I was going to go on a bit of a waffle about a new nonsense product (not that it really affects my life), but then I had a think.
Not wanting ridiculous looking Enduro hand guards, just because...
When I smashed my pinky against a wall and it swelled up for 5 days recently, would these have prevented it?
Would they feel quite nice on a climb, pushing your hand into them?
I like to have my bar ends free and sometimes have the bar end in my palm, so I don't think these are for me. And I can't remember when my hands ever slipped off my grips, but...
I suspect they are for the ultra trendy gloveless lot. When their hands get all sweaty from the grips, they need something to stop them sliding off the end!
I suspect they are for the ultra trendy gloveless lot. When their hands get all sweaty from the grips, they need something to stop them sliding off the end!
Ah yeah, I forgot I wore gloves, because I'm not cool - and gloves are great for riding bikes. I actually tried gloveless for a ride last summer and hated it
I suspect they are for the ultra trendy gloveless lot. When their hands get all sweaty from the grips, they need something to stop them sliding off the end!
The bell ends...
Read an interview on these, the idea is they allow you to loosen your grip a little, as the end provides some security from hand slipping off. Joe had bodged something similar himself, other pros started to like it, and it became this.The hand protection aspect is a bonus
And I can't remember when my hands ever slipped off my grips, but
I've no intention of buying these but I have had a hand slip off the grip while going flat out down a rough bit of trail on Madeira a few years ago, I somehow managed to grab it again and stay on the bike but more by luck than skill and I almost sh*t myself as it happened. I believe these things have been developed by Joe Breeden/Wolftooth components specifically for DH racing
I suspect they are for the ultra trendy gloveless lot. When their hands get all sweaty from the grips, they need something to stop them sliding off the end!
I don't wear gloves and this has never happened to me.
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I'd usually be quick to dismiss something like this, but from the PB press release it sounds like they helped Joe Breeden:
Not for me though, for the same reason I'll never use hand guards... they look shit.
Not sure it would be a great protector but hopefully this'll be a step back getting bar ends back on bikes (says me who hasn't really missed them for the last 15 years!)...
Bush grabbers
I don't wear gloves
Guess it's fine for the don't sweat and don't crash folks! Man, the crash I had last weekend, hurt my knees enough, but my palms would be shredded if I hadn't been wearing gloves!
Bush grabbers
Tree hooks?
One of my lads coaches uses something similar. He reckons they’re great in races and help with getting angulation in corners.
I don’t think my riding speed or skill warrants these. I do have some of these as I got nervous after trapping my pinkie between bar and tree
LOAMLAB.BIKE
Whether they work or are just a placebo is probably debatable
I don't wear gloves
Guess it's fine for the don't sweat and don't crash folks! Man, the crash I had last weekend, hurt my knees enough, but my palms would be shredded if I hadn't been wearing gloves!
Reason I don't like gloves is I find myself death gripping to compensate for the lack of bar feel, so end up with sore hands. I've got a bag full of all the different gloves I've tried over the years before I decided just to rawdog it.
I suffer from Raynaud's so do reluctantly wear gloves when it's very cold out (100% Briskers usually), but they usually end up in my bag or pockets once I've warmed up and got the blood flowing.
Good grips help with sweaty hands.
In the late '90s I had some grips that had forward pointing lump molded at the bar end which was supposed to do a similar thing. Think the were produced by Maxx Grip?
Can they make some to stick on the edges of my flat pedals to stop my feet slipping off too?
I don’t think my riding speed or skill warrants these. I do have some of these as I got nervous after trapping my pinkie between bar and tree
Whether they work or are just a placebo is probably debatable
I've been using them since they were released and I reckon they've saved me more than a few broken pinkies.
I don't know if they will solve any problems I have personally but I can see how they could work for some people. There are a few products that have been released recently where people are thinking outside the box which I can't see ever being a bad thing. Like the pendulum pedals or the raised reversed stem, I've tried none of them but I would sooner try these than be asking for bigger wheels, more gears or something similar
Is this the excuse I needed to reinstall my shorty bar ends?
Why have they not gone full motorbike enduro - a handguard that wraps right round?
