Ergon GDH Team Grips Review

Great Decision for your Hands

Words by Robert Johnston  |  Photos by Adam Lievesley

Ergon is well known for their components that focus on improving rider comfort and control across cycling disciplines. One of the products they’re renowned for is their grips, which are ergonomically designed to offer riders the most comfort and control on the bike. Their existing Downhill Grips – the GD1 – were a solid offering, but Ergon worked to add further ergonomic design features to make a grip truly worthy of the top step of the Downhill World Cup podiums. The GDH Team is the result, and they’re pretty damn good.

ABOUT THE ERGON GDH TEAM GRIPS

Ergon designed the new GDH Team Grips with a roster of their World Cup Downhill athletes including two-time World Champion Vali Höll. All of the design decisions were made by Ergon to cater towards the demands of downhillers at the highest level, but the result is a grip that’s very much pleasurable to use for your Average Joe who’s looking to push their limits on the descents. In a downhill race, the demands on the body – and especially a rider’s hands and arms – are extreme, so any improvements to comfort and therefore reductions in fatigue are likely to yield better performance. But there can be no compromise for bar feel and bike control, so grips have their work cut out to strike the balance.

Ergon applied their ergonomics-heavy approach to the GDH Team Grips by taking a look at every zone on the grip to ensure they all offer the performance that aggressive riders are looking for. They sought a locked-in feeling to relieve hand pressure and ultimately give the rider a better connection to the handlebars. The result is a grip diameter that varies from 29.5mm to 32mm.

On the upper surface of the GDH Team, where the riders’ palm will sit, there’s a zone designed to maximize cushioning without adding excessive thickness. A multi-level and multi-directional zone of “texture blocks” works to offer progression cushioning, offering efficient improvements to comfort.

On the underside, Ergon added aggressively textured “finger zones” to give easier purchase on the bars with reduced grip force. The angle of these zones is tailored to match the fingertips and yield the most comfort and control.

By adding ergonomic “stops” to the outside of the GDH Team Grips, Ergon helps to locate and “lock-in” the position of riders hands, ensuring the different zones of the grips are located in the optimum spots. By limiting the ability for a rider’s hand to slip inboard and outboard of the optimum zone, the need to squeeze tight is lessened and so hand fatigue can be reduced.

Accompanying the ergonomic design of the GDH Team Grips is Ergon’s GravityControl rubber compound. This ultra-soft and well-damped rubber compound adds further traction for a riders hands, whether gloved or gloveless, and promises further comfort and control.

The Ergon GDH Team Grips use a lock-on design with a single inboard CNC-machined locking collar. The outer edge features a replaceable plastic bar-end to protect the grips from crash damage. A pair will run you $39.95 /€39.95.

THE DIRT

I’ve been running the Ergon GDH Team grips for a solid half of my riding since I received them around the time of their launch at the end of last year, and it’s been thoroughly enjoyable so far. I’m far from a World Cup downhill racer, but it’s safe to say that riders outside of the world’s Elite are still likely to find benefits with the comfort and performance of these well-engineered ergonomic grips.

SETUP | Getting the Ergon GDH Team grips in a comfy spot proved to be very easy. You have to ensure you pay attention to mount them to the correct side of the bar. You can then roll them to a comfy spot with the etchings on the locking collars pointing upwards, and you’re good to go following a good tap on the end of the bar to seat the bar ends properly in place. While they’re undoubtedly ergonomic and have to be in the right ballpark for roll on the bars, I didn’t find the GDH Team grips to be quite as fussy in terms of their position on the bar as some other grips. You can roll your hands fore and aft around the grip a little bit without ending up in serious discomfort, which is nice.

PERFORMANCE | Ergonomic grips can be contentious, and many end up feeling a little more on the “touring” side of things. There’s no mistaking the intended aggression with Ergon’s GDH Team from their marketing, and the resulting product certainly supports the most aggressive riding.

I’m forever seeking the perfect mix of comfort and feedback, and tend towards slightly less comfortable grips typically to ensure I can get the control on the bars that I desire. I don’t like “fat” grips at all, with the wider spread of my hands feeling to limit my control over the front end of the bike. The GDH Team Grips satisfy my desire for bar feel, and blend it with impressive comfort, keeping my hands happier on the longer and rougher descents.

The shape of these Ergon grips and the fairly tacky rubber lets you relax your hands that little bit without losing connection to the bike, safe in the knowledge that your hands aren’t going to shoot off the end of the grip or spin around the bar. The finger “paddles” on the underside of the grip are effective at allowing you to dig your fingertips in to transmit a lot of “twist” to the bar, and reassuringly deep. Unlike some ergonomic grips, I can take my hands on and off the bars without having to “shuffle” back into the right spot, which means I can grab and go.

The wear rate on my set of GDH Team Grips seems to be impressive so far given their soft rubber compound, but I’ve yet to log multiple days in the bikepark to give the ultimate durability test. I’m very excited to do so though, as I think my hands will be thankful for my new favorite grips.

The Wolf’s Last Word

I can’t say they Ergon GDH Team grips are “perfect”, but so far they’re the grips that have come the closest for my hands. Comfortable and supporting the hardest of charging without limiting control, Ergon has knocked it out of the park with these.

Price: $39.95 /€39.95
Website: Ergonbike.com

WHERE TO BUY
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