Ergon has been adding to their line as they dial in what the needs of each segment of the riding public are. The Ergon GA1 grip is designed for people riding all-mountain and more gravity-oriented disciplines. The shape is subtler, appearing to be more cylindrical, than their other grips, which is great for freedom of movement in extreme situations. They still have a position-specific, and hand-specific design, where the grip is contoured for better grasping and padded with softer rubber and a little gel for better damping. The grips are locked into place via slim, light aluminum clamps at the end of the bars.There are two sizes, GA1-S and GA1-L. The Small has a length of 135mm and a diameter of 32mm. The Large has a length of 145mm and diameter of 35mm. There is a left and a right; each is contoured to fit the hand it was designed for. Ergon marks "left" and "right" on each grip as well as "up" so you know which way to orient the grips. The grips utilize a softer compound than found in other Ergon grips for better damping, and there is gel in the center of the grip. They are not designed to work with twist shifters; any customizing of the grip will invalidate the warranty. The Ergon GA1 Grip is available in three colors: Black, White, and Team Edition (Black/Green). The GA1-S grip is 115.5g per pair, the GA1-L is 146.9g, the end plugs weigh 4.78g per pair.
These ergonomically shaped All Mountain grips are pretty darn sweet and near perfect. They are durable, comfortable, and their natural anatomic shape means decreased hand and upper body fatigue, and better athletic performance.At first glance they really don’t seem any different than other lock-on grips, but looks are deceiving, as their ergonomic design has a plethora of benefits and functions. Continue reading →
If you've stripped a bolt during install you over torqued them. If they're slipping on
the bars, try cleaning with alcohol and torquing to the specified 4 Nm (35 inch pounds/3 foot pounds).
I use Ergon GA1 grips on all four of my bikes and have never had one iota of trouble with them.
They work as advertised and alleviate my osteoarthritis better than any other grip I've ever tried.
Make sure the grips are oriented correctly and if desired you can can swap the clamps so that
the bolt is on the other side and the rider side is more rounded thus helping prevent knee impact...
Bike Setup: Santa Cruz Tazmon, Rocky Mountain Blizzard, Rocky Mountain Vertex, Soma Smoothie.
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Submitted by
axelnied
a Weekend Warrior
from San Jose, CA
Date Reviewed: January 24, 2012
Strengths: After longer and/or harder rides my hands (ligaments inside of palm) would hurt for days...Some of it might be age related. On the first ride with the GA-1's I felt better control, since the grip contours nicely to the inside of your palm, IF the grip is adjusted correctly. No more painful days after the rides. I really like the grips!
I agree with some other commenter that the rubber is pretty hard, but I like the solid tacky feel of the grip. So if you look for a more plush feel to your grip, this is *not* for you.
For the generation (~40) that knows what an "Atari 2600" is, this grip is for you...! ;-)
Weaknesses: none, so far...
Bottom Line:
If your hands hurt while riding of afterwards, check out these grips: They are only $25, and made a huge difference for me...!
Similar Products Used: stock Santa Cruz Lizzzzzard Skinz.
Bike Setup: 2011 Santa Cruz Nomad Carbon AM, 160mm Talas 36, XTR trail pedals, X-Fusion prop post
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Submitted by
martinizer
a Cross Country Rider
from CA
Date Reviewed: July 12, 2011
Strengths: Grippy
Weaknesses: The mounting collar stripped while being installed. DOA.
Bottom Line:
I wanted to like these but a couple of things got in the way. For starters, I didn't like the fact that the mounting collar is on the outside of the grip, rather than the inside like many ODI lock on grips. Since the collar isn't rubber coated, this effectively narrows the usable section of your handlebar by about 1/2" on each side. The killer through was that I never got to ride with the grips since the threads in the mounting collar stripped while I was installing the left grip. I contacted Ergon hoping they would just send me a new collar, but they insisted that I return the grips and go through the full warranty process. Never mind. Based on their fragility and collar location I've returned them. Back to my OE Specialized lock on grips.
Submitted by
TheHoff
a Downhiller
from Crestwood, Ky
Date Reviewed: April 3, 2011
Strengths: Work great, nice sticky surface for those who ride without gloves, relieved all numbness on long rides.
Weaknesses: Locking mechanism could be improved
Bottom Line:
I had numbness problems after a broken hand but this grip solved those problems, I would highly recommend these grips for all mountain riders who suffer on longer rides. The grip comes in two sizes, make sure you get the appropriate size. I wear a large glove and the large grip works out perfect!
Submitted by
247
a Cross Country Rider
from Philly, Pa
Date Reviewed: March 28, 2011
Strengths: stopped hand numbness on long rides.
Weaknesses: They are not as soft as other grips, but they do the job advertised.
Bottom Line:
I got some good padded gloves and they work great. I had some Bontrager grips before and got the Large and at first they seemed sort of Big, but now they are the right size (was just used to smaller grips, I guess).
Bike Setup: Built Paragon with 2x9 setup. All high-end parts. [new Reba SL, XT crank/FD, X9 rear and shifters. Salsa Bars, Elixer R brakes, Laser Disc wheels--the real ones with Laser disc LITE hubs, Racing Ralph tires, Rocket V saddle, RXL stem and post.
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Submitted by
ppfeifer
a Racer
from Hampton Roads, VA
Date Reviewed: November 28, 2010
Strengths: Shape.
Texture.
Weaknesses: 1. The white looks great on the internet but doesn't repel dirt or grime. They get dirty within seconds of installation.
2. The end caps are garbage. One cracked while I was installing it. Boo.
Bottom Line:
My hands are average sized but larger grips are more comfortable for me. I've been using ODI Rogues for the past two years and have been very happy with them. However, I decided to try another grip because my hands got numb on during high effort parts of my rides. Ultimately, I chose these and have been totally satisfied with their performance. I love these grips. They are super comfortable and work as advertised. I'm not crazy about the white or the end caps but that doesn't matter on the trail. They rock. I'm going to buy a pair of black ones for my other bike.
Similar Products Used: ODI Rogue and multiple other lock on grips.
Bike Setup: Jet 9 size medium
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Submitted by
ThornPatch
a Cross Country Rider
from Buellton, CA USA
Date Reviewed: August 2, 2010
Strengths: None really
Weaknesses: Limits hand positions, rubber used is too hard, locking clamp can be a knee catcher
Bottom Line:
I bought these grips because they are advertised to reduce or eliminate hand numbness. NOT TRUE!
I was using ODI Lock-On Ruffians, which I really like, but for longer rides (3+ hrs) the ruffians would cause some hand numbness. At first I thought the Ergon GA-1 were the answer to my problems when I tested them on shorter rides to see if I liked them. But on longer rider it was obvious this grip has more problems than solutions. Are are a few of my gripes:
1) Because the "bump / bulge" is in the middle of the grip you're limited to just one hand position, thus it limits the rider's ability to move your hands around on the bar.
2) The rubber is too hard, and actually caused more calluses than the thiner Ruffian grips I was using.
3) The grip is so long that I had to push my brake levers and shifters closer to the stem, but because of the bulge in the middle of the gripe its harder for your fingers to reach the levers and shifters.
4) The lock-on mechanism on the end is not perfectly round, its more oval, and the pinch bolt slightly protrudes out and down. I caught my knee on the bolt on a quick dismount as I was coming down tight switch-back.
Bottom Line = Ergon grips are best used for commuter bikes, not trail bikes.