Some real comfortable bar grips? My ergon grips are a pain in the ...... wrist !

[TOOSLOW]

I have the ergon evo slim grips, and they really are uncomfortable and after every ride, on average 50k +, the wrists are giving me some discomfort. Definitely need a upgrade. Bike is a e fat bike, almost all offroad, hilly and technical riding, in snow and icy conditions for the full 50k. Any suggestions?

 

[Browneye]

IMO it's not the grips, it's the terrain.
Hardcore man!!

Some people like a 'ergo' grip - kind of a built in palm rest. They are popular on city and crossbikes, not so much for mountain bikes.

A variety of styles and widths here: https://www.ergonbike.com/en/product.html?a=griffe

Here's another one from WTB:

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Wouldn't decent cycling gloves help, @Browneye?

 

[TOOSLOW]

Wouldn't decent cycling gloves help, @Browneye?

I wear a thick leather gauntlett mitt, inside that is a thick pile mitt liner, and inside that I wear a wool mitt liner. I don't think I would have room for a fourth set of gloves or mitts !
I surprise myself that I am able to shift those tiny XT trigger shifters with all that mitt on.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

@TOOSLOW:
Since you are wearing the gloves on your rides, and assuming you don't keep too tight grip on the handlebars, the only reason is a wrong bike fit. It might be too much of your body weight rests on the handlebars; it would be the best to see a bike fitter though it might be hard in the current situation.

Cycling Wrist Pain: What You Can Do To Avoid It

Cycling wrist pain is a common inconvenience inflicting many cyclists. Also known as “handlebar palsy”, it is caused primarily when there is compression of the ulnar nerve.

sportsincycling.com

 

[Alaskan]

I changed from Ergon to SQ Labs 702 last year and haven't looked back.

SQlab GmbH Online Shop | Grip 710 short L | Ergonomic bike equipment

SQlab bicycle grips ✓Relieving ✓Comfortable ✓Ergonomic - Grip 710 short by SQlab purchase at SQlab. ✓Delivery 0€ ✓Fast Delivery ✓Award Winner

www.sq-lab.com

 

[steve marino]

I had the kind of grips Broweye shows above on a pedal forward bike. They were the most comfortable grips I ever had. Unfortunately they don't play well with the throttle on my eBike.

It sounds like a possible bad fit to me too. Carry a wrench with you and adjust the seat and bars as you go for a ride and get them where things are more comfortable. This sort of thing can be tricky as even 1/4" can make a difference, but when you get it right you know it. You'll probably have to mess w/ the seat angle, height, and adjust it forward and backwards, then work w/ the bar adjustment.

in my case I had to change bars. but that was little money and worked great. Try and figure out what style you like and get them on eBait or somewhere as bike shops seem to think some curved metal pipe is actually gold. I bought the same bars online for $25 w/ shipping that my local bike shop wanted $90 for!

 

[Browneye]

A lot of glove padding can interfere with good grip and cause fatigue. For many, 'death grip' is a real thing, and causes all manner of discomfort. I have to consciously remember to relax my grip on the mountain bike - hang on tight only when necessary.

Ergos are really important for overall comfort as well, and worth getting it right.
I have ended up changing bars and stems and such on nearly every bike I've owned.

 

[ruffruff]

I think a lot of people overlook the fact that wrist pain may not be a handlebar/grip issue but a bike fit issue.

I spent a lot of time tweaking the setup on my MTB bike and you can feel it instantly in the grips. No heavy leaning on the hands, comfortable reach, no death grip while riding.

 

[rich c]

I added the GFK bar end on my Ergon grips. With the bar end, I can relax my grip and just lean the outer part of my hand against them while cruising. That really reduces hand fatigue.

 

[TOOSLOW]

I changed from Ergon to SQ Labs 702 last year and haven't looked back.

SQlab GmbH Online Shop | Grip 710 short L | Ergonomic bike equipment

SQlab bicycle grips ✓Relieving ✓Comfortable ✓Ergonomic - Grip 710 short by SQlab purchase at SQlab. ✓Delivery 0€ ✓Fast Delivery ✓Award Winner

www.sq-lab.com

View attachment 49562

Wow ! What a great site, and those 702 look like those are the ones I need. I did buy the fleabay ones below, at $7US but the 702 are now the plan.
Thanks everyone for the tips.

I do know allot of the time I do have a death grip on the bars. That is the problem with ebikes as you tend to step up your speed level allot. As most of my riding is technical stuff, stairs, steep decents and assents, single track, so a death grip is pretty common for me. Recently went to a almost 360 degree adjustable stem and now have the bars higher than the seat for a more upright position, maybe a 30mm stem length, as that bent over stuff is for the young folk. Have to play more with the brooks but I hate raising the nose of the seat, not to comfortable on the jewels.

 

[smorgasbord]

I'm sure the SQLab's are great (I have their 16 degree carbon handlebar), but I cheaped out and got these from Amazon. They're sold under a variety of names all about $15 or so. It was an inexpensive way to see what shape I like, and if they get beat up, no great loss. I ended up liking them just fine and haven't splurged on the SQLab ones. Yet.

