Ergon grips? Anyone used them?

johnnytourettes

Hey Guys,

I've been running quite a few hardcore trails lately and am finding that the hands afterwards are in absolute agony. The longest i managed without stopping was 15 minutes doing the gap road in the brecon beacons and it was hell.

I've done a bit of searching and investigation and alot of reviews seem to point to Ergon grips, but trying to find any videos from users is coming up a bit vague. There are a few reviews on chain reaction, but just wanted to see if you guys had any experience with them?

Cheers

JT

rikk

Been using them for ages and find there really good, take a little getting used to. Also I found very early on I was holding the grips far to tight (almost a death grip) so loosen up and try a pair

johnnytourettes

Cheers Rik,

Yeah i think the death grip was applied on the weekend for fear of falling off a mountain

What model grip do you use?

cheers again

Twelly

What bike do you have?
What grips are currently on there?
Do you wear gloves?
If so, what gloves?

I switched all of my bikes to Clarks lock-ons and they are infinitely more comfortable than standard grips and they are cheap (£8). Combined with a good pair of gloves I rarely get aching or sore hands now. Only used the Ergon grips briefly, not for a long ride and they just seemed a bit unnecessary. My Clark's grips are just as comfortable for me.

johnnytourettes

A Lapierre X-Control 210 2012
Lapierre Raid Lock Ons
Yes, i wear 661 comp gloves http://www.26bikes.com/clothes_shoes_guards/gloves/661_comp_2010

I've used the 661 winter gloves with the same grips also which seem to have more padding and still having the same issue.

Greer_

TwellySmat wrote:

I switched all of my bikes to Clarks lock-ons and they are infinitely more comfortable than standard grips and they are cheap (£8). Combined with a good pair of gloves I rarely get aching or sore hands now. Only used the Ergon grips briefly, not for a long ride and they just seemed a bit unnecessary. My Clark's grips are just as comfortable for me.

I've never had a more uncomfortable, ungrippy grip than those clarks one. No idea why I bought two pairs of them! Try Superstar Suppagrippas for £10, soft, grippy and seem to be lasting well. Replacement grip cartridge is only £5 too.

Twelly

As said above, may be holding on too tight. Your weight should be supported by the pedals rather than the bars.

15 minutes is very quick to be getting pain with any grips. I suspect your riding position may be putting too much weight on your hands.

I've never had a more uncomfortable, ungrippy grip than those clarks one. No idea why I bought two pairs of them! Try Superstar Suppagrippas for £10, soft, grippy and seem to be lasting well. Replacement grip cartridge is only £5 too.

Each to their own. First thing I do on any bike now is buy a pair of these.

andrewjoseph

I used the ergon grips several years ago, for about two weeks and then got rid of them. I couldn't get all my fingers around the bar so didn't feel safe on tricky stuff.

The ulnar pad was only comfortable in one position: i.e. if I positioned it so it was fine on flattish ground, I couldn't get comfortable when climbing and descending, and vice versa.

I like a relatively thin and tacky grip, got some lizard skins lock on at the moment. last well and comfortable for all day rides.

vmgscot

As andrewjoseph says, the Ergons don't let you move your hands around the grips so Ok in one position but then when you adopt the 'attack' or climbing positions they are resrictive. OK for touring or canal cruising

agg25

I've got the Ergon Enduro's on 2 of my bikes and they're good, not quite as "one position" as the bigger Ergon's but still with a more ergonomic shape than just totally round grips. You can fit your fingers right around them unlike the bigger ones.

forgotrafe

Almost certainly body position/gripping on too tight and nothing to do with the grips.

Have you considered a training/skills course? I'd put the money towards one of those as they'd help you fix this issue. You'd probably get a lot more value for money out of it too!

timpop

I have used Ergon grips for a few years now and they work well for me. Have a look at the website. http://www.ergon-bike.com/us/en/home
I'm currently using the GA1 as they suit my riding but have used the GX1 (now GS1) too. There are plenty of models to choose from depending on your riding style. IMO they're definitely worth it and I don't use padded gloves anymore either.
The GA1 grips are great for technical riding, anything from steep trails, rocks, FR and DH etc and are comfortable. GS1 grips are great for general XC and moderate technical terrain and are also comfortable. I prefer the GA1 grips though.
Secondly, you might want to look at your riding possition as everyone will say. You might be on your hands too much.
Have fun!

troyer2112

I have the BioCorks and they rock! There isn't any restriction whether going uphill, technical or anything for that matter. I love the way they feel.
Someone suggested to take a training course which i agree wholeheartedly. When i attended such a course my coach told me that 90 percent of all Mt. bike riders bikes are set up improperly, like a road bike. He suggested to get a much shorter stem and wider bars. This will do a number of things to the handling as well as make the position of your body, i.e. arms and hands will not have so much pressure from your body being overextended.
The position of your body should be able to float on your pedals as if you were riding a horse.

johnnytourettes

TwellySmat wrote:

15 minutes is very quick to be getting pain with any grips. I suspect your riding position may be putting too much weight on your hands.

