Naked Ergon Grip Review

Love these grips.

I've been using these grips now since about the end of May this year. I bought them because I heard a lot of good things coming out of the endurance race scene in the States. I thought that I'd give them a try and have been very happy with that decision ever since.

I bought the GP1 Grips for about thirty (Canadian) bones. Comparable to what you'd pay for a good set of lock-on grips. These aren't the lightest grips that Ergon make, but they were the cheapest and the only ones available at the place I bought them from here in Ottawa. Apparently, Ergon has redesigned and tweaked most all of their line of grips for this coming season and are supposed to release them soon.
I hope to get my hands (pun intended) on one of the new sets for '08 - they'll be perfect for the BC Bike Race that Mark and I are doing.

I run a 1x9, so I don't have a front derailleur and need the long version of the grip on my left side. I run a grip shifter for the rear derailleur, so needed the shorty. The guy at the shop let me take one grip from one package so that I could customize my set up. Was very happy about this cause I didn't want to cut one down. Although, sounds like guys (and gals) are doing this and it doesn't cause problems.

You can see that towards the end of the grip there is a large platform. It felt right from the beginning, but took a little getting used to, especially on technical single track when you really want a good grip on the bars. However, after my first ride, I felt like I had been riding with the grips for years.

The angle adjustment needs to be set according to what feels right for you - takes a minute to figure it out. Ergon also makes suggestions for proper set up.

I was experiencing wrist and hand pain on my longer training rides that I'd do leading up to my solo 24 hour races, while using regular grips. As soon (no lie!) as I switched, the pain was gone and I didn't experience it again. They offer a few different ways to hold the grips while riding and the support platform makes a very noticeable difference in your comfort, especially on those long rides.

Grab (another pun) a set today!

*Ergon is a company out of Germany that has recently broken into the North American market. The also make packs and gloves that are very unique in their design. Check them out here.