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Gloveless You Say? kidwoo's Guide To Bltchin' Grips

wydopen

Turbo Monkey
Jan 16, 2005
1,229
60
805
How thick are the ODI Vans grips? Similar to the Ruffians?
i was just fondling some at the shop..they seemed slightly thicker but not much...

think im going to give those a shot next time they were pretty tacky..im bummed my safety wire cut through my nearly new renthal kevlars..they are salvageable but they prob wont last long..
 

thad

Monkey
Sep 28, 2004
388
21
LOL, torque wrenches for grips. TIGHTEN IT TIL IT STRIPS, THEN BACK IT OFF A HALF TURN, GOD!

Sensus swaze lock ons are pretty good. The Vans grips are in between the rogue and ruffian. Medium grip.
 

sbabuser

Turbo Monkey
Dec 22, 2004
1,114
55
Golden, CO
Grip glue is sold by grip companies so grips can't be removed and re-used. Lock-ons are for people without air compressors. Thin grips are for girls. What did I forget? Oh yeah, gloves are for giving boogers something to stick to. I can't imagine not having something to stick my boogers to.
 
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big-ted

Danced with A, attacked by C, fired by D.
Sep 27, 2005
1,400
47
Vancouver, BC
So, any recommendations for someone that has zero interest in riding without gloves, & wants a 'medium' thickness, lock-on grip. Ruffians are too thin. Rogues are too fat. Cross-trainers give a squirmy feel on top of all the thin ridges. I had a set of "pro" grips that i really liked but they had a single clamp & the non-clamped outside got shredded quickly. plus the non-clamped end always felt a little squirmy, so ideally I'm looking for a grip with two lock-on clamps. I'd like to find some of the yeti grips, but they seem to be getting scarce round these parts...
 
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slyfink

Turbo Monkey
Sep 16, 2008
9,289
5,029
Ottawa, Canada
yup. those Easton grips are legit. I got the thick ones and they're great for my trail bike. I think I will rock them on my DH bike once the grips on there wear out (which at this pace could take 10 years given the amount of time I've been on it :( )
 

amishmatt

Turbo Monkey
Sep 21, 2005
1,263
396
Lancaster, PA
So, any recommendations for someone that has zero interest in riding without gloves, & wants a 'medium' thickness, lock-on grip. Ruffians are too thin. Rogues are too fat. Cross-trainers give a squirmy feel on top of all the thin ridges. I had a set of "pro" grips that i really liked but they had a single clamp & the non-clamped outside got shredded quickly. plus the non-clamped end always felt a little squirmy, so ideally I'm looking for a grip with two lock-on clamps. I'd like to find some of the yeti grips, but they seem to be getting scarce round these parts...
Check out the Troy Lee grips. They're in between in size, and get softer/tackier when they wear in a bit.
 

boylagz

Monkey
Jul 12, 2011
558
61
SF bay area
@ted, try the 30mm Eastons. I have the thicker one and its the best Ive used so far. I prefer bigger dia. grips though, preference. I think youll dig it.
 

mrgto

Monkey
Aug 4, 2009
295
118
If you sweat like whore in church and actually have to use your hands to make a living, gloves are wonderful. I have recently discovered 100% I-track gloves. They have seamless palms and it makes huge difference. I thought my grips sucked, but it ended up being my gloves that made part of my hands go numb after a few hours of riding.
 

HAB

Chelsea from Seattle
Apr 28, 2007
11,580
2,006
Seattle
Sensus disisdaboss regardless of gloves or not for me. They weren't out when I did that. If you can handle (heh) the narrow diameter, those things are awesome.
I haven't run anything with those little ridges like that in forever, do they feel kinda squirmy? That's how I remember that style of grip.

I've been pretty happy with the TLD grips but have a couple pairs that are getting worn out and might give something else a try for shits
 

Gary

"S" is for "neo-luddite"
Aug 27, 2002
7,538
5,470
UK
Something in a Shart approved wipe clean design?...



Or a nice ribbed design favoured for days when the l'il chap is feeling extra hot?


Pure speculation of course... I'm sure side knobbage of both my recommendations will be well off Woo approval.
 
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mrgto

Monkey
Aug 4, 2009
295
118
I haven't run anything with those little ridges like that in forever, do they feel kinda squirmy? That's how I remember that style of grip.

I've been pretty happy with the TLD grips but have a couple pairs that are getting worn out and might give something else a try for shits
I love the sensus grips. I was worried at first how thin they are but I haven't had any problems and I have pretty big hands. They don't squirm around they just feel cushy. I went with 100% gloves that have no seams on the palm and the sensus grips and it 2 of the best moves I've made for my cockpit.
 

ChrisRobin

Turbo Monkey
Jan 30, 2002
3,346
190
Vancouver
Thoughts on Ergon grips?

I'm currently using ODI Rogue grips which have a 33mm diameter, on both my AM and DH bikes. Same bars too: RF Sixc 785mm. My hands are somewhat dainty and girly but the Rogue grips feel great to me. Prior to that, I had ESI grips which I wasn't a huge fan of (I also had Easton lockon grips which were sorta okay).

