Gift Guide: PRO Mountain Bike Grips

Have you been dealt with a tricky Kris Kringle at work? Not sure what to get your mate for Xmas without spending hundreds of bucks? Easy – get them a fresh pair of grips! Just like some new shoes or a new saddle, new grips are a great way to freshen up your ride and potentially add a little more comfort too.

With a growing line of mountain bike accessories including handlebars, saddles and stems, PRO has also developed a comprehensive line of grips that covers pretty much every base. They’ve got brightly coloured silicone grips, ergonomic grips, and beefy lock-on numbers that’ll appeal to the most gravity-loving riders out there. Here we take a look at a couple of options from their current lineup that we think are going to be hot this summer season.

The Dual Lock Race grips offer a textured surface that’s more akin to the tread you’ll find on your tyres than a typical grip. They’re designed to provide you with maximum traction in challenging conditions, but their dual compound material offers decent absorption qualities for comfort and reduced fatigue on longer rides. Also aiding comfort, the Dual Lock Race grips use a ‘pressure optimized core’, which refers to the profile of the plastic internal sleeve. This sleeve connects directly with the alloy inside lockring, so you can cinch the grips down tightly onto your bars. Because of the single-locking design, these grips should be ideal for riders with wide bars and those who position their hands as far out on the grip as possible. Perfect for high-speed shredders looking for a comfortable and textured lock-on grip!

As it’s name would suggest, the Slide On Race grip from PRO is optimised for XC racing. It uses a soft silicone construction that is not unlike the silicone grips from ESI, which helps to add a little damping between your hands and the bar. Because there’s no plastic core like a lock-on grip, there’s simply more silicone to absorb the vibrations. For marathon riders and those riding firm-platform XC race bikes, this added comfort is very much appreciated! The Slide On Race grips use a tight fit, but with the aid of some Isopropyl Alcohol, they’ll slip on easily and once dry, they’ll stay tight until you want to take them off. The grips are thicker on one side (the side that faces your palm), so make sure you install correctly to get the most comfortable fit. Claimed weight on these bad boys? Just 55 grams, proving that comfort and lightweight can go together!

The Ergonomic Race grip is a new design from PRO, and it features an intriguing profile that gives it the ‘ergonomic’ tag. The grip begins round near the lock-on clamp, but flattens out towards the outside of the grip, coming to a triangular point at the rear of the grip. This is a more subtle take on the ergonomic grips built by Ergon, with the idea being that the soft pad on the outside of your palm is provided with a broader surface area to distribute its weight over. Because the grip remains round on the inside though, the design shouldn’t affect your ability to get a tight hold on the bars for when you need it. They’re built from a dual compound silicone material, and they come in at under 100 grams claimed.

Shimano Australia

Website: www.shimano.com.au