Breathable grips?

[Dantheman]

I've switched to glove-less for climbing in the heat. It seems to make a big difference in comfort. The problem is my hands sweat and my grips get clammy and greasy, and the rubber rubs off on my skin and is kind of gross. Are there any good options out there for breathable grips? It looks like there are some cork lock-on options out there. Is cork even a good material choice for what I'm after here? Anything else to consider?

Current grips are ODI Rogue.

[radam]

I personally haven't used them, but the Renthal Tackys are probably worth a look
https://www.bikemag.com/gear/compone...a-tacky-grips/

[Toddball]

Foam grips! You can even get them with a lock-on sleeve so they aren't really hard to get on and impossible to get off (without cutting them). Main downside is that they shred relatively quickly compared to rubber grips.

[dangur]

I believe fly rods use cork handles because cork is easy to grip even when wet. Sounds like that would probably work for you.

[jono]

I used to love cork bar tape in my roadie days. It got me to skip the gloves more often than I probably should have. It gets dirty/sweatie, but if you can deal with that it's good stuff.

Now that you mention it, I'm kinda tempted to find a smooth rubber grip for a little thickness/give, wrap with cork tape and replace as needed.

[Dantheman]

I personally haven't used them, but the Renthal Tackys are probably worth a look
https://www.bikemag.com/gear/compone...a-tacky-grips/

From that review they don't sound like a great option if you still want to put on gloves for the down, which I will definitely be doing.

Foam grips! You can even get them with a lock-on sleeve so they aren't really hard to get on and impossible to get off (without cutting them). Main downside is that they shred relatively quickly compared to rubber grips.

It blows my mind that there are people out there who use non-lockon grips.

Now that you mention it, I'm kinda tempted to find a smooth rubber grip for a little thickness/give, wrap with cork tape and replace as needed.

That's an interesting idea. Here's the promising cork lock-ons I've found so far:

https://www.downtownbmx.com/products...-lock-on-grips
https://www.goldsprintshop.com/Golds...-Grips-Lock-On
http://www.bicyclecapetown.org/2014/...ed-cork-grips/

[gravitylover]

Cork won't last long if you're sweating heavily into it and foam will wear out quickly with gloves rubbing on it. If you can accept relatively frequent replacements they'll both serve you pretty well.

[jono]

Those Masi's look like exactly what I'd try to make. If the end caps allow for easy re-wrapping, just buy a pair of cork rolls for a road bike and you'd be good for a couple years.

[plugboots]

For a while I wrapped my mountain bike bars with cork roadie tape. I did it originally because it smoothed out the sharpish edges. Great grip, padding, and you could make it thicker and thinner depending on what you like. Now I use Ergons so don’t need it, and I like gloves.

[El Chupacabra]

It blows my mind that there are people out there who use non-lockon grips.

I don't like bolt on grips. Seems unnecessary and added expense for zero benefit.

I also mostly use tubes in tires.

[beaterdit]

ESI foam. The end.

I like the “Extra Chunk”, 34 mm. Get a good bar cap, specifically the ODI one, to save the ends and help them stay put and last longer.

[kidwoo]

^This guy wears a fanny pack just FYI
Also rides with gloves. Just can't trust

https://www.tetongravity.com/forums/...7&d=1518483532


By FAR the best bare handed grips out there are sensus disisdaboss. For real. That's the only component I've ever bought one pair of then within the next few days bought two more pairs for my other bikes. You're still going to have a little bit of black shit on your hands after riding for a few hours but I've tried about everything, including those hipster esi things.

roadie tape would be my second pick but that stuff gets torn up real easy like.


take it from a member of the true gloveless brigade
https://p.vitalmtb.com/photos/users/...crushsmall.jpg

[XXX-er]

Fuck what a bunch of pansies

real mtn biking involves blood & sweat

doesn't anybody consider a mtnbike glove "protection "

Altho if you skip the gloves ... more blood

[bagtagley]

I’ve got foam grips. They get soaked and the grips start to slip on top of your hands slipping and getting gross.

[XXX-er]

lock-ons ^^ for the win

30+ yars ago i put some grips on with hair spray which was the hot tip for grips sliding on easy and sticking, for more than 20 yars everytime they got wet they would slide around on the bar until they dried out

so don't do that

[kidwoo]

Fuck what a bunch of pansies

real mtn biking involves blood & sweat

doesn't anybody consider a mtnbike glove "protection "

so what's your stance on this exactly? Mixed signals bro.

[XXX-er]

nothing in life is perfect but time is smarter than us all

[reckless toboggan]

Breathable grips?

If yer gripped, you can't breathe.

Loosen up.

