Bar ends ... so hot right now

Haven't tried them on bike park braking bumps yet, where I get the most arm pump, but I like the extra control and security they give when charging hard. They're also nice when leaning the bike into corners and off cambers. I put them on my Druid V1 with Deity grips. I didn't get the hole punch they sell, so just used a utility knife to cut the rubber off the end of the grip, drilled a hole in the plastic of the grip, then used a mini die grinder bit in a dremel to grind the plastic grip endcap out to the full interior diameter of the grip. 

I'd be curious to try them but having tried and hated Counterpunches (the hard outer ring hurt my hand), I'm reluctant to because of the lack of cushion.  I wonder why they didn't incorporate a foam liner, like what Finn did on his pair.

scalpel + step bit works pretty good too.  

Thanks for your excellent input in the other thread. I'll link below for anyone interested. 

Hoping to toss these on today and get a feel for them. I have a lot of nerve issues in my hands and it kills a lot of riding for me, basically by the time I get into a flow on any trail, I spend the rest of the time managing hand pain until I have to stop. I rarely have issues with my hands sliding outwards and losing grip, it's usually under constant / heavy braking they slip forward, but I'm hoping these will let me release my grip a little bit and go longer. We will see.

https://www.vitalmtb.com/forums/hub/2026-mtb-tech-rumors-and-innovation…

I just got a set of these and I'm going to try them out on my park/enduro bike.  To be clear, I'm talking about the wolftooth versions, not the OG versions that Breeden was selling/riding.  

What grips are people pairing with these so far?  

I got a couple sets and put them on my e-bike and my park/dh bike - both mounted with Renthal ultra-tacky push on grips with minor trimming (I always cut the inner flange off, and I trimmed the bit on the outer flange that overlaps the supplied bar end plugs on the outer).  No issues installing in a One-Up V2 carbon or an SQlab alloy bar.  Had a few days on each now, getting along well with them in the steep tech.  Haven't had any park laps on them yet so I can't comment on them interfering with whips and tables, will see when I'm back in Whistler in a few weeks.  

I've got mine set up with ODI Longneck push ons, and it's been great so far. I trimmed the mushroomed end of the grip to give my palm a little more room on the flat section of the grip, as the side of my hands were cramping up where they met the bar end. That cramp has gone away and the performance has been super sweet, noticeably less hand fatigue than without them. That being said, I've gotten them into the bike park and they straight up suck on jump trails. They have a tendency to poke my wrists or catch in my shirt if I'm doing any kind of whips or tables, and I'm certainly not the guy getting the most sideways or flat. 

If you have access to a 3d printer and want to give a set a try. 

https://www.printables.com/model/1626756-mtb-bar-end-plate

Not my file but going to print a set later today to put on and give them a go. 

Not sure about Deity but ODI's punch out pretty cleanly if you take a decent size punch with a hammer from the interior of the grip. One little hit and the circle of plastic breaks out of the grip end and then clean it up with a razor blade. The wolf tooth bar ends fit great that way with my ODI Reflex XLs. Been using the same punch out method on my moto for years.    

Yeah I'm keen to get a pair to try out but have yet to see any Canadian retailers with stock. Have people just been buying direct? 

let me know how it prints, I got some old grips I'll give it a try on

I got a pair on this weekend and have a few hours on them so far. I like them. They’re made of rubber, not plastic or metal, so they don’t hurt your pinkies (like the Counterpunch bar ends). If you’re just riding along on flat ground you don’t have to push into them, so they’re not intrusive. On steep and gnarly stuff, they really do feel like you’ve got more handlebar to push on. I’m hard-pressed to come up with a better description than “locked in”. Makes it feel really natural to weight the inside hand on a turn.

Also, like, they’re $40. I’ve spent way more money on much sillier stuff that didn’t do as much.

Yea too bad they are sold out and lord knows when they will be back in stock too...

That I've lived long enough for bar ends to come back into fashion!
What a time to be alive!!!

 

At least they have improved how they look I guess?

I've been running the originals on my DH bike and really like them. I described them to a mate as a bit like the difference between clipless and flats

Only drawback has been the metal bolt that scratches WHATEVER you lean your bike against so that's a consideration. 

Only issue is you dont really want to be pulling your lower hand down...that removes grip...doesn't add it...

Thanks, coach

They're back in stock on Wolf Tooth website.

Anyone using them with revgrips, any compatbility issues?  I'm currently on Oneup Goldstones and I absolutely love the bulge on the outer end, so will be trying out the WT locked-in bar-ends - but I need a new set of grips so figured maybe give revgrips a try if they're compatible.

I run Revgrips and bought a pair of the Wolftooths a couple of days ago.  You could run them stock with Revs but there will be a big gap where the collar is so not at all ideal.  I think you could clearance the round seat that is supposed to lock onto the bar to make room for the Rev collar but that will require removing quite a bit of material.  Definitely a bit disappointing as the Rev and bar end combo could be really good.  I have a set of new Oneup Goldstone grips on my workbench and that looks like a combo that will work quite well after cutting out the end plug of the grip.  Ergon GDH Team grips and the bar ends looks like they would play well together out of the box without mods when I was eyeballing things at the shop.

🤣

 Really really want to get a pair once they are available in canada! 

Any experience with mounting them to a non round hole handlebar? It'll likely pull it off centre, right? 

Also, did they say anything about plans to make an integrated grip-bar end lockon combo? 

Just ran these for the first time yesterday... really liked them... paired up with Ergon GD1 EVO grips which come with a bar end plug so no adaptation needed... 😜

I doubled down and bought two sets, one for the endurbro rig and one for the dh bike. Will I like them? who knows. Will I be able to pawn them off if I hate them? Probably. 

O/T but slightly related: I've had a few nasty hand injuries when I landed in rocks with the handlebar still in hand, the bar smashing my thumb against the rock underneath. I was thinking about some protective gizmo that would clamp between shifter and grip that would take the brunt of the impact in such situation, basically shaped like these bar ends but on a clamp. Anyone seen anything like that?

I snagged a couple pairs yesterday when they went back in stock at WT.  About a month ago I smacked my pinky knuckle into a tree, and have been noticing that my grip strength has been reduced from the swelling at that knuckle.  I've gone back and forth between my Goldstone grips and Ergon GDH as the big outer flange helps keep my hand in place, but the harder rubber of the Goldstone flange hurts that injured knuckle.  I'm thinking the GDH with it's softer rubber + the bar end should do the trick nicely.  My only concern is that based on what the install guide shows, you end up moving your grip in on the bars a bit.  Since I normally run my hands just barely hanging over the grip edge, I feel like this will effectively narrow my bars.

I’ve got the Ergon GDH Fat grips and didn’t have to move them in or anything. They actually kind of widen the bars.

The install video (see 2:40) shows the end covering a couple mm of the end of the bar, and the grip slid in a corresponding amount.  

https://www.wolftoothcomponents.com/pages/locked-in-bar-ends-user-manual

Normally on the GDH the end of the grip is actually slightly past the end of the bar due to the plastic ring that stops it.

But yeah I can see that the physical end of bar (with bar end) will be a bit wider than with just the Ergon end plug.