I purchased an HSA 800 EVO hydration system at the end of winter and been having serious problems using it since installing it recently. I’ve read some users’ experiences and it appears I’m not the only one having difficulty with the hose that comes with the system. I find it extremely difficult drinking from it and end up barely using the HSA 800 on my rides. Fortunately, spring has been unusually cool this year but that won’t last.
If you had the same issue with your 800-series hydration system, what did you do to fix it? New hose? Modifications to the bottle? I’m a huge PD customer of over a decade and never had issues with any of their products before whether it was hydration, handlebars or an accessory. I wanted this system for its nose-positioned garmin mount, which is the perfect place for my head unit. Until I find a solution, I’m forced to go back to my tried and true Aero HC bottle that has been rock solid for close to 10 years.
I removed the default bite valve and put on a CamelBak big bite valve. It’s a tight fit but you can make it work. Now I can drink without gasping for air.
I had a similar problem with the HSF Aeria and found the hose was suctioning onto the base of the bottle. Cutting it at a slight angle solved the problem.
This is the difficulty of balancing requests for no leaks and still being able to drink. There has been ongoing tweaking of the grommet around the hose as it needs to provide the watertight seal and still allow some air in so you don’t create a massive vacuum when you try to drink.
Try taking the grommet out, which should make it quite easy to drink. If you want to maintain watertightness you could try cutting a notch in the grommet then reinstall.
I received a sample of a revised grommet yesterday as part of the continued effort to get the balance correct.
Thanks for the reply. I figured it was the tight seal preventing air to enter, so doubt another hose will make a significant difference unless its valve is designed with that in mind. I tried it without the grommet, once. I live in a region with terrible roads. It leaked too much water with every bump. Even if that was acceptable, it would be equivalent to reduced water carrying capacity by the end of the ride. I’d need to make sure I had extra water.
In any case, I didn’t notice that much of an improvement. What I have done lately is open the hatch to allow air to go through whenever I want to drink, but that also has its drawbacks with water loss being the main one. And, like removing the grommet, it only improves things a little bit. The problem therefore, might be a combination of tight seal and the hose/valve itself. There’s a tight bend where the hose enters the grommet and ends up in the rear of the bottle.
The Aero HC doesn’t have any of these problems. The straw is straight and enters a raised aero-profile tube section of the bottle like the conning tower of a sub. More importantly, there’s no grommet allowing air to get in. The height of the straw tube usually prevents water spillage but if there is some it’s minimal. I realize a straw projecting vertically from a tube isn’t as good for aerodynamics as a hose that lies flat against the bottle when not in use, but at least it is usable.
Besides the valve, any issues with leaking? Mine leaks a lot. I recently changed my front end which results in my bottle being slightly inclined and it made the PD800 (even more) unusable as it leaks from the bottom and completely empties the water bottle. Maybe I just got a faulty one but that’s quite disappointing.
How old is your bottle? The original was very sensitive to overtightening the cap. The Evo is supposed to have fixed that.
For angle - there are wedges to flatten out the bottle HSF BTA Wedge Set| Profile Design
The conning tower is a good solution for avoiding fluid loss from splashes and capillary action. It went away because it limited cage design options. It may come back in the next generation because grommets are hard
I’ve always set mine up level. I’ve switched between using it and a regular bottle/cage setup lately. I may just go back to the bottle/cage combo. I find it easier to get a bottle at an aid station rather than try to do the refill thing on the fly.
I think a hose ‘tower’ would be an improvement in terms of usability. The hose would also be shorter and aid efficiency if it emerged from the rear of the bottle instead of the front. However, the aerodynamics would probably be negatively impacted and whatever issues affected cage design previously might resurface. That said, I’m confident the company with its resources and a decade of additional experience with hydrations systems since the Aero HC was released, can develop a superior product. Profile Design has really grown and is one of the leading aftermarket brands in the tri-TT niche of the cycling market. It has long been my first go-to brand for aero parts.