Coming back to mtb after a long break last year every bike seemed to have lock-ons, so when it came to replacing mine i dutifully followed form and got some hope ones.

They need replacing again, but I’m struggling to remember ever having issues with non-lock-on grips in the past. Lock-ons look great and I like having a metal bar-end cap but are they solving a problem that doesn’t really exist?

pondering whether to take the weight saving of non-lock-ons or not..

IMO no, have yet to find a pair that are as comfy as normal grips.
I use DMR zip grips with a bit of hairspray applied before fitting.

Lock-on’s are easy to remove/reinstall, unlike stick-ons etc.

Not all levers and shifters are dual bolted so need to be slid off the bar when parts swapped or for maintenance.

A total pita without lock ons!!

“A total pita without lock ons!!”

2 exclamation marks – really.

Its not all that hard unless you fitted your grips with 2 part epoxy.

I have lock ons on a couple of bikes(as you dont get ergons without locking collars and light weight foamies fitted with puncture repair glue on other bikes (smear it all over the inside and let it dry before fitting) it grips the bar well but easy to remove.

I find Loc-ons less bother to fit/replace and I’ve never had a pair start slipping as water and crap migrate under, I have had those problems with regular grips in the past, Stevet1’s suggestion isn’t a bad one, I’ve used Zip grip in the past and they were OK…

Wear rate on any grip is really down to the rubber used, most people like soft/gummy loc-ons, and those are always going to wear faster IMO, but they do feel nice/work so you accept the trade off.

If you think changing MTB Loc-ons is a pain, steer well clear of drop-bar bikes, re-taping a bar is substantially more time consuming than changing a Loc-on…

Not needed, but definitely easier.

I agree, they’re not essential. I always used to spray a bit of gel spray underneath and put them in position. There was no shifting them after that, even had to cut them off with a stanley knife.

Not needed, but definitely easier.

This. I seem to be regularly swapping brakes or fitting dropper remotes or some other action that needs to pop the grips off. Its so much easier with lock ons, had to wrestle stuck normal grips too many times. Well worth any penalty if there even is one.

How often are you guys swapping your shifters / bars / brakes out???

I like em, especially as in the event of an off you only scrape the locking ring, rather than putting a hole in your grip.

the one time i had lock-ons, was at the mega in 2010, during practice i feel off my bike and the bike landed down the hill somewhere and a rock had perfectly popped off the grip, never had that happen with a regular grip, so they went in the bin

I don’t get on with loc on’s.
I like esi grips, but I have just fitted some Ritchey rubber grips…..proper old school comfy… ;o)

How often are you guys swapping your shifters / bars / brakes out???

In recent memory (last 12 months):
New bars
New Brakes
Switch to 1×10
Try my dropper on the left
Realise I prefer my dropper on the right
New bars on the wife’s bike
New brakes on the wife’s bike

Not exactly daily but enough times to make easy to remove grips worthwhile

cookeaa – Member
I find Loc-ons less bother to fit/replace and I’ve never had a pair start slipping as water and crap migrate under, I have had those problems with regular grips in the past,

agree with this guy

God, I remember faffing with various things to get non-lock ons to stay on ten years ago. They were awful. Lock-ons, for me at least, are a revelation.

Mrs Oldman wrecked the ends of her grips in a spectacular OTB moment at Kielder so they had to come off. Needed a Stanley knife to slice them off. Replaced with Crank Bros. lockons which are very nice. The plastic end caps were however, pathetic. Replaced with Hope caps and now looking very smart.

I find Raceface half nelsons a great compromise. Ribber like a regular grip but with one lock on.

Not a fan of lock ones and I have split mounts on all bar mounted stuff now so no need. I like thin grips with good grip. Renthal kevlar do it for me, thin, sticky, very comfy since there’s no hard plastic core.

I like the comfort of esi grips over anything else, and applied with window cleaner, they stay put. But they fall apart at the first sign of a scuff with tree. Lock-ons are tough, but less comfy. Quicker to fit too, but a little squirt of window cleaner isn’t really a hassle either.

So on balance, if esi’s were tougher, I’d stick with them. As it stands, lock-on moabs for me right now.

I’ve got Ritchey WCS ergo foam grips,

>100g lighter than lock ons
Doesn’t require a game of hunt the otherwise useless 2.5mm allen key to get them on/off
really comfortable
really grippy
really cheap

I actually took my last few pairs of lock ons off to replace with the ritchey grips rather than wait for them to wear out.

Lock ons are fashion/marketing over actual need.

Having said that, I used to have problems with rubber grips sliding around so maybe grips have move on and removed the need for lock ons rather than lock ons being entirely pointless.

the best grips are foam WCS grips. they unfortunately last 30 seconds.

thisisnotaspoon – Member
I’ve got Ritchey WCS ergo foam grips,

>100g lighter than lock ons

They’re not more than 100g lighter than lock ons. They;re 36g without end caps – let’s say 40g.

