I mainly bought these because I was sick of my stock grips sliding off all the time and these grips certainly solved that issue. What I was not expecting was the increase in comfort! I never realized how inadequate my stock grips were but after installing these I would never go back! My wrists never felt better and I have never felt more in connected to my bike.
Some people have mentioned these grips may not be great for more extreme action - I can't confirm or deny this as I use them for XC and around town but I have not had any issue with them coming off in the month I have been using them. FYI I put about 30-40 miles a week on my bike on average.
Weaknesses: Some what dangerous in wet conditions due to shallow finger tip trough. Single clamp inadequate.
Warranty Program(be sure to stash away that original receipt)
Bottom Line:
Nice idea in theory as they do relieve pressure on your hands, but inadequate for aggressive riding. In wet conditions hands can be dislodged from grips due to shallow finger trough. Grips can also move due to weak single clamp. Moved to GX1's, but while they had a deeper finger tip trough, they had faulty clamps and the rubber cracked on the grip surface on both sides.
Bike Setup: Moots Mootaineer, Fox RLC/RP23, Crossmax, XTR
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Submitted by
ncmountainbiker
a Cross Country Rider
from Winston Salem
Date Reviewed: March 3, 2012
Strengths: Provides a larger platform for my hands to rest on and relieves the numbing feeling that I have been experiencing.
Bottom Line:
Being fortunate enough to be handed a free set of Ergon GP1 grips, I couldn’t turn down the chance to try them out. Stating that I received the free pair of grips from the manufacturer due to a sponsorship would be even more fortunate, but the reality is that these grips came into my procession as hand me downs.
After a friend of mine decided to change to a smaller grip size, I was asked if I wanted the old set of GP1’s. Hell yeah, I said! When it comes to free you can’t be too choosy. Other than looking a little worn, they felt brand new. So how did they fare you ask? So far after about 50 miles of riding they work and feel great. From the very beginning I much liked the feel of the wider platform that your hands rest on. In addition to the feel of the grip, I no longer experience any numbness in my fingers and hands. As far as control over the bike, I can’t say there was any difference than with my old grips which had no ergonomic shape. You may have to adjust your brake levers to decrease the distance in the reach due to the positioning of your hands on the grips. I felt that my hand was just slightly further back in reach to my brake levers, but the distance was very small and some people may not notice a difference at all.
There are numerous models and sizes to choose from including ones with different sized bar ends. The Pro Racing series includes the GX and GS1 models and the Performance series includes the GP, GC and GR models. There is also a Technical series which includes grips for downhilling and freeriding. I especially like the look of the GP1 BioKork, which has the additional qualities of being antibacterial and hypoallergenic. So, if you’ve been having issues with fingers and hands going numb or would like to try something different, these Ergon Grips are definitely worth the try.
Submitted by
Mr. D
a All Mountain Rider
from Henderson, Nevada, USA
Date Reviewed: February 21, 2012
Strengths: Extremely easy grips to install.
Excellent instructions.
Durable when practicing my own stunts.
Comfortable for climbing.
Great for xc and moderate riding.
Weaknesses: The set screw seems to need tightening about once a week. Maybe I should use some loctite.
It is very tricky to get the grips adjusted so where you have no pain or tingling in your palms.
Bottom Line:
I will use these grips until I wear them out or they fall off.
I completely wore out my shimano grips.
I was in a bike shop talking to the owner on a trip to Kingman, AZ.
The owner and I started talking about injuries and our old busted up wrists.
He showed me the Ergon grips and said your wrists will love these.
I have used them for a little over 5 months and I am thinking I may need to adjust the grips slightly as the initial comfort has diminshed.
Did I already say climbing with these grips seems to help keep the front wheel in contact with the ground.
Submitted by
giantjeff
a Cross Country Rider
from Bakersfield, CA
Date Reviewed: August 7, 2011
Strengths: These grips are comfortable. They're sell is that they are ergonomically correct and I think that works. I feel I have better control
Weaknesses: None so far other then they aren't the coolest looking grips.
Bottom Line:
I've already reccomended these grips to several people. I really feel they give me a more controlled position on the bars. I bought them primarily because the worked with grip shift and Im glad I got them. I've read complaints that you can't wrap your fingers around them but I haven't experienced that. Don't know how well they would work for down hill specific bikes.
