Finished with the trekking bars. I bought a new shorter and less angled stem which dropped the overall height of the bars by approx 1-1/4 inches.

I could not find any soft black insulating foam so I used the grey split foam and covered it with black hockey tape. Total cost for foam and tape: $2.34

With the foam providing hand relief and the lower height of the bars, they are extremely comfortable and well worth the investment.