides in LA, but has anyone used the Heds for a 75-100+ mile ride where a lot of the ride entails climbing and descending? If yes, how do you like them for something like that?

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Where would you want to swim ?

Here's my take on a deciding factor whether or not to get the Hed bars. I've had my new Kestrel Talon SL with the Hed bars for only a week now, but I've been riding and tri'ing for nearly 20 years. If the Talon were my ONLY bike, then the Hed bars would be untenable, due to reasons noted here like climbing/descending and group rides. I always have a TT bike and at least one road bike, so I don't have an issue like that. If I'm doing a lot of climbing and descending or riding in a group its road bike all the way. So. . .

If you only have one bike, and its a tri-bike and you plan to use it for all types of riding, including groups, steer clear of the Heds and go with a more traditional bar with more to grab onto around the brakes. If you have the option of parking the speed machine when there's a question of bike handling like serious descending or group riding, then the Heds are an option. As someone noted, the Heds are really meant for one thing. . .going fast. But there's no reward for compromising bike handling ability just to gain a few seconds of speed. If you must have a top-end carbon setup, look toward something like the Deda Black system. Its all carbon and the bullhorn portion has a much more traditional look and feel to it. It costs about the same as the Heds and is slightly lighter.

Incidently, I think the flat portion of the Hed bars offers a great seated climbing handhold. No problem there. Just with serious descending for extended periods or standing climbing.

FYI...I have medium sized hands. I also don't have any bar tape on the bars what so ever.

The 70 mile ride was primarily flat but had some short climbs.

When my roadbike was at the shop, I took out my TT (Cervelo P2K) for my race teams hill climbing sessions (about 50 miles). I rode with the HED bars in climbs averaging 6-8% with sections up to 15-18%. I found the bars to work great and they were reasonably comfortable to climb with.

On the descents, I found the best way to brake was with my middle and ring fingers on the levers. I clinched my index finger and thumb together to prevent myself from slipping off the bars.

Braking with the bars is not great because of the lack of leverage with the small brake levers, but it doesn't bother me too much.