Grips – for those with weak wrists

[stutho]

Hi all

I am putting the finishing touches on to my wife’s new bike.  Unfortunately Dawn has weak wrists / grip (so much so that she finds it hard to pick up our 2 year old daughter.)

Dawn already does a fair amount of cycling but I am looking to make this new bike as comfy as possible.  I have set the bike up with a riser bar with a very large back sweep (32`) so that the seating position is far more upright than on most bikes (to remove strain from the wrists).  All I need now is to get hold of a grip that is  easy to hold.

I am thinking Ergons has anyone tried these?  Any other suggestions gratefully received.

Stuart

[Al Downie]

I've read some reviews of the Ergon grips (how sad is that...), and the main criticism seems to be that when you're standing in the pedals and really need to pull hard, they're a bit frustrating because you can't curl your fingers all the way under them. I think they're designed with comfort, rather than 'pulling power' in mind. So if your missus needs something that provides the strongest grip for the least effort, maybe a simple rubber grip with the Cane Creek bar ends fitted?

[geocycle]

I like my ergon grips.  As, Al says they are not good for pulling up against -you'd need bar ends for that -but that's not been a major problem so far.  I find I rest my hands on them rather than grip them.  The orientation of the wrist is more natural on the ergons with comfort bars.  They are quite big and the comfort bars are already quite wide so I move my hands around a lot, using the collars and then the flats, especially on the Rohloff side. I wonder if they do a smaller womens size?  Being able to adjust the angle of the flat side is useful. The 'flat' also gives some suspension on rough ground if you want to move your hand back a bit for a rest.

[stutho]

Hi geocycle,

Yes they do a smaller womans size.  Do you have the version with integrated bar ends.  If so are the bar ends any good (the look a bit small).

[Al Downie]

> Do you have the version with integrated bar ends. If so are the bar ends any good

I should be able to answer that next week - I just bought a set of Ergon grips c/w bar ends on eBay for £18...

[geocycle]

Hi Stutho,
No mine are the standard ones without the bar ends.  I was a bit sceptical as to whether they would be substantial enough to really pull against when climbing. I went for inboard bar ends which give you a more aero shape, but aren't far enough apart to use for climbing (but they do keep the map in place!).

[julk]

Hi Stutho,

I have tried both models of the Ergon grips, with and without the integrated bar ends.

My hands are quite large and I found the integrated bar ends felt a bit constraining sideways when not in use and too small to be useful when I tried hanging on to them.
The bar ends can be set at various angles independent of the main flat grip extension.

I find the grips with just the flat extension excellent for everyday riding. I can move my hands about more without the bar ends. The flare at the end stops your hands slipping off the ends.
They are not designed for a tight grip, I sometimes just rest my hands on top and enjoy the support they offer. The grip with flat extension can be rotated up or down from the horizontal, although I find setting them horizontal is best for me.

Assuming the new bike for your wife has a rohloff hub then you may need to cut the right grip down in length, SJS reckon that the womens version is too thin when cut down where it butts up against the rohloff changer and recommend using the mens version.

You can buy a rohloff model grip (I did) and found the right grip too short, I had to put an extra collar of old grip in place by the rohloff changer.

I hope your wife is delighted with her new bike.

[stutho]

Thanks for all you replies - I am going to fit a set of Rohloff specific Ergons this evening I let you know in a few weeks how Dawn gets on with them.

Thank again,
Stuart