Grips And Bar Tape Guide
Grips fit over the ends of handlebars to make riding more comfortable over rough terrain, they can help eliminate pressure points on your hands and help control your bike safely. Flat bar bikes will use grips, while drop bar road bikes will use bar tape.
Every modern adult bike with flat bars uses the same diameter handlebar at the grip area, 22.2mm. This means changing or upgrading your grips is easy and compatible. Some grips are a simple push-fit, tightly sliding over the handlebar, while some will use a collar on one or both end that "locks on" with a small pinch bolt.
Grips are available with different outside diameters to suit different hand sizes and different compounds for comfort and longevity.
BMX Grips
BMX grips tend to be a push on type, though lock on BMX grips are available. They are often longer than mountain bike grips, usually between 130mm and 160mm.
Available in different compounds, a softer compound will provide more grip but wear faster, while a harder compound will last a long time but give less grip. BMX grips often have a flange on the inside of the grip and will often include a tough end cap built into the grip protecting the end of the bars in a crash, though some are available with a separate end cap. Different patterns of grip are available to suit personal taste, but the classic mushroom style is very common on BMX grips.
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Comfort grips
Comfort grips are made for casual leisure riding and feature a widened flatter area on the outside of the grip to provide a larger surface area for your hand relieving pressure on the palm to create a more comfortable ride. They are available in different external diameters, compounds and both push on and lock on types.
Some comfort grips will have an upright bar end built in to give another hand position when riding, a second position gives even more comfort by changing hand position and rotation to change the contact points on your palm.
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MTB Grips
One of the most easily customised parts of a mountain bike, MTB riders will often find their favourite grip and use this on different bikes. Due to the extra control needed when mountain biking, MTB grips are mainly the lock on type. Different compounds are available, riders who use gloves might prefer the longer-lasting hard compounds, while gloveless riders might prefer the extra grip given by a softer compound.
MTB grips come in many different patterns and sizes, some have an ergonomic taper to slightly roll the wrist in our out depending on personal preference, others will have a pattern that sheds mud and water better than others, and some compounds are so soft that they are tacky and almost sticky for extreme conditions and riding styles.
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Bar Tape
Unlike flat handlebar grips, road bikes and bikes with drop handlebars use bar tape. The bar tape comes as two rolls, one per side, and must be wound around the bar to install. The back has an adhesive strip though it is the tension when winding around the bars that keeps the tape in place. Starting at the bottom of the bars and working toward the centre to be secured in place with a tape similar to insulation tape. Bar ends are then inserted into the ends to tidy up and protect the end of the handlebar.
Available in different thicknesses for comfort preferences and different compounds to provide a different feel on the bike with an array of different colours available to personalise your bike.
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