Gusset Sleeper Push-on Grip Review

Much like any recent convert to Christianity, I take any and every opportunity to ask strangers if they’ve thought about accepting Jesus into their lives. But I’m not a Christian. And in this instance, my Jesus is push-on grips. Have you thought about trying push-on grips?

• Price: £10.99
• From: ison-distribution.com

Far from being the best thing since sliced bread, lock-on grips were one of the worst things to ever happen to mountain biking. Much like how air is inferior to coil (more on this later), but is more convenient, the convenience of lock-on grips is the one – and only – good thing about them.

What’s good about push-on grips? Oh nothing. Apart from the actual job of being a grip. How does increased comfort AND increased feel sound to you? And, weight weenies, they are lighter! (Which is utterly irrelevant but I’ll take my converts wherever I can.)

There’s no arguing with the lower price of push-on grips though.

Why did we leave push-on grips behind then? Mainly because they’re harder to install and/or remove. But in these days of hinging or two-piece brackets on brake levers and dropper remotes, etc., there’s actually very little reason to remove grips once they’re installed.

The issue of push-on grips spinning on your bars is a real problem, but it’s not insurmountable. And I’m not talking about glueing or wiring grips on. What you need to do is have a perfectly smooth surface for the push-on grip to er, push on to. Most carbon bars are fine, but aluminium bars are often ever-so-slightly shot-peen finished. This textured finish allows water to get in under the grip, resulting in grip spin. The solution? Plastic parcel tape! A single layer of it around the bar area that the grip will lay upon and you’re sorted. No more spinning grips in wet weather.

Push-on grips: they’re the future. Actually, they’re the past that we should have never let go.

As for which push-on grips to go for? These Sleeper grips from Gusset are my personal favourite. They just make the whole activity of mountain biking significantly less deathgrippy and fraught. Seriously, if you suffer from arm pump during rides, forget new bars/forks/wheels/bike, just spend ten quid on some Gusset Sleeper push-ons. This Is The Way.

This product features in our Daytrippin’ Kit Essentials buyer’s guide

Review Info

Ben Haworth

Orange Switch 6er. Stif Squatcher. Schwalbe Magic Mary Purple Addix front. Maxxis DHR II 3C MaxxTerra rear. Coil fan. Ebikes are not evil. I have been a writer for nigh on 20 years, a photographer for 25 years and a mountain biker for 30 years. I have written countless magazine and website features and route guides for the UK mountain bike press, most notably for the esteemed and highly regarded Singletrackworld. Although I am a Lancastrian, I freely admit that West Yorkshire is my favourite place to ride. Rarely a week goes by without me riding and exploring the South Pennines.

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