Ergon GE1 Enduro grip review.

Ergon GE1 Enduro grips

First up I’ll say that I usually like a thick grip. I’ve been using Lizard Skin North Shore grips for years and more recently been experimenting with DMR’s Death-Grips. So when I decided to try the Ergon GE1 it was on a bit of a whim. I’d had Ergon grips before on my Trek Stache for long distance hacks and bikepacking trips and with a 17 degree sweep on it’s handlebars, they were extremely comfortable.

People generally don't really associate Ergon with the place in the market that the GE1 occupies, instead assuming that the wide contact, bar-end moulded GP series grips were the best they had to offer. But that's pretty far from the truth as Ergon produce a whole range of very subtly contoured MTB grips in a range of sizes and colours. But for now we’re looking at the GE1 MTB Enduro.

I liked it instantly. There you go, shortest review in history…

...However, after a few miles I felt like I was closing my hand too much and really gripping the bar for dear life. This was most likely just a throwback to the thickness of my normal grips and didn’t last long at all. I wear Fox Ranger gloves which have no padding so you’d think they would make no real difference, but during the bout of pins and needles I was having, I took my gloves off to see if I could relieve some of the sensation. This is the first time I felt the grips with no gloves and I instantly felt like doing something I never do. Ride my bike without gloves on.

I undid the retention grips bolts slightly so I could turn the grips by applying some rotational force and found that the slightest movement made quite a difference. Once I’d got the various parts of the grips many profile area lined up with my bare hand, the comfort came very quickly. But I didn’t want to put my gloves back on as once they are dialled in, the feel of these grips is awesome.

When I finally put my gloves on, the feel was still there, but I couldn’t feel that awesome Ergon texture that offers so much grip and feel to your bare skin. I’ve never quite grabbed a grip like it in 30 years of mountain biking. Ergon claim that the profile of the grip forces you to get your “elbows out” as the grips profile is twisted by 8% (compared to a normal linear grip) to make your hands sit at a more ergonomic angle. I didn’t notice this as I’m quite “elbows out” anyway, but they were very comfortable when adopting that position.

One of the most surprising things as the GE1 grip I’m using is the thinner of the two options available. Theres a highly profiled 32mm and 30mm option on offer, both of which are narrower than the linear 33mm circumference of my old faithful North Shore grips. So if you think you need a thick grip, I’d recommend giving these a try and see if the average size and varied profile can make a difference to the way you hold onto your handlebars.

Construction is good with the hard hard anodised matt black lockring finishing the inside ends off nicely. The clamps are also lazer etched with alignment markings as well as left, right, up, down just to erase the fear of fitting them wrong. The outside end caps are integrated and colour coded too. They are also available in blue, black, red and “lazer lemon” (tested) so there’s a customisation option there too should you want it?

I am most likely a convert to these grips as they offer substantial adjustability and the texture on the hand is really quite lovely! If you ride with no gloves, please try these, if you do wear gloves, get some thinner gloves and try these. I reckon you’ll be surprised. Now I’m off to try the GD1 MTB grip on my pump track bike which currently has my tired old North Shore grips on it.

I have to say, they’re looking a bit nervous!