[Closed] Softest grips available? Major finger pain

duane - i developed a ganglion on the joint of one of my fingers a few months ago which gave me chronic pain when riding my mtb, so much so i had to stop riding off road altogether at one point. i bought some ESI thick grips and they've totally stopped the pain i was getting, and the ganglion feels better now too. i'm getting it chopped out in a few weeks but i'm going to keep the grips on, they are really grippy too and i reckon spot on for alpine trips 🙂 good luck!

oh you could also consider normal ie: non-oversize carbon bars - they'll give more flex too

worth giving ergons a go. They sorted out my hand pains after damaging my hand in a car crash.

ESI Silicone chunky grips are awesome and very soft.

Ritchey WCS foam grips, so good I don't think I'll ever go back to rubber grips.

lever position could help. try lifting the brake lever until the heel of the palm contacts the bars. lots of people grip in the web of the thumb. try gripping across little/ring finger to palm heel.

if you don't like it, shift it back.

my guess is that your grips are too small.

i've got 'medium' hands, most grips are too skinny, and give me 'the claw' of pain...

sunn logo 'thick' work well for me.

ESIs look good - I'd also recommend Renthal Kevlar. Soft, sticky and grippy. Not lock ons, but that's good as you loose the sleeve and gain comfy rubber. Glue and lockwire and they don't move - all my controls are hinged so only need to remove them to replace grips or bars.

There's so many potential causes a solution might not necessarily be softer grips - although, that said, ESI Chunky grips are the best thing ever, and you should buy them on principle. 🙂

What sort of bike are you riding? Does it have suspension forks fitted? What sort of tyres are you running, and how much air do they have in them? Do you get hand or wrist pain at any other time? Do you wear gloves? The same gloves every time? What's your position on the bike?

Lots and lots of questions - I suggest you start asking those, rather than asking for a solution that might not solve the problem.

ODI Troy lees, and get on some carbon bars

Thanks for the replies.

I used to have ESI Chunkys, but they fell to bits in no time, so moved back to lock-ons. Will give them another go and try be a bit more careful with them.

Riding a Giant STP, so a very short jumpy hardtail, but XC, not ideal I know. Rebas on front, fairly hard tyres (Crossmarks). If I clench my fist now, I can feel the sore finger joints. Same when driving etc. Pretty much always wearing TLD Airs.

Just to chip in with my own experiences. I've tried ESI chunky grips and they gave me sore, tingly hands. However I get on fine with lock-on ODI Ruffians, which are both smaller diameter and harder. I have large hands (XL glove size) so this goes against the accepted wisdom as to what ought to work. Clearly it's not as simple as thicker, softer grips fix hand pain.
FWIW, I reckon the ESIs are too soft, for me at least and don't spread the load out enough, so that once they compress a bit under your hands, you end up leaning on a barely padded, thin bar. Clearly, your own experiences may vary.

A few points:

1. deffo get your GP to do a blood test for arthritis
2. the only time I got hand pain was with too-thin grips. So try a series of thicker ones.
3. Without spending a tonne of £ on suspension to improve small-bump response, you can use larger volume tyres (2.4") front and back at low-ish pressures (<30psi), and this will give side benefits of more speed and confidence off-road. Get something with well spaced knobs as it's winter.

ODI rouges are nice and soft, but still grippy.

Oury look pretty gentle on the hands too.

I've found that Lizard Skins North Shores to be very hand friendly.

do carbon bars make much difference?

Right, just ordered some ESI Chunkys, will see how they are.

Will also have a go at playing around with tyre pressure, lever angles, and improving small bump sensitivity of the fork.

ESI chunky or oury for me, the oury slip a little over time. chunkiest grips I have come across, I have also found none lock on grips are more comfortable.

what angle ate your brake / shift levers at?

too flat and you fingers/wrist will hurt

To dig this up.

Blood tests say no arthritis, which is good of course, but doesn't stop the pain.

New bike is on it's way, and thinking of going for a carbon bar, any thoughts? But only want to go this route if it will actually make a difference. Mate has recommended Raceface SixC.

Maybe teamed up with ODI Rogues as they look quite nice and soft.

Oh, and those saying about lever angles etc. Might have an affect for sure, but that wouldn't make a difference about the joint hurting doing other stuff (pulling weights, driving etc) where the fingers are in a similar position to on the bars.

Try North Shores instead of Ruffians - [url= http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=7459 ]here[/url].

You could also try [url= http://superstar.tibolts.co.uk/product_info.php?cPath=60&products_id=436 ]these[/url] for cheapness...

Flexstem.

Jason, do those SS ones come with lock rings and end caps?

Oury lock ons are pretty comfy. I find the black ones to be quite a bit softer than the coloured variety too.