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For those of you saying lock-on's aren't grippy enough...ODI Xtreme's are where it's at!
Foam grips! No wonder you think these "grippy" grips are a revelation.Why the **** would you want foam grips?
I thought that until last year when I bought a bike with them. Grippier than just about any other grip I've ever used, and comfortable too, even after several hours on the rigid SS in the rain they're fine. Just bought some for the 'hardcore hardtail' as well, might even put them on the Pitch when the sunlines wear out!
Also tried - ODI ruffian - too hard and uncomfortable, wore quickly for the money too.
Sunline twisted waffle XL - very grippy, but only lasted about a weeks riding between having to rotate them as they'd wear down to the plastic inner if you just look at them funny
ODI Yeti - best of the lock ons, but gave me blisters where the end cap was rubbing. Not as grippy as sunlines, but lasted longer.
Had been looking at these but I'm a little confused by the posts above - how slippy are they when wet? Given about 90% of my rides seem to involve rain I don't fancy swapping to something that is no fun in the damp.
+1 for ESI grips
They're silicone not rubber!
For
They're light, provide excellent damping characteristics, are much more comfortable than lock ons and they don't slip (even when wet).
Against
Don't protect the end of handlebars (carbon) the way lock ons do , not as hard wearing in the eventuality of a crash.
MrSynthpop - Member
Had been looking at these but I'm a little confused by the posts above - how slippy are they when wet? Given about 90% of my rides seem to involve rain I don't fancy swapping to something that is no fun in the damp.
They don't spin as i said on other page 2 days in Wales constant rain all day around afan pulling on grips etc and mine did not twist or slip at all.
Try them you wont be disappointed.
Yep they don't slip..... Follow the instructions and give them some time to set.
The only minor issue is after crashing in wet mud and having gloves that were more mud than glove, I found the unpatterned design a little more slippy than my ODI longnecks But everything was slippy, the trail, the gloves, everything. ESI are going on all my bikes from here on.
Putting the bar end caps on FIRST helps slide the grip on. Yep, sounds weird but it works.
Give them a go and your hands will be happy.
They also do a road variation for drop bars.
I run BMX grips on my bikes - for the simple reason that they are the same diameter as lock on's but are completely rubber so are squishier & I find them comfier.
I have ESI's on one of my bikes. They're light, sticky and comfy (more comfortable than lock-on's because the silicone goes right through to the bar since they don't need an inner hard plastic sleeve). I found they were pretty easy to fit and havn't slipped since I put them on, even in the wet.
Having said all that, I have Ergon GS1's on my other bike and I much prefer those.
what's the diameter like?
30 or 32mm dependant on the version you get iirc
The diameter is not constant, they have a fatter side, so you need to rotate them round so the extra material is under the palm
hmm, bit small for me. Can't grip small things 😉 😆
I bought them originally as I wanted a grip that sat nicely next to Gripshift, and found them incredibly comfy, they didn't throttle and they don't have the uncomfortable plastic tube under the grip material. Absolutely love them for everything from 12 hour racing to mucking about in the rain.
Thanks for the replies - will give them a go
ok, a bit of a thread dig but i've now had to remove the grips as i bought some new bars :D, WD40 to get them off, a squirt either end and they slipped off.
Tried the alcohol gel to get them back on, a little blob at one end and they went on easy as pie. I did have to leave them a few minutes though (5?), for the gel to evaporate, where as with isopropyl alcohol its pretty instant.
would def recomend the Alcohol gel....
oh and i've done about 2-300miles in all weathers, with not a bit of slippage.
I've been using the racers edges ones for a while, mostly for dh. They're pretty sick, love how comfy they are without gloves. They're nice and grippy too, and I can't get them to slip on the bars even if I try. I've had lock ons that have slipped before, so I don't really get that argument.
I don't particularly care about 50g, but I will say that if you crash you can tear chunks out of them, although I've had a few crashes and only nicked one a little bit right at the edge.