Bike Setup: Niner Rip Nine, X large, SRAM with grip shift
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Submitted by
roadbiker2007
a Weekend Warrior
from ohio
Date Reviewed: January 4, 2011
Strengths: price, good platform for hand, I used the large size, and they felt good
Weaknesses: I bought these grips and carefully tightened to spec per the instructions, I found that the clamp screw had gone through the rubber inside after only a couple rides, resulting in the grip NOT gripping. Thinking that maybe the grip was defective, I took back to place of purchase and was given another. This one lasted only a few months, and the same result. I have since thrown these away, and will buy a different brand.
Bottom Line:
Will not buy these grips again unless they are heavily discounted down to under $10. they need to redesign and have double clamps.
Submitted by
nomonkeybizness
a Cross Country Rider
from Bristol U.K.
Date Reviewed: October 14, 2010
Strengths: Comfort & support of wrists
Weaknesses: A bit pricey
Bottom Line:
Excellent quality & do what they say (if you use then for the right purpose). I have to say to all the whingers out there moaning that these don't work for downhill, there is a reason for that, they are not fekkin designed for that!,can't you mindless monkeys read? go check out the Ergon website & you will see they have completely different grips for downhill/AM.
If however you want the perfect grips for cross-country ,enduro or commuting you can't do better than these. Personally I use these grips about 70% of the time but if I'm doing anything really aggressive with big drops or rough downhill sections I change my grips to ODI Ruffians(that's the beauty of lock-ons,takes 2 minutes to swap), I also have couple of sets of peddles & 2 saddles for different riding styles,so get these grips for & use them for that they are intended & you won't bed dissapointed.
Similar Products Used: All types of lock-on grips including other makes of ergo type grips
Bike Setup: On-One 456 with xt/xtr,Magura Odin forks & BB7 brakes
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Submitted by
RatchAttack
a Cross Country Rider
from Ontario, Canada
Date Reviewed: December 13, 2009
Strengths: -Eliminates numbness in hands
-Offers more hand support, reducing fatigue
Weaknesses: -On the heavy side, but worth it
Bottom Line:
These grips work. I use to have issues with hand numbness and strain on any ride over an hour in length. I put these grips on and have done 4 hour epics with no hand issues. Solved my problem. They do not obstruct any handling / braking / shifting operations either. I do recommend getting the small women's size though. I have size 11 hands and the smaller women's size is perfect. Only get the large if you have massive paws!
These grips are a little heavy and expensive compared to other grips but the trade off is worth it. I work in a bike shop and have seen ergonomic offerings from a few different companies and I'd have to say that Ergon is by far the best quality out there.
well i read the many mixed reviews and thought id take the plunge at the modest £17.60 price and ive got to say im converted.
it really does take alot of strain off and also seems to soak up road vibration too. previously when i hit a bump, having no suspension i would sometimes feel the shock go in to my wrist and give an unpleasant tingling in the nerve but since ive had the gp1 on its stopped that. riding is much more comfortable with the wrists straight and not in a bent position on wide handlebars, and with palms supported, i dont feel any after ride fatigue after ~10 miles rides ive done so far. another benefit is the palm platforms gives more leverage for going uphills and acceleration which eliminates the need for barends for me.
i haven't experience the negative side others talked about (lack of other hand positions - just move strain to other place in the hand, manoeuvrability, being unable to get your fingers around the grip, strain between the thumb and first finger, etc, etc). i got the womans size (small size, although i have average/large size 9 hands, 9 inches span from thumb to little finger) which is the right size (others complained the large size made too much pressure between the thumb and first finger).
what others say about the angle being critical is true, i found the point where the platform just starts to support your palm is about the right point, a few mm either other way and it felt wrong.
its seems this is a love it or hate it product, but most people seem to love it and i would agree, although most of my riding is on roads, commuting and at cruising speeds, it might be a different story for downhillers or where you need to grip the bars really tight.
i found it does live up to the claims and is alot more comfortable and stops quite a bit of road vibration (compared to the basic bartape on plastic type grips that came stock with my bike).
definitely a cost effective worthwhile upgrade.
Submitted by
Ruger
a Cross Country Rider
from Fort Bragg
Date Reviewed: November 8, 2009
Strengths: None.
Weaknesses: Does not do what it says. Does not help numbness. Same amount of tingle as with my ODI grips.
In addition it is expensive, heavy, hard to tune (difficult to attain correct angle, then try to get both even) Totally screws up the handeling of the bike, makes it ub-manuverable, forget it if you use a gravity dropper, hands never in the correct position. Might be okay for a commuter bike but certainly not for a Mountain bike.
