From Ergon web site:
The grip is designed for quick hand position changes in challenging riding and racing conditions. Made from a lightweight rubber compound and combined with a highly secure lightweight clamp, the GX series is the most comfortable grip on the World Cup race circuit.
Very often comfort and performance are opposites and whenever we are thinking of racing gear the first thought goes to light weight. The GX-1 racing grips finally bring comfort on racing bikes.
In the recent past there has been a lot of focus on improving mountain bike saddles: we have seen all kind of weird designs, split constructions and love channels: the benefit is obvious when the right saddle is chosen and now this once futuristic designs have become widespread.
Grips represent the third fundamental contact point between bike and rider (after saddle and pedals): at one point every rider has felt numbness in his/her hands: while there are several reasons mainly related to bike fit and riding position the fundamental problem lies in the interface between hands and handlebar.
Although there are quite a few companies offering ergonomic grips Ergon has been one of the first (together with Specialized) to address XC and endurance mountain bike racers.
CONSTRUCTION DETAILS
The Ergon GX-1 weigh in at 136g, which is just slightly more then regular clamp-on grips and as much as twice as rubber grips (with no clamps). If you are a weight-weenie then this may be a deal breaker, but it is a more than fair price to pay for the extra comfort, especially on longer races.
The GX-1 is made of two different compound, one (gray or froggy green in the “Team Edition”) harder that makes most part of the body of the grip and the other black, softer that provides some vibration dampening and grip, even with bare hands.
There is only one clamp, differently from typical ODI grips, but that does not seem to affect robustness or secure contact with the handlebar. The edges of the clamp are rounded and smooth, which I think is a great feature compared to most ODI grips that very often have sharp edges. This maybe more important than you think when the rider meets the handlebar ends in a crash.
The grips come with detailed installation instructions and in a peculiar package, that allows to try before you buy.
The installation is a snap, just slide the grips on the handlebar and tighten the 4mm Allen bolt to the prescribed torque of 5N·m. Before you do that make sure you play with the angle of the grip and you palm: according to the instructions your hand should lay in a natural position on the grip, with the wrist in a natural angle. The best solution is possibly to leave the grips slightly loose so that they can be turned applying a little force and play around until the optimal setup is found.
RIDING IMPRESSIONS
The flat platform that looks like a wing allows to vary the position of your hands similarly to having bar ends.
I have one set of these grip installed on my day mtb commuter: the comfort is excellent and the grip is very good with or without gloves.
A second set is installed on my XC rig and I have not had any more numbness or tingling in my fingers since then, with the longest ride so far being around four and a half hours. I’ll be using these in endurance events this coming season and I’m sure I won’t have to worry about hand numbness.
One less evident advantage of these grips comes from the improved fit, that allows to firmly hold the handlebar without having to squeeze too hard. The grip fits perfectly in the palm of your hand, so it takes less force to guarantee a secure grip, in turn reducing stress and fatigue on the hands and forearms muscles. In particular on long descends with one or two fingers constantly on the brake levers, it allows to have a secure grip with just two fingers on the handlebar.
Ergon recently announced GE1 (Enduro) and GA1 (All Mountain) models that seem to have little if no wing, specifically designed for more aggressive riding.
CONCLUSIONS
If you have had hand numbness as I have, then the benefits of riding with thess grips will be immediately evident. The extra weigh compared to regular rubber grips is a fair price to pay for a pretty good level of comfort, and if you are comparing with clamp-on grips there is virtually no weight disadvantage.
The rubber material is very grippy even with bare hands and seems durable (but only time will tell).
When I started looking at ergonomic grips they all looked bulky and awkward, including the GP-1. These grips are not significantly bigger than regular ’round’ grips and offer a totally different level of comfort and control.
After buying the first pair I had to buy a second for my commute bike and I am now considering these ones or the new GA-1 for my AM rig. The only limitation so far is that there is no shorter version for grip shifters, although I guess the GX-1 could be easily modified.
SIMILAR PRODUCTS & WHERE TO BUY
Specialized makes a line of ergonomic grips (Body Geometry) that seems very similar. The models I have seen (BG Comfort Locking Grips) are all bigger than the GX-1 and bulkier, more similar to the GP-1 and seem to be tailored more to the casual rider than XC racers. These sell for $30.
Up to date pricing for the Ergon GX-1 grips can be found on Spadout.com, ranging between $30 and $39.
A good review of the GP-1 is available on MTB by 198.