Ruffians, which are pretty standard lock ons, are 108g. Lighter locks ons like Hope and the Half Nelsons are about 90 g. And those Ritcheys are horrible. I have a pair in the bin in my shed right now.

Nah, lockons are never going to be as comfortable due to the plastic sheath.
A bit of hairspray, and they slip on and stay put.
I absolutely love Sunline Mushroom grips, and when I found out they stopping making them I bought about 10 pairs. Enough to last me for ever hopefully!

Never had lock ons, but not had an issues with normal grips slipping for years.
I use damp start, which basically spray silicone sealant which keeps them in place nicely.

How often are you guys swapping your shifters / bars / brakes out???

And every time I break/damage something…

nice one guys. kind of re-affirmed my thoguhts. I don’t take things on and off very often so will probably skip lock-ons this time round. I’ll have mostly worn them out by the time it starts raining heavily again in autumn anyway!

[cue the wettest summer in living memory]

Nah, lockons are never going to be as comfortable due to the plastic sheath.

My hands started to ache a bit after 200Km of riding, maybe you’re right. 😕

Non lock-on for me. Having tried both I find them comfier and have yet to have them slip in 3 or 4 years of going back to them from lock-on’s. Lizard Skins Chargers on both bikes FWIW.

the best grips are foam WCS grips. they unfortunately last 30 seconds.

I’m about 800miles into my current pair (at an average speed of 96,000mph).

They’re not more than 100g lighter than lock ons. They’re 36g without end caps – let’s say 40g.

Ruffians, which are pretty standard lock ons, are 108g.

Ruffians are much thinner though, the only lock ons I found even remotely comfortable were rogues, which IIRC were 140g (100g heavier than foam grips then).

It’s a personal preference though, I used lock ons for years, I used them before they were cool, when they were silly money before superstar started selling £10 copies, I carried on for ages because everyone else used them. Then bought some gusset B****** grips for the SS and realised that actually pretty much anything, even those, was better than lock ons (IMO).

Lock ons aren’t quite* as comfy and comparatively weigh a tonne but they stay put when you want them to and come off when you want them to. Been using them for donkeys, got some ESI chunkys (that I won) on my SS, less bar/control swappage likely, kinda tempted to get another pair as they have stayed put so far. We’ll see.

If I Was looking to build a really light bike then I’d ditch the lock ons but as they do have a (workshop) advantage so they stay for now.

*yeti lockon are pretty close to the hardcore yetis I was using before, speed grips were marginally comfier still but short lived and shuffled in wet weather.

I’m ripping the lock-ons off this weekend as part of a new bars fit, and going old school…

NOS from Ebay.

Little water to ease them on and they never budge. To remove, just slide a WD40 straw under them and give good quirt and easy off.

I struggle with grips, I’ve got big hands, wide palms, and often the outer clamp of lock ons is uncomfortable, I’m already on 740mm bars & don’t want to go wider.

I like the odi system with snap in end caps and the fact you can swap/replace grips/lock ring. The rogues are thick enough for the plastic core not to be an issue.

GotTHESE on my other bike, one lock ring is nice, and secure enough, they could just do with being a tad thicker.

Used lockons for many years but have moved away from them to try and get a bit more comfort. Tried ESI which I really liked but are fragile, now got Lizard Skins DSP. Not actually tried them yet as I don’t appear to have ridden a mtb since I went up Skiddaw in April :-/

core – Member
I struggle with grips, I’ve got big hands, wide palms, and often the outer clamp of lock ons is uncomfortable, I’m already on 740mm bars & don’t want to go wider.

Got THESE on my other bike, one lock ring is nice, and secure enough, they could just do with being a tad thicker.

Thickness issues aside, do you feel any benefit from them over regular grips? That is, grips which aren’t “ergonomically optimised”? I’m tempted to try their GA2 grips.

bensales

Faaaaaaark, onza porcupines were the bees knees when I used to ride a lot. In fact I only pulled a pair off my old bike last summer.

This thread has definitely confirmed it for me. You guys are proper weird.
😉

Onza ules FTW – and apparently coming out in lock on flavour! What’s not to like?

(I claim at least partial credit for this as I wrote to whoever had the brand about 5 years ago suggesting this)

http://singletrackworld.com/2015/03/new-products-from-the-geared2015-trade-show/

Try OnOne fat bob light foam lockons, lighter than normal ones, only sleeves at one end and foam.

They are cheap (from superstar) work well, are tough and are easy to fit. Also in my opinion they look nicer and if you like bling you have more colourful anodising options.

I have them on my singlespeed. On my nicer bikes I run silicone grips (ESI?superstar) because they work well and are much lighter. Not quite as robust but as most of my riding is xc biased it doesn’t matter.

When I was commuting on a flat bared bike I’d just pick the cheapest grips I could find. Never had an issue with any of them.