>>1573356the shape in the hoods position is superb. tektro RL340 would still be possible to cope with on a budget build especially if you were to round off the outer hinge so it won't poke into your finger as much but the TRP RRL is noticeably more comfortable, doesn't feel boxy like the RL340.
in the aero hoods position, the RRL wins by a long shot. with how i think i will set it up (bar ends parallel to the ground, hoods not pointing up too much, forearms parallel to the ground, wrist in a fairly neutral position) i would only get the bottom two fingers holding onto the RL340 so the aero hoods position would barely be usable but with the RRL i get three fingers and the grip doesn't look as awkward. i don't have brifters to compare but it seems normal even on the newest road bikes to not have fully optimized ergonomics in this position. i'm referring to the position like in pic related with all fingers in front of the lever but you can also hold the hoods like normal and bend your elbows to get lower. it seems comfortable enough with 3 fingers, but the hand isn't fully supported like at the thumb side of the palm and the index finger.
the rubber doesn't feel as bad now, the texture is similar to the RL340. you could sand down the imperfections at the mold seams. i want to get the real RRL levers though, especially if i can get the 3K carbon to match my handlebar, stem and saddle. if the knockoff levers hadn't been scratched though i could've tried to gloss them up with a fine polish to match my brake calipers etc and potentially use them although i saw a couple of reviews on amazon saying they broke under the braking forces so maybe i should just forget about using them.
TRP's US customer service didn't say which version is newer but they confirmed that both versions have a glossy finish (i asked since i thought the 3K pic looked a bit ambiguous). i asked two stores about which version they're selling but i'm not expecting too much from their customer service.
