Ever since I was convinced to try Ergon grips way back in 2005 by Jeff Kerkove, and then riding 1 season for the Topeak-Ergon Racing Team in 2007 I have been sold on using Ergon grips. Ergon continues to raise the bar with their line of products, including grips, packs, and gloves. For the past two seasons I have been using their GX2 Carbon grips w/ bar ends. They have now come out with an all new GX3 grips (introduced in 2009) which utilizes the same grip shape/padding as the GX2 but has a much more ergonomical bar end. After my first ride using the GX3, I can honestly say that this grip will improve performance.
The bar end is so comfortable and it allows you (the rider) to transfer power to the pedals by giving you leverage that you don't get from other grips/bar end combos. When standing out of the saddle with your hands on the bar ends, the amount of leverage you have allows all of your energy to be distributed to the cranks; which ultimately gives you more power. If you don't believe me, try one out for yourself. I would recommend these grips to anyone looking to gain an advantage, and who wouldn't want to gain an advantage.
To view all grips, visit
Ergon.
Jeff Kerkove, Yuki Saito and Sonya Looney are all members of the Topeak-Ergon Racing Team and travel to lots of races (mostly west of the Mississippi) sporting the Ergon booth. They always have gear to sell (usually at a discounted price) and can help you properly set up your grips if you are unsure. The grips come in either Grey or Team Edition Green.
I can't believe that I am going to say this, but I truly think that flat bars and bar ends are making a comeback, if they haven't already. I would love to hear your comments about this. Leave a comment and say whether you are a flat bar user, or riser bar user. If I get enough comments, I will share results on a future Blog.
Thanks for reading !
2 comments:
Sloane,
I'm one of those totally geeky guys who rocks bar-ends on riser bars. OK the bars don't have much rise and I cut the width down a bit but still my pal Brad commented the first time he saw my rig that I "must be competing in the Comfort/Cruiser division of the Tour Divide." Damn straight, I am. On a ride like that comfort is performance.
And I'm happy as heck to have a set of GC3s on my Flight.
Kent "Mountain Turtle" Peterson
Issaquah WA USA
Yeah I too have been riding bar ends with a low-rise bar. I will be making the switch back to a flat bar to cut down on some of the width but add some stiffness.
And I definitely agree with you that comfort should always come first; which ultimately leads to overall performance.
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