ESI Grips showed off their products at Sea Otter and we got a chance to try them. They’re grips are made of silicone. Their soft to the touch and they absorb a fair amount of shock and vibration. They also give the rider a good grip and are not slippery. Other features are they stay on the bars firmly despite wet conditions and they last a long time.
Two models are available for mtb, Racers Edge at 51 grams and Chunky at 71 grams. Both sell for $16. There is also a road grip available.
I was skeptical at first since they looked like foam grips. Foam grips just didn’t have a good feel to me and they would rip off as I torqued on the handlebar of my singlespeed. But after few weeks of using them, I was very impressed. These grips seem to have no weakness. They are even ovalized with more padding for the contact point with the palm of the hand.
And since I use a rigid fork on my singlespeed, good shock absorbing grips are important. Well, I’m very, very happy with the grips. They take the edge off and they allow me to control the bike accurately. They feel like Oury grips but ESI is just a bit smoother. And they’re not as thick as Oury so it’s easier to grip the handlebar. After a couple months of use, the grips look like new and have not come loose at all.
The Sea Otter XC course was tamed by these grips, carbon fork and 29er wheel. Everything was a piece of cake. Well, except for those nasty ruts before the finish line.