This was a 15 minute decent after 3 hours riding up and down the Brecon Beacons in wales, but it was only this part that caused any grief. I am 6ft 4" so possibly my height is pushing forward more onto my hands!? dunno?

Thanks for the ideas though guys, looks like im going to have to try a few different things and report back.

Cheers again

JT

Twelly

Try moving the saddle towards the bars and maybe a high rise stem/bars to put you in a more seated position to get the weight on your arse rather than hands. Obviously this will only have effect when you are seated, when you are stood you need to make sure you are weighting the pedals not leaning on the bars.

Your hands should be relaxed on the bars when stood up, just guiding the bars rather than grabbing onto them. Keeping your weight on the pedals also lowers your C of G and makes the bike more stable in corners.

johnnytourettes

TwellySmat wrote:

Try moving the saddle towards the bars and maybe a high rise stem/bars to put you in a more seated position to get the weight on your ars* rather than hands. Obviously this will only have effect when you are seated, when you are stood you need to make sure you are weighting the pedals not leaning on the bars.

Your hands should be relaxed on the bars when stood up, just guiding the bars rather than grabbing onto them. Keeping your weight on the pedals also lowers your C of G and makes the bike more stable in corners.

Cheers dude, tried all this and went on a local route and still found they were hurting slighty.

Found an offer for the ergon grips and give them a try after going through all of the advice on here and too be fair they were bang on! No pain whatsoever! Tried a few more downhill sections over large boulder, extremely muddy so needed quite a bit of work and still no grumble from the hands. Looks like i found the issue!

Thanks to all the info though guys, learned allot of tips and tricks along the way but finally found a solution.

Nice one guys

JT

Anonymous

Had Ergon grips after initially getting pains in the hands, but frankly they're rubbish if you want to do anything aggressive. Nice flat surface is great for a gentle platform to pootle round the park, but once you need to 'grip' on gnarly descents, a few big bumps and the hand shoots off forward off the grip! Happened a few times to me, the things were instantly replaced as they were clearly dangerous.

Since got Superstar grips. Perfect. Comfy, don't have hand pains, great gripping.

Reason for the hand pains I'm convinced was nothing to do with the grips but my riding style in the early days, plus it just being early days. It's changed a lot and I've also adjusted to the 'jedi' positioning of the levers which makes far more sense for technical, slack angle riding and gnarly rather than the traditionally taught roadie almost vertically down style (best suited for lycra and head over the bars, arse sky high ).

Wily-Quixote

I love em especially for 3 hr plus rides. More than adequate grip on descents unless you have muppet arms, I guess. Some even come with old skool bar ends which makes control on ascents a cinch, as the stronger bicep muscles are used. Negates the requirement for silly-wide bars.

timpop

deadkenny wrote:

Had Ergon grips after initially getting pains in the hands, but frankly they're rubbish if you want to do anything aggressive. Nice flat surface is great for a gentle platform to pootle round the park, but once you need to 'grip' on gnarly descents, a few big bumps and the hand shoots off forward off the grip! Happened a few times to me, the things were instantly replaced as they were clearly dangerous.

Kenny, Ergon have a huge range of grips so it's shame to discount them because you had the wrong grips for your riding. Have a look at the website just for curiosity sake: http://www.ergon-bike.com/us/en/home I'm using the GA1 grips, they're awesome.

YeehaaMcgee

johnnytourettes wrote:

I've been running quite a few hardcore trails lately and am finding that the hands afterwards are in absolute agony. The longest i managed without stopping was 15 minutes doing the gap road in the brecon beacons and it was hell.

How long have you been riding? i find that my hands ache like hell if I've been off the bike for a while, but the pain eventually subsides after getting some more miles in.

Anonymous

timpop wrote:

Kenny, Ergon have a huge range of grips so it's shame to discount them because you had the wrong grips for your riding. Have a look at the website just for curiosity sake: http://www.ergon-bike.com/us/en/home I'm using the GA1 grips, they're awesome.

GA1 stuff looks better as they don't have the obviously large palm flat that would prevent technical grip. You do need to be able to adjust the hand a lot and support/push the bars using the palm and the flat style ones prevent that.

timpop

deadkenny wrote:

timpop wrote:

Kenny, Ergon have a huge range of grips so it's shame to discount them because you had the wrong grips for your riding. Have a look at the website just for curiosity sake: http://www.ergon-bike.com/us/en/home I'm using the GA1 grips, they're awesome.

GA1 stuff looks better as they don't have the obviously large palm flat that would prevent technical grip. You do need to be able to adjust the hand a lot and support/push the bars using the palm and the flat style ones prevent that.

Hi again Kenny, I agree. The flat style of the other grips is a bit dicey on technical terrain which is why I use the GA1. The GA1 model has two sizes so you can fit to your hand size or preference. Have a look out when on the trails and have a feel if you see any.