Bottom Line:
Does not do what Ergon Claims.
Does not help with numbness.
Makes the bike un-manuverable.
Similar Products Used: Any 29 dollar grip that you end up throwing away because they suck so bad!
Bike Setup: Mojo SL.
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Submitted by
Landon
a Cross Country Rider
from Talbott, TN, USA
Date Reviewed: September 10, 2009
Strengths: These grips are honestly everything they're supposed to be.. and more. I had wanted to try them for a while when they first came out, but couldn't find any. Finally after reading some excellent reviews online, I got my chance. I have since recommended them to another rider that's tried them, and they agree. These grips flat-out rock! I have zero idea how any of these other riders could've found fault with their performance, but I strongly suspect improper installation, positioning, etc... Maybe those guys are missing a couple of fingers or something, but these grips are sooo comfortable. One likely unintended benefit of the "wing" design, is that with the increased surface area, you can actually lean better. The flat surface allows you to use more of your palm as a contact surface, and thus maintain more control. I have been riding mtn bikes since 1987, and road bikes a bit longer. And I say if you're using a "death grip" as one or two guys alluded to, you're doing it wrong anyway. Definitely buy these grips, you'll thank me later!
Weaknesses: None, other than that the sizing should probably be marketed differently. I wear a large glove, but use a small Ergon (and bar ends as well!)...
Bottom Line:
Not only do they work great, but they even look super cool, especially on my (matte black carbon fiber) Taurine Carbon 1!!!!!!!!!
Similar Products Used: Tons and tons of different grips and bar ends, over the years...
Bike Setup: Taurine Carbon 1 (matte black!), stock, except that I got rid of those candy-ass Crank Brother pedals, and installed some Time ATACs, the REAL mtn bike pedal (and the one that Crank Brothers spend som much imitating!). Oh yeah, since I'm six feet 210lbs, I also swapped out my rotors. I have 185mm rotors on the stock Avid brakes. This bike looks and rides like a stealth attack bike...
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Submitted by
fatoldslow
a Cross Country Rider
from charlotte, nc
Date Reviewed: August 31, 2009
Strengths: Tuff, don't wear out and fit my hands like a glove
Weaknesses: none
Bottom Line:
These grips seem to be easier to hold on to and are very comfortable. I don't have to hold them as tight as round grips because of the friction in the palm area from the flat part of the grips. Bought some for my girlfriend and she loves them also. Now all my mtn. bikes have them. No more numb hands and sore wrists. Wish I had bought them sooner.
Bike Setup: 08' Titus ML1, Rock Shox Revelation U-Turn Air, SRAM X-7 stuff, Mavic & Hope wheels rims, Hope Brakes
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Submitted by
Lord Chaos
a Cross Country Rider
from Los Angeles, CA USA
Date Reviewed: August 12, 2009
Strengths: Great for spreading the load on my hands while going down long hills, using the brakes.
Weaknesses: My hands are held in one position only, resulting in various aches after the ride.
Bottom Line:
Reviews on these are mixed. I decided to buy them because there were enough positive reviews, but one of the nay-sayers mentioned the lack of alternative hand positions and that is correct. On plain cylindric grips I can move my hands around, distributing the pressure. With the GP-1, I'm held to one position and ended up with more pain than I'd had with standard grips (Yeti, came with the bike). I took these off and put the old ones back on after three long rides, which I did after setting the angle in accordance with their directions.
I have big hands, so bought the large size. On long downhill runs they really do help relieve the pressure of me leaning on the bars and the added tension of applying the brakes constantly. That one advantage doesn't offset the disadvantages, for me.
For those seeking more comfortable grips, try the Race Face Good and Evil. That's what I'm using now, and they're the best yet.
Strengths: Easy to fit and move between bars/bikes, very comfortable.
Weaknesses: Set up critical to comfort, need adjusting over a period of time to get the correct fit.
Bottom Line:
I was getting numb hands, even on short rides, using my old grips. I read the reviews here for the Ergon grips, especially the notes about grip size and opted for the small grips even though i have medium to large hands and they have made a huge difference, but not instantly. I must say that i have fiddled with the angle of these grips over a long period of time to get the fit just right, this is a very important setting to experiment with and i advise everyone who uses these to do the same, don't just set them up according to the instructions as every rider is different. Off road i have had no problems, going up or down hill, maybe a consequence of the smaller size, they are easier to grab hold of. These grips are very comfortable and being a lock on design, easy to swap from bike to bike.