They look pretty cool too. Once they're dead I may get another pair, or I may get some of these
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Haven't really decided yet. It is kinda nice not having those hard lock on collars at the end.
superstar do them also (solid end caps) got some for sale if you want them. £5 for 2 lock rings and 2 solid end caps
I'm only interested in those cause of the colour, sorry 🙂
Ignore GW, he's just a resident troll and luddite.
I have used these for around two months (the chunky version), and have a second pair in a box waiting for these to wear out.
Observations; they grip bare hands superbly. If you don't ride with gloves, these will be a godsend. Very little wear and tear on them aside from end scrapes from trees and otb's. Not had them slip once. Applied with 100% IPL.
Overall; very happy.
And fwiw, racers edges come out at about 50g, most lockons I've had or seen are closer to 150g. Tell me somewhere else on your bike you can save 100g for less than £50 (save ghetto tubeless or inappropriate tyres).
the best grips I ever used were a set of ritchey wcs foam grps. trouble was, after five minutes, they developed lateral splits from the bar ends*.
*it was the early 90's
I don't wear gloves and my lock-ons weigh less than 90g
ESI = Easy Spin Interface 😉
I don't wear gloves and my lock-ons weigh less than 90g
Take me now.
I don't wear gloves and my lock-ons weigh less than 90g
Well then, you just saved 40g for around £15.
That's 40g of broken glass you can munch on before each ride, manly man.
realman - mine are also gold
ROFL at the gloveless comments!
I come from a motorcycling background, mainly trials riding, and never had heard of lock on grips before starting mountain biking and my initial thought was why do you need them? I never had problems with grips sinning and used to ride in far wetter and muddier condition and put a lot more torque through the grips on my trials bike than I do on the mountain bike. I have also noticed a lot of pro downhill riders don't use lock ons (Hart and Ragot to name a couple). So there must be some advantages and I think the main one is more rubber for the same thickness or a thinner grip for the same amount of rubber.
I was taught a trick to put grips on when I was younger by my dad who used to be a pro-rider. I add a layer of doubled up PVC tape to the bar and then swirl a bit of petrol around the grip to slide it on. It takes a few hours before it's ready but after that it won't spin. It's worked for over 40 years so can't really see myself changing to lock-ons.
interesting kane, may try that, or something similar in any case when I change my grips.
Always used to have problems with spinning grips in wet conditions, wired, hairspray, paint, zip ties, not a lot of help. Would always spin (or twist)regardless. Problem is I use gripshift, so the lock on bit of lock ons, although made sense would be right at the bit I don't want it to be. plus I'd be a bit restricted to grip width.
Bought some ESI's about 2 years ago and have been using them ever since. They don't twist, even is the wettest of Scottish summers and are nice and comfy. Only comfier grips were my Mushrooms...
problem is, if your hands are particularly sweaty, or you've been riding in the rain they don't grip at all. Wet bare hands and ESI's are a bit of a nightmare. I use mitts when it's not freezing so it's only really noticeable then, but it's a little disconcerting when you can only get palm grip and not finger grip. As it were...
I think I'll be changing from them to something else next so may well try the PVC tape etc job.
I have friends who used to use wires and cable ties but they didn't work too well. If you go for the PVC tape job then try and get some decent quality tape. I bought some stuff which was pretty cheap from the £1 store and it didn't work as well. Also give it plenty of time for the petrol to evapourate before you try them out - overnight is ideal.
it all sounds like a lot more faff than just tightening a couple of grub screws.
am i missing something? or am i just awesome with an allen key...
I've been using ESI grips for a couple of years, I originally got them as wanted something lighter than lock ons on my xc race bike and didn't really get on with regular foam grips.
I now have them on all of my bikes now, they just work for me. They're light and comfy and I've never had a problem with them slipping on the bars or my hands slipping on them. I prefer to ride without gloves and the ESI grips seem especially good for this.
it all sounds like a lot more faff than just tightening a couple of grub screws.am i missing something? or am i just awesome with an allen key...
its a comfort thing, rather than a maintainance issue.
Just got back from a couple of weeks in the Alps using some ESI grips, and yes the hype is justified. So comfy, and excellent grip even when wet. No slippage problems either. They aren't very durable though, one has split at the end and there are a few chunks out of both grips. Still, very impressed.