I don’t think my riding speed or skill warrants these.
They're designed to reduce hand fatigue by making your hands feel more secure, so you don' feel the need to grip so tightly
That's something that most skill levels could benefit from.
Also, reading that Pinkbike article I'm intrigued what other solutions he has played with. I'm thinking things like Jones H-bars, different grips, brake levers, grip shapes etc.
This product 'saves' a hand slipping off but doesn't seem to address the underlying issues.
Why have they not gone full motorbike enduro - a handguard that wraps right round?
It's probably heavily dependent on where you ride. in the past I would have run those if they were available because I was regularly clipping my bars on trees, or just brambles and gorse on places like Cesar's Camp. But the MTB version miss the bar end, so it's not actually going to stop the bar end digging into the tree?
Guess it's fine for the don't sweat and don't crash folks! Man, the crash I had last weekend, hurt my knees enough, but my palms would be shredded if I hadn't been wearing gloves!
I tend to ride gloveless, and tend to use silicone grips as well which have more cushion but less friction. I think a bit like citizenlee said, it actually lets you grip the bars less so overall i don't tend to miss the gloves? That said in winter I tend to immediately go for the thickest gloves I have, so maybe I'm just not picky about it.
Especially on long rides (100km+), gloves always find a seam to rub or a fold, or they get sweaty and eventually something get's painful. Gloveless avoids that. I do get nerve issues eventually but that's regardless of gloves or not.
Also, reading that Pinkbike article I'm intrigued what other solutions he has played with. I'm thinking things like Jones H-bars, different grips, brake levers, grip shapes etc.
This product 'saves' a hand slipping off but doesn't seem to address the underlying issues.
Does mention he went and had surgery, so I'd wager he's tried a few things
Can they make some to stick on the edges of my flat pedals to stop my feet slipping off too?
If I was racing I'd make some just for a laugh.
Imagine a big plastic disc that replaces the bolt on your pedal axle. I'd just put them on display pre-race and let the comments section fight it out.
This product 'saves' a hand slipping off but doesn't seem to address the underlying issues.
Does mention he went and had surgery, so I'd wager he's tried a few things
Also talks about pushing sideways into the bar ends instead of down onto the bars, letting him relax his grip.
You'd hope a world cup DH racer would have access to pretty much anything he wanted, set-up wise, to try and address any underlying issues, as HG notes. If nothing's worked, and these have, they are arguably addressing the issue.
And if they're not, and there is still a hidden issue that these mask, what's the issue? Especially if he claims they give extra benefits with front end grip and, as mentioned, hands staying in place.
I'm not sure they're for me as I seem to hang my palms off the end of the bars, but I'd give them a whirl if I had the chance.
Can they make some to stick on the edges of my flat pedals to stop my feet slipping off too?
If I was racing I'd make some just for a laugh.
Imagine a big plastic disc that replaces the bolt on your pedal axle. I'd just put them on display pre-race and let the comments section fight it out.
A cool idea, but why not take it a step further and come up with some kind of attachment mechanism to both the pedals and the sole of the shoes?
A cool idea, but why not take it a step further and come up with some kind of attachment mechanism to both the pedals and the sole of the shoes?
Yeah you could make a plastic cage that covered your toes and part of your forefoot and then figure out away to get you fee out when trying to stop
I'm a sucker for trying any novelty item that I see on Pinkbike but I may have to give this one a miss as all my grips have closed ends and they look like they'd hurt if pressed firmly into my chest/ribs/thigh/any other part of my body that landed on them (poor excuse I know, bikes already have loads of uncomfortable bits to land on)
Is this the excuse I needed to reinstall my shorty bar ends?
Why have they not gone full motorbike enduro - a handguard that wraps right round?
I would be more interested in a MTB version of these than the current had guards on the market. With the current ones Ive not worked out how they dont just flex inwards and trap your hand / pinkie against the bars. Sure for a bit of vegetation hitting them fine, but to protect your hand enough to prevent injury Im not so sure.
Yeah you could make a plastic cage that covered your toes and part of your forefoot and then figure out away to get you fee out when trying to stop
What are you going to call them...clips?
