Originally Posted by
hxzero
I've seen folks install grips in the near position (anything from Ourys to Ergons, whatever your preference is) and then wrap the rest in tape. The downside to that is that the widest part of the bar (the close corners) are harder to use. After a year or so of using the trekking bar, I did realize that I preferred the sides the most--I ended up switching to a flipped North Road-style bar (Soma Oxford) which puts the brake levers in the most comfortable position for me. With the trekking bars it was a pain in the butt to grip the fronts or corners and then have to switch positions to brake.
Interesting update.
I ordered the Fizik bar gel and Fizik Tacky bar tape just before I saw your post
. I'll have the LBS install them while they have the bike in the shop for its free tuneup. I'll keep riding with the trekking bar for at least another year, as I still like it. The side position is also my favorite grip position. Based on what I read on a separate thread on trekking bars, I developed a technique for pivoting my hands on the palm heels from the side position to near position to quickly access the brake levers. It doesn't work so well though when wearing my fingerless cycling gloves as the rubber on the palms gets a bit too stuck on the bar. OTOH the bar tape gets too slick on a rainy day to grip bare-handed - so I'm hoping the Tacky will allow a better enough grip in the wet so I won't have to use the gloves.
I tend to use the far position when I have a headwind but I too don't feel as safe gripping that position if I think I'll be needing the brakes soon.