When shopping for the best budget mountain bikes, you’ll note that the handlebars come with their own grips. Definitely, they will serve the intended purpose but, they are not the best. I’ve noted that the market does not have good grips and I’ve decided to share info on the best mountain bike grips.
Ordinary grips do not offer the performance, comfort, and grip that a mountain biker requires. This means that you ought to invest in the best mountain bike grips before you star serious mountain biking.
A great pair of quality grips will definitely keep your hands free from numbness, fatigue and pain. Our aim at Furious Bikes is to ensure that you enjoy every part of mountain biking.
The good thing is that we’ll also take you through a buying guide so that you’re familiar with how to shop for MTB grips.
10 Best Mountain Bike Grips
1. Ergon ge1 grip
The ergon grip is a unique type specially shaped to fit the hands, it has a slight thin zone under the thumb and the first finger and a wider cushioned outer palm area. Ergon uses two different rubber compounds, fixed bar plugs and an inner clamp system that is totally unobtrusive, ensuring the plastic core is in place in areas when you need maximum shock absorption.
The grip ensures a direct rubber connection with the handlebar increasing shock absorption and damping, offering excellent traction when hands are sweaty and making the hands able to twist easily.
GE1 grip are ergonomically angled to support the arm and upper body position and have good pressure distribution in the thumb area. Their features allows them to rank top of the best mountain bike grips.
Type
–single clamp
Pros
- Ergonomic fit helping riding technique and prevents hand fatigue
- Has a variety of grip textures
- Work well for both men and women
- Clamp down tightly on any handlebar
Con
- Its set up can be difficult
DMR Brendog Death Grip
This is an excellent all rounded grip for mountain, endure and downhill riding. It has a tough closed end to protect your bars from damage, has an inner grip area that is flanged to provide hand security, mushroomed thumb area that is really soft and malleable reducing fatigue while on a trail, has a classic waffle section that provides additional grip and knurl patterns making it suitable for all weather season hence increasing control. There is the variety of two thickness and soft and hard compounds, making it sure you have a perfect grip.
Types
–single clamp
Pros
- Has different varieties of thickness making it appropriate for both men and women
- Has tacky and different patterns providing best grip.
Chromag Palmskin Grips
This is the most suitable for those who like a softer, supple feel and who prefer to ride without gloves and comes with two colors to choose from either red or grey. Has a unique feature split teardrop end clamp which effectively covers the bar end while still utilizing a true pinch clamp and is round in shape with locks.
The palmskin grip has ribbed pattern helping channeling moisture and swear away expected during hot conditions. The palmskin grips is made from a special formulated compound that combines a soft durometer rubber and a proprietary additive for a combination of tackiness and durability.
Type
Double clamp
Pros
- Perfect choice for riding without gloves
Cons
- Sweat makes them slippery
4. ESI Chunky MTB Grip
This type is ideal for riders looking for maximum shock absorption. They are made of silicone hence making them grippy in both wet and dry conditions, sticking to the bar and withstand extreme temperatures. More material is put on top to cushion your palms than on the underside where your fingers hold on. The mtb grip is ultra-violent resistant making it less sticky. However these grips don’t withstand scrapes and crashes they are easily torn out. They are simple to install by simply rubbing the bar with a window cleaner or alcohol and slide on, leave it to dry properly for around 24 hours.
Type
Slide on
Pros
- Light and good grip even when wet
- Ultra-violent resistant
- Conforms to the hand for maximum grip
- Easy to install
Cons
-easily prone to damage
5. Lizard Skins Moab Lock-On Grip
Moab grips are inspired by the unique petroglyphs, famous red rocks and two national parks that exist in Moab. These mountain biking grips has a raised texture and works well for those who want a thin grip.
Lock on grips include grips, clamps, screws and plugs. Has a rubber surface making it more suitable whether you are riding with gloves or bare hands. In addition, the Lizard grips have aluminum clamps keeping the grips from twisting as you ride or slowly sliding off the end of your bars.
Has soft dimples and medium thickness providing great grip in wet and dry conditions. For long rides through rough terrains may need more padding for vibration damping.
Type
double clamps
Features
Black/blue – black grip with blue clamps
Black/black—black grip with black clamps
Pros
Has a good grip with or without gloves
6. Race Face Half Nelson Locking Grips
They are designed to give you a super tacky thin feel. They are light weight, have a super slim low profile design, soft and durable compound to give you a long lasting grip. Have ridges on the underside providing more grip on to your fingers. They perform well in wet weather conditions, however have a slim profile that doesn’t absorb much vibration and dirt has a tendency to build up under the grips. However they wear out quite fast, you need to replace them over time.
Types
Single clamp
Features
- Single lock on grip
- Has very slim low profile design
- It is of light weight
- Has both soft and durable super tacky compound
- Has topographic moisture channels
Pros
–they are firm and tacky
-they work well in wet conditions
Con
-dirt gets under them
7. Schwinn Tri-Layer Gel Comfort grips
The Schwinn grips have 3 different layers providing awesome grip and vibration damping when required. It has an ergonomic shape and large pad under the palm absorbing vibration and increasing comfort. However they are not suitable for extreme trail riding, but are known to be one of the best mountain bike grips. One may also need to experiment them for a while to get them in the right position.
Type
slide on
Features
- They are made of kraton compound for durability
- Has an extra gel layer for soft touch and comfort
- Has textured patterns on top to improve traction
- Has a large palm pad area foe vibration dampening protection
Pros
- They are comfortable since they have three layers.
- They are durable.
Cons
- They can prove to be tricky to put them in the right position.
8. ODI Ruffian Bike Grips
Ruffian mtb grips are a low profile knurled grip perfect when you need extra control through rough sections. The fine control offered by the fantastically grippy rubber feels great under gloves, or with bare hands. A variety of compounds are available to match your preferences and all weather conditions.one can easily change styles to meet varying terrain or weather conditions, also enjoy the economics of not having to cut off or destroy the grips when u want to change the brakes. However ruffian grips can be too slim when riding through rough terrains.
Type
Double clamp
Features
- Has ultra-narrow racing profile
- Have rugged knurled pattern for maximum traction
- Available in a variety of colors: white, black, lime green, aqua, bright blue, red and pink.
- Has a lock on grip system ensuring maximum performance
Pros
- They are light
- They are slim
Cons
- Have thin locking bolts
- 9. Renthal Ultra Tacky Dual Compound MX Grips
These mountain bike grips have double clamp design and waffle pattern, the compound is very soft and is very tacky. Regardless of the weather conditions you do not need to hold tightly. Despite being quite thin, they absorb lots of amount of vibration. However they wear out faster than any other grips.
Type
Double clamp
Pros
- They are very soft
- They are tacky in both wet and dry weather conditions
- Have great vibration damping hence making them comfortable
Cons
-normally wear out fast
10. Ergon GA2 Grip
The GA2 grip has a superb tactile soft feel, ultra-violent rubber compound helping one to have maximum control. The ergonomic optimized form allows reduced force to be used when gripping, since the grip zones are matched to the hand. Its inner construction varies in thickness to allow greater damping. The inboard clamp allows even more grip area at the end of the bar and is carbon friendly. There is no doubt that Ergon produces the best mountain bike grips in the market.
Features
- Has right and left specific grips
- Has a good tactile feel
- Made of ultra-violent resistant material
- Has varies thickness to allow greater damping
Pros
- Ergonomic fit helps riding technique and prevents hand fatigue
Cons
- Don’t work well when wet