I was thinking of taking a chance and ordering the Ergon GA3 for the AM bike and the GA2 Fat grips for the DH bike. The GA3 mostly because I just feel like trying them with those wingy things on them, and the GA2 Fat grips because they're 33mm at the end but taper down towards the shifter.
 

iRider

Turbo Monkey
Apr 5, 2008
5,648
3,089
I was thinking of taking a chance and ordering the Ergon GA3 for the AM bike and the GA2 Fat grips for the DH bike. The GA3 mostly because I just feel like trying them with those wingy things on them, and the GA2 Fat grips because they're 33mm at the end but taper down towards the shifter.
I am using GA2s as they came with a used bike I bought. Not sure if they are the fat or the regular version. They are OK but nothing to write home about. OK grip with gloves in the dry, not sure how they will handle wet conditions though. Personally I find them having too little grip when you pull up on the handlebar on a jump, so you either have to squeeze harder or slip a little which causes me to have not as much control over the bike as I would like. It is not major though, but I am not sure if they will stay until they are worn out.
Interestingly, I realized that on one grip the inner plastic sleeve is cracked too, which doesn't influence the performance but made for a WTF moment when switching brakes around. No idea what you have to do to a grip to make it crack.
 

mykel

closer to Periwinkle
Apr 19, 2013
5,071
3,780
sw ontario canada
I have GE1's on teh big bike. I absolutely love them. My search is over. :cupidarrow:
BUT...
Gloves ARE REQUIRED.
I forgot my gloves one trip and a single run down the hill scared the fuck out of me. :fie: :twitch: I went right to the booth bummed 10.00 off of a buddy and rented a pair for the day. Now I make sure I have my backup gloves tucked into the back of my kit bag - just in case.

I do wonder about the GD-Factory and the GA series,(GA3->trailbike?) but unless I get one in the hand, then my next ones will be the newer GE1 Evo-Factory.
 

slyfink

Turbo Monkey
Sep 16, 2008
9,289
5,029
Ottawa, Canada
I have nothing more to add to this thread. Except to point out that in his post-race interview at Vallnord, Laurie Greenland was asked about his couple of super-sketchy moments. He said it's caus' his hands slipped off the grips from running gloveless. Said he liked the feel of gloveless, but conditions were too hot and humid, and so he slipped off. It's a tradeoff in certain instances, and he made the wrong call on the day.
 

mykel

closer to Periwinkle
Apr 19, 2013
5,071
3,780
sw ontario canada
I run GE1 non-slim on my bikes. 99% of time no gloves.
Ya, but do you break out in a dripping sweat when you LOOK at a picture of the sun, let alone actually go out under the damn thing?:mad:
If you are one of those dry hand freaks who have natural hand antiperspirant going on, then your mileage may vary. :shakefist:
 

Toshi

Harbinger of Doom
Oct 23, 2001
38,032
7,553
Ya, but do you break out in a dripping sweat when you LOOK at a picture of the sun, let alone actually go out under the damn thing?:mad:
If you are one of those dry hand freaks who have natural hand antiperspirant going on, then your mileage may vary. :shakefist:
Every once in a while I have to wipe down my palms on my baggies. Generally dry hands.
 

rockofullr

confused
Jun 11, 2009
7,342
924
East Bay, Cali
My 2¢

I really dig those big chunky Oury grips for gloved and unloved riding. With gloves I'm a bit more flexible on grip diameter but I prefer a thicker grip in general. I tried the Sensus grips but even with gloves they were too narrow for me. I don't like when my fingers are wrapping all they way around and touching my palm.
 

Bikael Molton

goofy for life
Jun 9, 2003
4,010
1,146
El Lay
Yeah, I use Oury (non-lockon), as I have XL-XXL length hands. I think I can wrap my fingers 2-3x around the thin grips everyone else loves, or else hold em between my thumb and first finger like a cig?? lol

The non-lockon Ourys are much more comfy and soft compared to the ODI version with the hard plastic inner tube.

Usually I climb gloveless and only put em on for the descent if it's so hot that my hands are sweaty (generally not) OR I think I might crash. :0

In this area there are a ton of spiky ass plants, cacti and agave etc, right next to the trails, so I'm actually back to heavier duty gloves with finger/back of hand armor, compared to what I'd prefer to wear or not wear.
 
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Bikael Molton

goofy for life
Jun 9, 2003
4,010
1,146
El Lay
For those of you with larger hands, my absolute favorite gloveless grip has just been discontinued. Hella comfy, but has some nice support.

Not only are Kocsis reasonably thick for those of us with XL+ size hands, they are way longer than puny 3" MTB grips that were all designed for front derailleurs and 25" bars. I love the ability to choke up on the bar when jumping, climbing or on longer rides. I wanted to try those Meaty Paws, but not until they have a slip-on long version.

Buy 'em while you can.

https://www.albes.com/animal-jeff-kocsis-grips/

 

Gary

"S" is for "neo-luddite"
Aug 27, 2002
7,538
5,470
UK
These:
and
and
Are all pretty lengthy and ribbed for your pleasure.
 

Bikael Molton

goofy for life
Jun 9, 2003
4,010
1,146
El Lay
I agree, but the Kocsis are thicker.

These:
and
and
Are all pretty lengthy and ribbed for your pleasure.
 

Bike078

Monkey
Jan 11, 2018
561
405
@Gary you didn't report back re fabric magic grips. You still using them? I bought a pair because they are really cheap over here. They have been ok so far. Previously, my go to grips have been the affordable single lock-on Shimano Pros because I place the outer part of my palms at the ends of the handlebars. I had to readjust with the magic grips because their shape.