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ODI Hudz Enhancement Brake Hoods

8
£19.99

VERDICT:

8
10
Colourful alternative to plain black hoods that provide a different shape and hand fit to Campag's levers
Weight: 
47g
Contact: 
www.ison-distribution.com

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If you're a bit bored with the standard black hoods on your Campagnolo levers you should have a look at Hudz colour options, eight in total so there should be one to match your paint scheme.

These are for the V3 ErgoPower levers and while they fit just as snugly as Campag's own, Hudz have added a couple of little tweaks. For starters the sweep from the handlebars to the top of the brake lever is nowhere near as pronounced as Campagnolo's, it's more of a subtle curve. I actually like Campag's shape, it gives a nice firm grip to hold onto without any chance of slipping should you hit a pothole or something. Saying that though, the subtler radius of the Hudz is more comfortable over longer distances as you kind of rest your hands on it rather than against it.

The bottom of the hood is also deeper giving a larger handhold to grip. It's not quite as smooth a transition as the original's but will suit those of you with large hands.

You need to be a bit dextrous to fit them as they are a nice, snug fit but they are no more hassle than original Campag ones. If you follow the instructions on Hudz's website they go on reasonably well. It takes a little bit of pulling and jiggling to get everything in place but once they're in position they stay there.

Overall they are a good replacement for the original versions; if you have any issues with comfort on Campag's levers these could be just what you need. They now come in a single soft and durable compound, and offer a small weight saving over the originals. At twenty quid they are also a fiver cheaper than Campag's own.

They're also available for various flavours of Shimano brake lever.

Verdict

Colourful alternative to plain black hoods that add a touch of comfort to Campag's levers.

If you're thinking of buying this product using a cashback deal why not use the road.cc Top Cashback page and get some top cashback while helping to support your favourite independent cycling website

road.cc test report

Make and model: ODI Hudz Enhancement Brake Hoods

Size tested: 8 sent: Bastogne Blue, Milano Lime, Brugge Black, Eroica Celeste, Paris Pink, Roubaix Red, Wallonne White & Vlaanderen Yellow

Tell us what the product is for, and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?

Hudz say that these grips "Maintain versatility of the lever shape while improving comfort on the top of the hood, and overall grab-ability. Unique underside profiling enhances finger grip" They are very comfortable and should you find an issue with the standard Campag grips these could be worth a try.

Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?

*Weight savings of 7-12g/set.

*ODI’s proprietary material is soft but durable.

*Colours - Bastogne Blue, Milano Lime, Brugge Black, Eroica Celeste, Paris Pink, Roubaix Red, Wallonne White & Vlaanderen Yellow

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
8/10
Rate the product for durability:
 
8/10
Rate the product for weight, if applicable:
 
8/10
Rate the product for comfort, if applicable:
 
8/10
Rate the product for value:
 
8/10

Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose

Ideal, they are comfortable, fit well and look good

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

loads more colour options than the standard Campag versions

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

they get grubbier than black ones

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes.

Would you consider buying the product? Yes.

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes.

Overall rating: 8/10

About the tester

Age: 35  Height: 180cm  Weight: 76kg

I usually ride: Whatever needs testing or Genesis Flyer, fixed of course!  My best bike is: Kinesis T2 with full Centaur Red

I've been riding for: 10-20 years  I ride: Every day  I would class myself as: Expert

I regularly do the following types of riding: time trialling, commuting, club rides, sportives, fixed/singlespeed,

 

As part of the Tech Hub here at F-At Digital, our senior product reviewer Stu uses the knowledge gained from putting well over a 1,000 products through their paces (including hundreds of bikes) to write in-depth reviews of a huge range of kit. After first throwing his leg over a race bike back in 2000, Stu's ridden more than 160,000 miles on road, time-trial, track, and gravel bikes, and while he's put his racing days behind him he still likes to smash the pedals rather than take things easy. Although, as he spends a fair bit of his time reviewing ebikes these days he's becoming an expert in letting the motor take the strain. He's also waiting for 23mm race tyres to make a comeback!

Add new comment

7 comments

Avatar
mikroos | 9 years ago
0 likes

I'm happy to report that the trick with hairdryer works perfectly! The Hudz are finally tight and don't block the shift lever anymore.

Thank you @stuke for the tip!

Avatar
jimc101 | 9 years ago
0 likes

Had a set of the V2 Campagnolo ones and they lasted for about 6 months, Ok fit & feel till they went saggy, no instruction included, so didn't know about the hairdryer trick. Went back to genuine Campagnolo, which just fit better then the Hudz.

Avatar
mikroos | 9 years ago
0 likes

I hope they're better than Hudz for SRAM levers.

I have a set of these and once installed (which is a bit of a hassle, but that's understandable), they are terribly loose. I had to stuff them from the inside to keep them in place - otherwise they would block the shift lever and not let it fall back to its place once I shift.

Other than that, they are quite a decent product. Not great, but decent.

Avatar
stuke replied to mikroos | 9 years ago
0 likes
mikroos wrote:

I hope they're better than Hudz for SRAM levers.

I have a set of these and once installed (which is a bit of a hassle, but that's understandable), they are terribly loose. I had to stuff them from the inside to keep them in place - otherwise they would block the shift lever and not let it fall back to its place once I shift.

Other than that, they are quite a decent product. Not great, but decent.

Did you heat them with a hair dryer once they were in position, I found this in the fitting instructions and it worked a treat.

Avatar
Welsh boy replied to stuke | 9 years ago
0 likes
Quote:

Did you heat them with a hair dryer once they were in position, I found this in the fitting instructions and it worked a treat.

I will try that, thanks for the tip because my SRAM ones were so bad I took them off after about 5 or 6 rides.

Avatar
mikroos replied to stuke | 9 years ago
0 likes
stuke wrote:

Did you heat them with a hair dryer once they were in position, I found this in the fitting instructions and it worked a treat.

Mine came without any instructions so I didn't think of that. Although I think they are so loose that it might not help too much, I'll sure try it. Thank a lot for a tip!

Avatar
arrieredupeleton | 9 years ago
0 likes

Overshoes for pixies?

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