April 29, 2023
Handlebars (and grips)
What is there to say about handlebars -- quite a lot, but not right now.
Grips
I have some foggy memory of handlebar tape, but right now I want to talk about
the grips on my mountain bike bars. My bike came with some grips that actually
clamp onto the bars (you tighten an allen bolt to clamp them). These came with
some rubber like material (actually polyurethane I am almost certain).
It was swell when it was new, but after it got wet a few times and spent time
in the sun, it got sticky and nasty. I am familiar with polyurethane depolymerization
from polyurethane coatings on waterproof fabrics (tent flys and backpacks).
I went to my LBS (local bike shop) and told them I wanted to replace the grips with
something that didn't do that. They sold me some ESI grips that are silicone foam.
So far they are fantastic. You install them by filling them with isopropyl alcohol
and then sliding them onto the bars. The alcohol serves as a lubricant and evaporates
soon after installation. I expected trouble, but it actually went just fine.
They told me the only downside is if you crash your bike a lot, they will tend to
get torn up. Not a problem so far.
The ones I bought are "Black, 50 grams, chunky"
Have any comments? Questions?
Drop me a line!
Tom's bike pages / tom@mmto.org