Renthal Push-On Grip - Review
The Push-On Grip from Renthal was their first mountain bike product. Not a hard task to bring these to market as they are basically their classic moto grips but with an extra 15mm of block patterned rubber at the outer end to increase durability. There are four models available - Hard, Medium, Soft, and these Kevlar versions, which are the most durable and the softest of the range. The grips contain millions of randomly aligned Kevlar particles, of which more and more are exposed as the grip wears. The small particles resist wear but let the grip keep its soft and tacky feel. Features include a knurled grip section, a block pattern on the outer edge and two grooves for grip wire. There's also a medium-sized flange and a 135mm length, and they come with a set of robust bar plugs for the bargain price of $15.95 USD. Renthal / @renthalcycling
![Renthal Push On Kevlar Grips - Review]()
Downsides of the push-on grips are that they need to be glued and wired for optimal results, and even then tend to slowly work their way inboard (some people use an old lock-on collar inside of the flange to prevent this) Gluing can be a little messy, but a tube of Renthal's $7.95 grip glue should last three or four installations. I found some good gardening wire at a hardware store for just a few dollars, which is enough for twelve lifetimes of grips for a family of four. Adherence to a shot-peened handlebar is better than a smooth paint finish or carbon, and I found I rarely take them on and off as most handlebar controls now can be removed leaving grips in place. One thing to note is that the standard glue takes eight hours to dry, so no chucking them on the bike the morning of a ride, although now Renthal have a quick drying glue that should take around three minutes to set.
![Renthal Push On Kevlar Grips - Review]()
![Renthal Push On Kevlar Grips - Review]()
![Renthal Push On Kevlar Grips - Review]()
![Renthal Push On Kevlar Grips - Review]()
Pinkbike’s Take:
Downsides of the push-on grips are that they need to be glued and wired for optimal results, and even then tend to slowly work their way inboard (some people use an old lock-on collar inside of the flange to prevent this) Gluing can be a little messy, but a tube of Renthal's $7.95 grip glue should last three or four installations. I found some good gardening wire at a hardware store for just a few dollars, which is enough for twelve lifetimes of grips for a family of four. Adherence to a shot-peened handlebar is better than a smooth paint finish or carbon, and I found I rarely take them on and off as most handlebar controls now can be removed leaving grips in place. One thing to note is that the standard glue takes eight hours to dry, so no chucking them on the bike the morning of a ride, although now Renthal have a quick drying glue that should take around three minutes to set.
The bar plugs seemed to take all manner of beatings.
So thin they're almost see-through, but still keep on going.
That hole was a result of lazy van packing but it never seems to get any larger.
Wiring is a cinch after a few attempts. Just make sure the twists are faced away from your skin and sunk into the grips.
Pinkbike’s Take:
 | So these guys look old and battered? Well, that's because they are four years old! In which time they have completed two seasons of enduro racing and general riding before they were relegated to my BMX, which has been ridden, thrown, and taken the brunt of bad bike packing in my van. The only downsides of these grips I have found are the slightly increased installation time and that they always look dirty and never match any other bike parts. Okay, maybe gumwall tires are the exception. Why are these my favorite grips? They are super thin, offer better vibration absorption than a lock-on grip, are sticky to the touch and work well with sweaty bare hands on summer evenings at the jumps. They last forever, come with tough bar plugs and are super cheap at $15.95. No, they're not as convenient as a set of lock-on grips, but the pluses outweigh the minuses in my mind. - Paul Aston |
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Member since Aug 23, 2009
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Huh. Looks like a Kona.
Reading reviews of a bike or product tested in a weeend or even a month are a bit nonsense. But, on the other hand, the industry spits so much stuff daily that you never take the most out of a product or get to know if it is really reliable over the time, most of them are sold 2 hand nearly new.
Also, I see a lot of people complaining this or that sucks when it is the time to service it. Most products after a service become new as the day they came out of the factory. I also have an MTB buying addiction but these days things are completely out of control :-D
For anyone interested diameter is about 30mm, and I wear XL gloves, I think larger grips are somewhat over-rated if you suffer arm pump, and it's more important to avoid the hard plastic inner sleeve that lock-ons have, and have a good hold rather than stretching your fingers.
Couple of photos in my profile of them on the Norco, no wire, installed with window cleaner, no probs.
helpful tip: use 3M Spray Mount Glue from the Arts and Crafts store or Staples to spray into the grips and slide them on. it creates a wet layer, making sliding on easier, then dries up SUPER tacky. i think i've still had the same can for like 10 years now.
I love tinkering with my bike as much as the next guy, but there's lots to dick around with before I spend an hour on the grips...
Then I realized that the grips I've been using don't slide because they don't had an open hole for a bar plug.
I have DMR sect grips and they are amazing on my dirt jumper except they suck going on and off and after enough times hitting the ends of my bars, the grip ends will wear down. Regardless, great review, I will certainly keep these in mind for next time.
Love my ESI's. I'd never ever think of anything else on a trail bike.
will try these in the future price is right and i love to experiment!!
I don't understand the whole issue with the grip thickness either, are you eight years old and have teeny child hands? Are lock ons seriously too thick for people? Am I missing something? I have smaller sized hands and have never for a second felt they were too thick.
After 4-5 days of use, my right hand slid forward, OFF the fricken bars, right in the middle of a fuggin rock garden of all places.
Thanks to The Man above, I didn't crash.
I DID however, pulled the things off and shit-canned 'em.
So the end of the grip rests on the ground.
How durable are the ends of these for that use?
Grips so thin I can see through it, but no twisting. So that's great glue or wire promotion.
if you think a grip that thin is great. skip the four years waiting time and glue some latex to your handle bar.