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So what grips would you recommend for my mtb?
Grippy ones.
But not the ones you would use at Bike Park Wales.
And not the ones for mud.
What is important to you? Looks, bling, weight,grip, fat, thin, long, stubby? Niche or herd? Colour coordinated? Garish? Rubbery, leathery, foamy?
2, same as tyres really.
I like the ones I have, but you might not so what are you looking for?
Anything that is lock on.......forget the rest.
Raceface Good'n'evil 👿
ODI x trainer.
Depends what wheel size you're running.
I've got ESI chunky silicone ones on my 29er
I find superstar one s quite good value and comfortable too.
Agreed. Really grippy but also incredibly comfortable and last well. When you first try them, because of the slight movement in the rubber, it does feel like your hand might slip off but ride them for a bit you soon find that your hand doesn't go anywhere and that slight movement is what helps to make them really comfortable.coolhandluke - Member
ODI x trainer.
Ergon GS FTW.
Lock on grips - uneccesary toss sold to idiots by shysters . 😀
Bought by people who like sovereign rings, crinkle cut chips and secretly want a curly perm.
Richey Foam Grips are all you need. Comfy and don't slip.
Ask your grandad.
Not white ones. You only make that mistake once
ODI Ruffians. In gold. Job done.
Superstar Components, grippy and full customisable 🙂
Esi grips
ODI Longneck BMX grips - not the lock on's.
ODI Rogues if you want a thicker grip. They get better as they wear.
I have a set of those hopes. Really comfortable so far.
I've a set of the Hopes. Surprisingly comfortable, despite being thin, and nicely tacky (as in sticky). I've ESI chunky on another bike which gets ridden longer, more often though.
Hopes here FTW
Nukeproof sam hill...similar pattern to the specialized but double collar with end cap.
I use renthal kevlar grips and use lock wire, they don't move so you don't have to use lock on grips.
Damn Specialized has produced two of my favourite grips ever and discontinued both of them. I have at 10 -15 pairs of assorted barely worn grips in the shed and almost worn throughs on the bikes.
Grips are a very personal thing. Medium thickness and medium-rare compound with single lockring for me, please.
As others have said, Superstar are good and amazing value too
Superstar IME were not very grippy, and didn't last well at all, ended up more expensive than buying ODI.
I'm an ESI convert, they're unobtrusively excellent.
+1 for the Specialized ones.
Good feel and lasts ages.
Spesh XC or Pro XCR (very similar)
Tried the ESI grips last week - took them off after one ride. Hated them.
x-trainers are brilliant comfort grips
superstar are generally pretty good too
generally i get what evers cheapest on crc 😉
reggie, They change as you use them. They bed in to the shape of your hand.
Might be worth trying them for a bit longer, they could end up being something you like. Or hate even more.
ODI X-Trainers, the pattern gives loads of grip but the little bit of give in it stops your hands callousing up to much when not wearing gloves ime. Also the compound is very nice compared to cheaper brands i have tried...
To be honest, I've been running a set of Renthal Kevlar Lock ons for the past 12 months and have been disappointed with them. They don't seem to be any grippier than the Superstar or ODI Ruffians that I've used in the past and seem to wear out just as quickly. They're also not as comfy as my old ODIs were either.
When these come to the end of their life I'll be switching back to one of the above.
Note - they've been on my Alpine 160 and other people have also commented on how little they absorb trail vibrations.
Tom KP
i had spesh rocca which i liked and were pretty good value. currently on ODI troy lee which have bedded in really nicely
Worn out ODI Ruffians.
ESI chunky are fab.
Lock on grips - uneccesary toss sold to idiots by shysters .
Bought by people who like sovereign rings, crinkle cut chips and secretly want a curly perm.Richey Foam Grips are all you need. Comfy and don't slip.
+1, dab of superglue (on alloy bars only, comes off with acetone) stops them creeping in allong the bars though IME.
Currently rockin' Gusset Bastard grips on the SS as they were spare, seem Ok, a little uncushioned but very grippy.
Hate specialized grips. Wore out if you just look at them, white, and gave me blisters. Everythign that could be wrong in a grip.
I bought a set of Superstar Size Zero grips for my DH bike, and loved them. Nice and thin, good length at 150mm and good solid locking collars with good bolts all for £9.
However I went to buy a second set for the trail bike and they're now out of stock until next month, can anyone recommend a similarly priced alternative or should I just wait for a month?
esi chunks here too,easier than I thought to fit,and very comfy and grippy(and under a £10)
Anything that is lock on.......forget the rest.
Really....because my wired on Renthal grips are just as secure as lock ons...and damp vibrations better than their own brand of lock ons....because theres more rubber to them as they have no inner plastic tube.
With shifters and brakes that can be removed without taking the grips off, why then should I bother with lock ons?
Does anyone use a form of lock ons for motocross btw? The answer is a big fat no, lock ons are just for lazy people.
ODI Ruffians are absolute classique - last for ages, lock on, grippy choice of colour pimpage but pricey.
Have tried the superstar efforts both thick and normal. Thick are well just that, insert grappling with extra girth joke in here. Normal are ok but they do wear out. Current ones on my PA looking in a sorry state after less than a year. But they are cheap so I guess you could lifecycle cost 3-4 superstars to 2 sets of ruffians and still come out up enough for a fish supper. Tricky to call.

