Ergon GE1 Grips - Review
Ergon has been making innovative grips for years that are designed to offer improved comfort when compared with traditional cylindrical grips. For their new GE1, which is aimed at enduro racers and all-mountain riders, the German company had two major goals. First, like other Ergon grips, the grips are intended to prevent problems like numbness in the fingers and aching forearms. To accomplish this, Ergon uses two different rubber compounds along with a cutout in the grip's internal skeleton for increased vibration damping.
The second goal, and one that's new to Ergon, was to create a grip that helps promote proper riding technique. The outer portion of the grip is angled to the outside, a shape that's meant to work well with the elbows out riding style that comes with running wider bars, providing support for the whole hand. The grips come in two sizes, standard or slim, with corresponding weights of 120 g and 99 g. Colors: bikini pink, black, blue, red, green, grey, white. MSRP: $34.95 USD. www.ergon-bike.com
A single inboard clamp with a 3 mm bolt.
An integrated end cap.
Textured for increased traction and maximum grip.
Extra vibration damping is provided thanks to a cut out in the internal skeleton.
Pinkbike’s Take:
 | The quality of the Ergon GE1 was immediately noticed upon installation. As a chronic over-tightener of bolts, the single clamp with a 3 mm bolt prevented stripping as compared to the 2.5 mm bolt I had just removed with a hacksaw from my old grips. The grips include installation directions printed on them to assure they are on the correct side and as well as correctly positioned to guarantee the rider receives the benefit of their ergonomic design. I'd encourage taking the grips on a test spin after installation, since a slight change in their orientation on the bar has a noticeable effect on the level of comfort. I found that the sweet spot of the grips had the outside of my palms resting all the way at the ends of the handlebar, which was enough of a change that I found myself adjusting my shift and brake levers slightly to better match my new hand position. On the trail, the slim profile of the GE1 allowed for a loose but secure grip, and proved to be dependable in hot conditions with sweaty palms as well as in the rain. It's difficult to verify Ergon's claim on improved technique, since I conscientiously attempt to ride with my elbows out, but I can guarantee that the GE1 grips will not prevent the elbows out form. After multiple rides with the GE1 grips, I decided for the sake of comparison to replace them with a pair of thicker, more traditionally shaped grips that I had sitting around. That switch had me squeezing the bars tighter, less confident, and focusing on my hands as opposed to the trail, a testament to the effectiveness of the GE1's unique design. Overall, I found the Ergon GE1 grips to be very comfortable, and I never experienced any hand fatigue or numbness while riding. These would make an excellent choice for the rider who prefers their hands placed at the very end of their handlebars, as well as for the rider who will take any help they can get to remember to keep their elbows out and their head up while descending the trail ahead. - Jeremy Muskat |
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95 Comments
On the other hand, grips like this one are a good choice for anyone who effectively wants to widen their bars by a centimeter because you can grip them on the very edge and possibly even mount them a few millimeters from the handlebar's end.
GE1 grips are for real...
BUT the angle at which they are installed is vitally important to comfort, the graduated markings need to be identcal angle on both bar ends. I used a an app to get them parallel and then put a zip tie on at middle of the scale.
then adjust then experiment with different settings as you ride.
I sometimes find taking your bike out and investing in some trailside tuning can really speed up finding the sweet spot in all your bikes settings
Then I adjusted and rode several times until it felt "right" and set both to the same angle.
I think literally every other grip I've owned that didn't have their lock used a better bolt. They need to finally get rid of those dumb bolts.
That's only part of the problem. because they're so small & shallow, you have to make sure every little bit of dirt is out of the socket before you hit them with a tool. That's poor design on a part for a bike that goes off-road, even more so when it's a part that's going to end up in the dirt often, either from setting your bike down, or from bailing. Literally every other lock-on on the market has realized these problems, & done something about it, ODI doesn't get a pass just because theirs have been around longer.
Appart from that I have nothing white on the bike that would match, looks weird.
I've been looking for something a little different to try out and see if it feels more comfortable on long days out....
I'm a watch technician so my hands are everything to me and I find on a 4hr+ ride day my hands are just plain knackered and getting worse as I get older.
Worth the purchase to see if this helps!
Bought it in LBS for 1€
FWIW, I don't have any weird hand issues, but find I'm liking the GA1s that I've been trying out. Enough to consider GA2s on my main bike.
GE1: 135mm length, diameter 32mm
GE1 Slim: 135mm length, diameter 30mm
Uh, the word, 'HORSESHIT' comes to mind.