[/end thread]

[zlatham]

^This guy wears a fanny pack just FYI
Also rides with gloves. Just can't trust

https://www.tetongravity.com/forums/...7&d=1518483532


By FAR the best bare handed grips out there are sensus disisdaboss. For real. That's the only component I've ever bought one pair of then within the next few days bought two more pairs for my other bikes. You're still going to have a little bit of black shit on your hands after riding for a few hours but I've tried about everything, including those hipster esi things.

roadie tape would be my second pick but that stuff gets torn up real easy like.


take it from a member of the true gloveless brigade
https://p.vitalmtb.com/photos/users/...crushsmall.jpg

+1 these grips rule! I’d also look at the Deity Knuckleduster fwiw-

[greasyslope]

How about more breathable gloves?
I like Novik TEC’s, for the combo of light, cheap and decent quality.
They still get soggy on a long hot ride, but it’s less gross than barehanded. Sometimes I even take a spare pair.

[babybear]

I was trying gloveless on the uphill for a bit too for the same reason
but then realized I lost the absorbability of my gloved finger to flick away brow sweat so I went back.

I like the ESI grips too
right now I have snazzier color grips on and they look good but don't work as well. meez stupid

[reckless toboggan]

The whole gloveless trend comes from dirt jumpers and slopestylers trying to copy bmxicans who don't know any better because they tend to ride in very short bursts with lots of rest in between. They're not slogging uphill for 3 hours straight without any stops.

The current gloveless trend is kind of like the 5 layers of cotton tall T's with no gloves that tweener parks rats started years ago because they didn't know any better, and for the exact same reasons.

First, don't hold on tight. I know sometimes you have to, especially on technical sections of climbs, but remember to grip as little as possible whenever possible. Try not "gripping" at all whenever possible. It's amazing how little grip you can get away with. This can keep your shit dryer if you remember to do it often or make it a habbt. As good riding technique, you want to grip as lightly as possible whenever possible anyway. If you're pounding through a bunch of breaking bumps at some clapped out resort, or some babyheads and roots on some sweet tech trail, hold on less, not more. Keep your weight in your feet if standing and railing, and keep your weight in your ass if you're sitting and spinning or grinding, and steer with your hips. This allows for a much lighter grip, and for more airflow through and under your hand because you're gripping less. That dries your sweat, which actually gives you more control with less grip, and again, you should be steering from your hips mostly anyway. Yes, even when climbing.

Second, buy good quality, very thin gloves that are slightly too small when you try them on in the store. They should fit like a tight second skin, they should have flat leather/seude/synthetic as a palm. No pads or gels or other crap in the palm. Minimal seams in the palm. It should be like a golf glove.

When you bend your fingers into a "C" shape, like you would when gripping your grips, there shouldn't be any bunching or loose material in the palms. Pay particular attention to the area where your fingers meet your palm. If there is loose material or bunching, go a size smaller. If going smaller makes the finger length too short, then go to a different brand.

Ride.

Buy more when the holes in the fingers start interfering with brake or shifter operation, or when you get a hole in the heel of your hand (opposite your thumb).

If you find a brand and size that works for you, buy 3 or 4 pair. Most brands change their glove designs almost every season, even if the model name stays the same. So you'll save time and frustration buying a few pair that work for you.

Repeat.

With this kind of a really tight fit, the gloves will get sweaty, just like bare hands will, but there's very little room for sweat to accumulate. So just like your hands the gloves are constantly evaporating sweat for you. Except with sweaty gloves you maintain grip on your bars, whereas with sweaty bare skin you lose grip on the bars.

Cork grips, like the Masi grips posted earlier, get very slick / clogged with dirt after a few sweaty / dusty rides. The Ergon Cork grips are built like a Birkenstock sandle, a mixture of cork and rubber, which is great for vibration absorption, and for durability, but gets super greasy after you've got sweat and dust ground into them a few times. Cork wraps can be awesome on road bikes where you're riding at generally higher speeds, and have better airflow to wick sweat. Plus you're not constantly grinding dirt and dust (which make mountain bike grips feel greasy when mixed with sweat) into your wraps on a road bike.

If you absolutely have to go bare hand, then lock-on mushroom grips are the best bet because all the surface area evaporates sweat well, the sipes channel sweat away (some of the big mushy mushroom grips almost allow airflow under your hand when you're gripping somewhat lightly, but I haven't seen these in a lock-on format), and they won't rotate because they are lock-ons.

If your overwhelming these with your sweat so that you lose grip, pick a different time of year to ride your bike, or just a different sport altogether.







Not endorsing any brand (although ODI is pretty good at mushroom grips, they're the original IIRC), just giving you an idea of what to shoot for.

[jono]

Between the fanny packers and the Canadians, I'm not sure who to trust in here

RT makes some great points about grip, but when it gets hot enough I can still see the point of no gloves for a long climb. Up here I expect not, but Utah is a different place. The FTP gloves are fitting as RT described--just wish they came with an actual leather patch on the palm.

[mtngirl79]

I had the sensus disisdaboss on my stolen process.

I liked them but I think the boring grey ergon grips on the honzo grip better gloveless.

I climb gloveless probably 75 % of the time and forget to put gloves on for down probably 50% of the time I climb gloveless.

Seems like just ungripping and regripping make the slimy feel go away.

[Dee Hubbs]

Chromag Palmskins:

http://www.chromagbikes.com/grips/palmskin