Also note that how you have things like your brake levers positioned matters. For me, the best position is to be able to keep my wrist in line with my forearm as my "natural" riding position, and still rest a finger or two on the brake levers, then position the shifter so that my thumb can easily stretch to reach it without me changing my grip on the handlebar. I set these grips so that my palm resting against the flat area does what I just described. If you ride with your wrist bent most of the time, it's like a carpal tunnel inducing thing, IMO. Just changing your brake levers might help as a first step - lots of people ride with them tilted up too much (like the photo above).

 

[LGC]

I have the ergon evo slim grips, and they really are uncomfortable and after every ride, on average 50k +, the wrists are giving me some discomfort. Definitely need a upgrade. Bike is a e fat bike, almost all offroad, hilly and technical riding, in snow and icy conditions for the full 50k. Any suggestions?
View attachment 49530

Which bike ?

Does your ride have a suspension fork ?

I'm only cycling on hard top, but I swapped my grips to an inexpensive pair from Amazon: BONMIXC grips

which allows me to alternate my grip, to reduce fatigue; you can also find them on eBay.

 

[smorgasbord]

View attachment 49579

OK, I just have to ask - what's with the candle/candle holder in the middle of your driveway? Keeping cars out? Preparing for Halloweeen night?

 

[LGC]

OK, I just have to ask - what's with the candle/candle holder in the middle of your driveway? Keeping cars out? Preparing for Halloweeen night?

On my street (which is a dead end), I'm the 1st opportunity for errant vehicles to turn around. Got tired of the HOA sending me letters to clean my driveway, because of truck tire tread marks.

 

[TOOSLOW]

Which bike ?

Does your ride have a suspension fork ?

I'm only cycling on hard top, but I swapped my grips to an inexpensive pair from Amazon: BONMIXC grips
View attachment 49579
which allows me to alternate my grip, to reduce fatigue; you can also find them on eBay.

The bike is a bulls monster efs, full suspension, riding a brooks flyer seat, (springs).
I see allot of folks have ergonomic grips, so I am done with these round ergon's on the bike now.
I think I may order at least two, as there have been some great suggestions here for grips plus the set already on order.

 

[FlatSix911]

I have the ergon evo slim grips, and they really are uncomfortable and after every ride, on average 50k +, the wrists are giving me some discomfort. Definitely need a upgrade. Bike is a e fat bike, almost all offroad, hilly and technical riding, in snow and icy conditions for the full 50k. Any suggestions?
View attachment 49530

I did a quick summary of a few ergonomic grips available on Amazon last year... hope this helps.

FYI - All of these have a locking ring on the inside, and no outer ring to scratch or break.

 

[TOOSLOW]

I did a quick summary of a few ergonomic grips available on Amazon last year... hope this helps.

FYI - All of these have a locking ring on the inside, and no outer ring to scratch or break.

View attachment 49591

Thanks for that.
I spent some time on amazon just now. I am finding though lots of suppliers on amazon do not ship to us igloo living canucks in canada. And if they do, the shipping is crazy expensive. That being said, fleabay seems to have great options on ergo grips coming out of the far east, so at least for $30 or so US I can order 3 sets of non-branded ergo grips to try. One ordered, looking at ordering the bottom right set next.

 

[Alaskan]

Thanks for that.
fleabay seems to have great options on ergo grips coming out of the far east, so at least for $30 or so US I can order 3 sets of non-branded ergo grips to try.

I don't get it. Why spend $30 on three sets of off-brand, Chinese, bargain basement grips, none of which may accomplish what you want? Especially when you could get a pair of proven quality, well reviewed, bike industry medal winning grips for under $40 that come in small, medium and large sizes with a print out size guide on the web site? Sounds like a waste of money trying to save money to me.

(Link Removed - No Longer Exists)

 

[TOOSLOW]

This review below made me pull back. Which version do you have because it clearly seems the quality has taken a hit?

"2.0 out of 5 stars Old production series Top, new flop
Reviewed in Germany on September 10, 2019
Size: SmallVerified Purchase
Unfortunately, due to a fall, a SQ-Labs handle broke and had to be repaired temporarily during the tour with Panzertape. Due to the really good ergonomics and the processing of the handles I ordered a set of handles at home again and was very disappointed when this arrived. The BWL'er apparently gained upper hand at SQ-Lab and the new production line is frighteningly cheap. The clamping ring is only made of plastic (instead of aluminium), the grip rubber is only glued to the most necessary places and you can clearly see and feel where the handle was assembled or produced. Overall, he now feels like a very cheap plastic shoe from the discount store. I thought it was a fake first, but after feedback from SQLab this is the “improved and more durable version”... The powder-coated aluminium clamping ring was “deliberately” made of plastic, because it then “no longer rusts”. I've rarely had to laugh like that...
All in all, you pay the same price for a product, which is probably not even a tenth as much value as before."