Favorite hood shape?

[weehastogopee]

I've been riding Shimano's 6700 group on my bike for a long time, and it's great.

But just put together a bike with some 6600 I had....and the hoods feel so weird! It probably doesn't help that they're on some older shaped bars (giro d'italia bars).

But yeah... what are your guys's favorite hoods? Shimano vs sram vs campy??

[sw3759]

I've used every model of shimano sti since they came out in 1992(or 91?).but not the latest 6800/9000 and have used 1st edition sram red but the latest campy 11 hoods fit my hands just about perfect.better than anything else i have ever used.very comfy.i like ritchey ergo bars and and the campy 11 work well with these for me.

[GeorgeTSquirrel]

the hood shape is the primary reason that I use Campy.

[Admiral Ackbar]

i don't think anything will beat the shimano 600 'aero' levers i had on my old bike. i wish brifters could be as compact.

[LouDeeter]

I like all the 9/10 speed from Shimano and Campagnolo. The 6700 are a bit wider and tend to not be as comfortable if riding with the hoods between split fingers. Likewise, the later 10 speed Campagnolo that curve tend to be good on the hoods, but not so much when riding split fingers. Regarding bars, the FSA Carbon Wing with the flat spots behind the hoods and toward the center are about as good as I've ridden in over 30 years of riding.

[Ralph]

Latest Campy. Much prefer the button and small lever behind lever over Shimano system. Have no pronlem reaching button from drops.

[oldpotatoe]

I've been riding Shimano's 6700 group on my bike for a long time, and it's great.

But just put together a bike with some 6600 I had....and the hoods feel so weird! It probably doesn't help that they're on some older shaped bars (giro d'italia bars).

But yeah... what are your guys's favorite hoods? Shimano vs sram vs campy??

2009+ Campagnolo, of course.

[fuzzalow]

Never used anything but Campy on a road bike. Not particularly salient in picking a favorite hood when one is all you've got! Kinda like the Henry Ford comment about the Model T that it could be had in any color as long as it was black.

The 11-speed hoods are nice in that the curved top point of the hoods give an additional hand rest position.

Also depending on the setup and balance on the bike, there shouldn't be much weight on the hands anyway so any hood feels good when there is only required a light touch. Like steering a car with a similar light touch on the wheel - all the road feel and steering feedback can be felt coming back through the fingers.

[soulspinner]

Got 8,10,11 speed Campy at my house. 11 is the best for my arthritic digits, and 11 shifts easier on my bikes.

[pjmsj21]

I've had pre 2009 Campy which I like, Shimano 6600 which I am not particularly fond of at all, and have recently started using Campy 11, which I absolutely LOVE.....not only the hood shape but everything about it. The new Campy 11 group is now prompting me to think about Athena EPS, which I would definitely do with a new frame that could be set up for it from the start.

[greengage]

I loved my 6600 hoods, but for some reason hated the ergonomics of 6700. I have huge hands, and old injuries in my the base of my left pointer and right thumb, so the reach of 6700 just didn't feel right. And thumb shifters just don't work for me, ever. So, "upgraded" everything to 10s sram with Hudz, and it's not my favorite but it works. Campy hoods are super comfy though.

[Lewis Moon]

2009+ Campagnolo, of course.

Yep.

[bobswire]

Campagnolo!

http://i60.tinypic.com/j0ibfb.jpg

[bigsledog]

I just switched to ergo campy and found it pleasantly ergonomic.

Worst for me were the 8-speed shimano shifters. The top of the shifter is so huge I could never get a good feel on top of the hoods.

[pinoymamba]

new sram hoods slightly pointing in.

[weehastogopee]

dang.. all these replies make me want campy even more....

[thirdgenbird]

Do it.

[spacemen3]

Mavic Mektronic, but I'll settle for second-gen Camp Ergo. :)

[EA120711]

Campy all the way!

[mccx]

Latest Campagnolo, but I'm refusing to go 11sp as long as possible & I don't like powershift so I'll tell myself I'm content with the early-mid 2000s Campagnolo shape for now.

[jimoots]

Hood shape alone... Out of Rival, 6700 and 9000, I prefer 6700.

[dk2ck]

I like the new Shimano hoods a lot (6800).

[witcombusa]

1970 Chevelle SS, cowl induction

[merckx]

I prefer the Campag 9/10 Ergo. I don't really care for the added extension of the current iteration.

[Bob Ross]

I've been riding Shimano's 6700 group on my bike for a long time, and it's great.

But just put together a bike with some 6600 I had....and the hoods feel so weird!

I have one bike each with 6700 and 6600, and I gotta admit, there are definitely some times when I'm riding the former that I wish it had hoods (well, levers really) like the latter.

I tend to ride up on the "horns" a lot, and that big bulbous knob at the top of the 6600 lever gives you so much more to grab, feels more secure/stable than the smaller, narrower, pointier 6700 lever.

Of course, the 6700 lever kicks the snot out of 6600 in terms of performance, so I make do.

[oldpotatoe]

I have one bike each with 6700 and 6600, and I gotta admit, there are definitely some times when I'm riding the former that I wish it had hoods (well, levers really) like the latter.

I tend to ride up on the "horns" a lot, and that big bulbous knob at the top of the 6600 lever gives you so much more to grab, feels more secure/stable than the smaller, narrower, pointier 6700 lever.

Of course, the 6700 lever kicks the snot out of 6600 in terms of performance, so I make do.

How, if I may ask? Both 10s and shift exactly the same....

[Don49]

2009+ Campagnolo, of course.+1
Fits me like a glove.

[mcteague]

Gumby style Campagnolo. Fits me perfectly. Still wonder why they have the curved top part. I tried holding it there and can't really feel that the shape helps. Otherwise, just great!

Tim

[Bob Ross]

How, if I may ask? Both 10s and shift exactly the same....

One's 8 years old and the other's 4, so no, they don't.

But even when new the 6700 struck me as feeling crisper than 6600 ever did. I suppose that could have something to do with A) how the were tuned up when new; and B) the fallibility of memory. :)

[thirdgenbird]

I'm a big rounded era campy fan, but I've got to say, I really like my pointy ergos as well. They basically have one hand position, but its a good one. It's no wonder several riders used them into the 10spd era. The gumby hoods feel good, but I don't have enough time on them to vote.