get a grip.
GRIPS.
That rubbery parts on the handle. I’m obsessed with it.
I’ve had a deep love for weird and quirky bike grips for years and these days, I’ve not came cross with a grip with so much energy and passion.
A lot of grips looks so settled down and just elegant…
But wait, maybe it’s me that settled down. When I look through all my bikes, every one of them looks like a first-class student. People say that your liking changes as you age, that might be true.
But I am still obsessed with them. As I was digging for funny looking grips, this one caught my eye.
What is this a sea cucumber?
It’s a bar end bar!!
This one is from Cane Creek (Okay, seems like my love for grips is guiding us slightly off the track!)
The rubber coated surface surely has a grip like aspect to it. The size that seems to fit in every user’s palm, and the stability it offers from its small body… I feel like it has a great potential of becoming a masterpiece.
Well I’m now explaining bar end bars as if all of us know about them, but first of all, what are they?
Let me roughly explain.
~ What are bar end bars? ~
It’s a type of custom parts for handlbars, which was on every MTB throughout the 80s and 90s.
MTBs come with a flat handlebar which has limited gripping positions. Since the edge of the handlebar is where riders want to put a lot of weight while riding, MTB racers and enthusiasts were all for this extra component you can attach on.
And since it was an easy part to custom on your own bike, it gradually became popular amongst the general public as well.
After this came out however, seems like there were some accidents, where the rider flies through the city with their hands on the bar end bars, could not stop, and crash, because their hands were far from the brakes (Well, obviously, some might say). Although it was rare to happen, a few had their bar end bars stuck within branches on trail rides. Some thinks that with the evolution of MTBs, and the introduction of riser bars, the bar end bars lost its role in the cycling world.
Then why did I want to cast an eye on this long forgotten trend?
Well, the main reason is that it’s simply looks cute and I wanted one.
But I also have a feeling that it would fit in the modern cycling scene as well.
For example, in Tracklocross.
If it’s a fixie, you don’t reduce speed through pulling brake levers anyway, so I feel like racers can get advantages on certain race tracks.
If we think it as a wide bullhorn bar, it might be a great combination with fix gears.
How about using it with MTBs or flat bar touring bikes, classic.
It wasn’t designed to gain more speed in the first place. Because it was designed to assist your climbs, I’m sure it will be a great bonus point for trail riding and long touring. When I had to do a lazyyyy climb of a loooong hill, I remember struggling to find a different position for my hands when I was absolutely bored out and knackered. To be able to switch grip positions in such situations is really helpful.
If we truly understand how this part would help you through your rides, I believe it has great potential.
And with this in mind, I ordered this.
ergon GP5
The brand name shows how serious they are towards ergonomics.
The grip part feels so natural in my hand that I almost felt as if I had this on my bike from a long time ago.
Comes with a gigantic bar end bar, ready to support you with multiple hand positions.
Even if it’s rather expensive than other grips out there, if I think that it’s gonna provide me three extra gripping positions, I got to get one of these.
I’ll say it again, the grip truly is comfortable in your hands, if you had a chance to visit our store, make sure to give it a go!
Another grip we’ll talk is from V.O. They released more variations for their cork-like material sponge grip.
I was especially interest in this wooden pattern version. What would it be like if I varnish over this…?
For natural cork grips, there were risks of braking it when I hit it the grip somewhere hard or knocked over my bike, but with this material and price settings, there’s nothing to be afraid about. And it is going to age better over time, so that an extra thumbs up.
OURY GRIP USA
There were times when I would use this grip all the time as if I am breathing this in. If we talk about American grips, it has to be about OURY or ODI.
Ahh, ATI and AME as well. (oh, can’t miss our HUNT WILDE.) Wait, there’s quite a lot…
Anyhow, When I talk about grips in my youth, it was this grip. Affordable and a lot of color variations, thick and comfy, with unique shape with style.
Time passed by since then, and now a more smart looking V2 was released, and we’ve been able to sell bespoke colors for this one.
Because I took this grip’s existence for granted, I never looked into how this grip came about, so I’ll share what I’ve found.
Founded in 1968. Seems like it initially started selling grips for Motorcycles. During that era, Japanese made motorcycles were on a major trend.
However, because the grip on those motorcycles came with a grip made to fit small Japanese rider’s hands, and it was way too thin for westerners. After various ideas made for its manufacturing process and shape to better absorb vibrations…
…this form was the idea Oury-san from Colorado came up with. A pattern called a “Reverse Brick”.
It was a instant success, with its durability against wearing and ripping, and many color options since the very start.
I don’t know much about motorcycles, but by the 80s, this OURY GRIP patten became mainstream even in Japan, it was that popular! Now, they release their grips together with another grip manufacturer LIZARD SKIN.
If I keep looking up, I feel like my research will start hopping around different genres which sound fun (but also means it’s gonna be long). So let’s wrap this up for now.
What we can say is, there are so many different appearance, feel in your hands, and way of use, even for a simple world of grips.
And it’s one of the easiest customs you can make.
I’ll ask you now, are you satisfied with your current grip?
Bye for now.
