Review: The ODI F-1 Float & Vapor grips might just be the perfect option for British XC riders

Ah, the modest grip. It’s probably one of the cheapest parts on your bike and likely one of the most overlooked. But given a pair are responsible for 40% of the contact points between you and your two-wheeled machine, they’re something that we could all do with paying a little more attention to.

Lock-on grips tend to be the modern mountain biker’s favourite option, as they’re easy to install and hold firmly in place – even when conditions are wet. They have their downsides though, namely extra weight due to the added grams from the lock rings and hardware. And because of the internal plastic sleeve, they also put less squishy material between your hands and the handlebar, which can reduce comfort.

For the riders who value both comfort and light weight, that leads us to silicone or foam slide-on grips.

Foam grips have been around for a good long while but aren’t that shock absorbent or particularly robust, even for XC or marathon riding. I had a set that lasted about five rides before they fell apart, given they were so uncomfortable I whole heartedly celebrated their early demise.

Silicone grips are also pretty light but with better shock absorbency and durability. But, as I quickly found with my last set of ESI grips, they do become pretty slippy when they get wet so aren’t the best in British conditions.

Like Silicone Grips, But Not

The ODI F-1 Vapor and Float grips look similar to a silicone grip but are made from an elastomer ‘AIRE’ compound (nope, no idea what AIRE stands for). Just like in seat posts, frames and forks, elastomer is used in these grips to dampen vibrations to make for a more comfortable ride.

The elastomer is aerated to reduce the weight of the grip, with a pair coming in at 74-75g (including plastic end plugs) as weighed on my kitchen scales of truth.

Both the Vapor and Float have a reinforced inner layer to improve durability, as well as a slightly textured surface for grip. The Vapor has a textured grip to match your fingers, whereas the Float has a uniform profile. Both grips are 31.5mm diameter and are available in three colours (red, green and blue), as well as black.

Installation

Installing the F-1 grips is straightforward enough but only if you do it as ODI recommend by cleaning the bar and damping with isopropyl alcohol. I first tried a drop of water which works with other slide-on grips but it didn’t evaporate so the grip slid round. Meanwhile I found that hairspray wasn’t slippy enough to get it to slide on.

You need to pay a bit of attention to fitting the Vapors as the contours mean they only go one way round and there’s a right way up too, but the Floats don’t require any such thought.

Once on the bars, both sets of grips seemed to stay exactly where I’d put them although this can’t be entirely true as I could see from the contours on the Vapors that they had rotated slightly after a good number of rides out.

On The Bike

The F-1 grips are noticeably more comfortable a standard rubber, foam or silicone grip. They’re slightly squishy but without being so soft that you feel you can’t get a good hold. As someone who rides standard diameter grips these didn’t feel any different in size.

I confess to not being able to detect the difference between the feel of the Floats and Vapors though, with the contours on the Vapor neither aiding nor hindering my hold. Durability-wise these grips have held up well after six months use on my trail bike where they’ll have got much more of a hammering than on an XC bike for which they’re designed.

On longer rides the shock absorbency of the elastomer was evident by the absence of achy hands and forearms. It’s certainly something you’ll appreciate if you put in the miles and hours on chattery trails. Marathon racers and mile-hungry XC riders, take note.

On the downside, on more technical terrain the squish of the grips makes you doubt your hold. It’s not that the grip doesn’t stay in place, it’s that the elastomer surface gives a bit and just isn’t as steadfast as a standard textured rubber grip. Personally, they’re not a grip I’d run on my bigger bike where I want that security and feedback.

In comparison to its foam and silicone peers the ODI F-1s performs tonnes better in the wet and doesn’t become slippy with sweaty hands or in the rain. I normally ride with gloves on because I find my grip suffers as my hands get sweaty, which means I end up holding on tighter, causing crampy hands. These however, are the first grips that I’ve been able to ride gloveless all day without cramp or slipping.

Overall

The ODI F-1 Vapor and Float are an excellent choice for those who like to keep their grips light and comfortable. They’re comparable in weight to silicone and foam grips, but they provide loads more traction in wet weather or from sweaty hands, making them the ideal choice for XC and marathon racers.

Review Info