Posts
75
Joined
4/4/2018
Location
Dacono, CO
US
Edited Date/Time
1/9/2019 1:38am
Anyone use non lock on grips? Thinking about ditching mine to get better feeling. Theory being, lock on grips eliminates bar flex under the grip and create a more rigid feeling. If you've made the change, what do you think and what do you run?
presto-chango its magic. With most controls being split clamp now days I found it had little negatives to try, but wow it made a huge difference. Usually, they're much cheaper than lock-ons anyways. So give it a shot. if it doesnt work for you, you're out like $15 tops.
Lock-ons are great for the convenience of swapping out grips or bars, and staying in place (but I've not had a non-lock-on throttle).
I've settled in on ESI grips as my go to as I have big hands and like big grips as they have a "chunky" version.
Likes:
-They provide a little bit of damping, but then it's on the handlebar after that. They made not provide enough if you're using a 35mm bar. I've tried the regular ESI foam grips and they felt too soft when I was in the rocks. IMO the SC grips provide a perfect balance of firmness & damping.
-I haven't measured them, but they feel about the same diameter as an olympic bar, which makes them feel very familiar as far as muscle memory, which adds some confidence in my grip and allows me to relax my hands a little more.
-They're quite tactile but not in an over sticky way where everything clings to them. They maintain their tackiness even in the wet.
-Durability: the wear marks on them so far a fairly minimal and they're not too discolored despite starting as an off-white.
Dislikes and/or things to be aware of:
-I use both glue and wire to keep them in place. Even with a lot of glue I've had them slightly creep inward. No issues since also adding wire. (note: I have carbon bars, perhaps it would be different on a metal bar)
-On longer fast descents (15+ minutes) my hands do sometimes get tingly, especially if I'm running my fork a bit stiff and there is a lot of chatter. My solution to this is to do some hand strengthening and stretching exercises a couple times a week.
So I switched to ODI longneck push ons or sometimes Sensus push on. I also noticed slide on grips were much better for barspins -as the ends of the bars are now soft thick rubber
The best Lock-On grips I've tried are ODI's Elite series, particularly the Flow and Pro. ODI has made the surface eccentric from the core, placing adequate rubber under the side facing the rider and keeping the other side thin to avoid an overly large grip. I usually hate Lock-Ons, but these are pretty good.
I don't know how riders who like extremely thin grips tolerate Lock-Ons, which can have as little as 0.5 mm of rubber over the plastic. A push-on grip with the same diameter will have several times as much rubber.
Pluses:
I like my grips thin, with large usable width and I also like a comfy cockpit. Slip-on is the way to go with these goals. I also like the look. I prefer running 31.8mm bar for comfort reasons too.
Minuses and solutions:
On jump bike, while yanking on bars more, I found I would push the grips inward. Slip-on with enclosed outer edge or recycled lock-on clamps on the inside edge of the grip could be a solution.
While its less of an issue on a trail bike, there is a neat solution. With both brakes on a bike, I run ODI longneck XL cut to length to fill whole space between the edge of the bar and brake(shifter) clamp. I like to move my hands about on the grip while cruising and climbing and I love this setup.
I never twisted the grip while riding, but some of my ham-fisted buddies kept doing it all the time. Handlebar surfaces may act differently too. I might try some grip glue in future just for good measure.
they shift slightly at the same rate... so your mileage may vary.
Post a reply to: Grips Question