ODI Ruffian V2.1 Lock-On Grips

If you have been around MTB's for any period of time you have probably heard of or at least seen omeone rocking the ODI Ruffian grips. They are known for their small diameter, good grip and how connected they make you feel to your bike. This review is for the Ruffian MX grips, which like many motocross grips (hence the MX designation) has a half waffle pattern on the bottom. I have run Ruffians on my bikes for a while and used to ride motocross as well so when I saw these half waffle style grips I had to give them a try.

The grips feel similar to the standard Ruffian grips, but the half waffle does provide a bit of a padded feel to your fingers and provides a bit more grip when things get wet or muddy. I have not noticed a significant improvement over the standard grips, but I feel grips are one of those things that you only really notice if there is an issue (maybe that'sjust me). If my hands are not slipping or sore and beat up its a win for me. I have ridden some other grips that gripped fine, but wore out quickly and left my hands sore after only a bit of riding. While the Ruffians are thin they are more than comfortable enough for me even on longer rides and yet they are not too padded leaving me feeling disconnected to the bike.

In terms or durability, I have broken a few of the endcaps with really big crashes, but I have a few extras laying around. The rubber I'd say wears a little quickly, but not more than other softer compound grips. The rubber definitely gets more grippy once it is broken in. These grips are my go to on all of my bikes, even my flat bar commuter. They feel great and tick all of the boxes for what I look for in a grip and the price is not bad either. I would not hesitate recommending these to any rider, but if you have issues with sore hands you might want something with more padding.

Switched from the ODI Rogue to the Ruffian for more feeling, which the Ruffian definitely offers. The Ruffian still sticks with ODIs' tradition of strong grips with great sticky rubber. The Ruffian is a thinner grip pattern that offers a lot of bar feeling, but you don't feel like you are ever going to lose your grip. Also with some thinner grips you feel like to have to hold on tighter since there is less material, but this isn't the case with the Ruffians. I have had these for a year and haven't seen a whole lot of wear, but imagine with less material there will be less life.

One big complaint I do have is in the lock-on ring department. I got the Ruffian grips as refills because I already had the ODI lock-on rings. In my past experience the rings popped onto the grip easily and stayed on. With these Ruffians I actually couldn't just snap on the lock-on ring like in the past. I could get on side of the the lock-on ring on, but then the other side wouldn't snap in. I ended up using a rubber mallet to "massage" the lock-on ring on to grip. While not the greatest way to do it, it worked.

Another issue I have is with the head size and strength of the lock-on ring bolts. While I know these need to be small and light it is really easy to strip these out. Definitely have to be very conscience of how your are tighten them and loosening them.

Don't last very long but they are incredible while they do, you can just buy the grip after you have the lock rings.

The smallest of the ODI family, the Ruffian have stood the test of time and could be considered the standard bike grip against which others are judged. I personally like a bit thicker grip (but not too thick) so I go with the Ruffian MX. If the smaller size is your thing, you just can't go wrong with the classic. The only thing I can think to improve would be for ODI to have a bit more fun with the end-caps - add some color or something!

A great grip, some will say the best. That is subjective as grips are like saddles or your taste in clothes, it's personal. I like these, but I find them a bit too thin and narrow so I wouldn't buy them again but I do like the tacky, grippy surface. Personally I prefer Peaty lock-ons and Rogues but I'd never mind riding a bike with these.

So ever since I rode Aaron Chase's hard tail one day while at a Mt. Snow race I noticed he had these grips on there and they really stuck out to me as a "universal pro grip" as almost ALL the pros there were using them (regardless if they were sponsored by them or not). If that wasn't enough of a reason to get them I don't know what is. I have these on all my bikes now and I will never use another grip again, I recommend black though, the white ones get pretty nasty looking after a few days of use but they still work fine. I am starting to like the ones with the checkers board pattern on the back too I think they are called the Ruffian MX or something.

I am a huge fan of ODI grips. Buy a bike, get ODI's. I recently reviewed the ODI TLD grips and had nothing but good things to say. Those are great for me but these are a tough competitor. This review will mainly be a compare/ contrast between the two.

The TLD lock on grips are great for riders with larger hands cause they are wider than these. In my opinion, the TLD's are more comfortable due to the flanges and the ramped texture but I'm sure I'll get some hate for that. If the Ruffians had flanges (apart from the BMX model which don't play well with shifters), they would be the best grips ever. The locking system is pretty much the same so nothing to talk about there except they both don't move at all. As far as grippiness goes, both are great. The Ruffians have vertical knobs so forward and backward motion is very limited. The TLD's have ramped knobs so there is no backward motion but forward motion is more so than the Ruffians.

All in all, both are very similar. Ruffians for smaller handed users, TLD's for larger handed users. They weigh about the same. They also both cost about the so price shouldn't be a deciding factor. It's just that simple. I've tried many grips but I've narrowed it down to these two. However, if I had to choose a pair for forever, I would go with the Ruffians for the slimmer design but I would miss the flanges and impressive looks of the TLD's.

The often-imitated ODI Ruffian is my favorite grip. The knurled pattern is simple and low-profile, and provides great grip without annoying logos or hard spots. They're thin enough to give you a good connection to the bar and bike, but still take some of the sting out of the ride. Whether the day is hot and dusty or chilly and wet, these grips will give you the traction you need. Many other brands have a similar pattern available, but ODI's lock collars are better than most.

These grips are the best ones from ODI in my opinion, I'm running them on 2 different bikes, allows you to feel the handlebar that much tighter especially if you don't wear gloves. The lock-ons are always a bonus and never fail.  The small diamond cuts into the grip add for a great amount of traction, but over a year or two, they can wear down and your rubber grip can get quite thin.  Be prepared to get new ones after a few seasons.  My friend had a set on a bighit for years and wore them down to the plastic/metal insides.

It's one of the few constant parts on my bikes over the years, I just never see the need to even try anything else. As good as it gets!