Other than shoes and saddles, no single piece of gear has made me more comfortable on a mountain bike than Ergon grips. Yep, there are three sets here鈥攖he GS3, GS1, and GE1鈥攁nd yep, they are all superb.聽Once you get hooked on the feel, as I did, you鈥檒l insist on getting Ergons for everything you ride.
I鈥檝e been using Ergons since they arrived in the U.S.聽a decade ago, but I didn鈥檛 become a devotee until I began racing endurance events. On my inaugural through-ride on the Kokopelli Trail, I put on my first , which mate the company鈥檚 ergonomic palm cradle to stubby carbon fiber bar ends, and I鈥檝e never gone back. The soft platform supports the butt of the palm,聽alleviating聽much of the hand and neck pain I鈥檇 suffered on the bike through the years. And though bar ends are decidedly old-fashioned these days, the GS3鈥檚 squat, sleek shape means they are much less likely to catch on trees and brush. Anachronistic or not, they are still my top choice for long rides because of the variety of hand positions they allow. And Ergon has continued to refine the GS3s over the years, making them lighter and narrower with an even better clamping mechanism. They also offer a slightly heavier, non-carbon version for half the price.
Since the GS3s can be a bit cumbersome for daily use, these days I normally switch up to the 聽($35) when I鈥檓 not racing. They have the same dual-durometer rubber grips as their big brothers, with a harder inside and underside where you grasp and a softer, stickier pad under the palm. But they weight 25 percent less (160 grams per聽set) and don鈥檛 have the bar ends to hook shrubbery. Basically, you get the same comfort and ergonomic enhancements as the GS3s without the unwieldy heft.
Even trimmer are the 聽($35; 120 grams), which are perfect for technical trails and enduro-style riding. And though they look like any old tube-shaped grip, these keep Ergon鈥檚 DNA, with a side-specific design that narrows near the center and flares toward the end for a bit more support under the carpal bones. It's also made from聽two types of rubber:聽sticky and soft under the meat of the hand and harder and聽more durable beneath the fingers. A聽slight protrusion at the front forms a comfy trigger-finger feel. Switching to the GE1s from your average set of grips (especially the cheap foam variety) alleviates much of the numbness and pain common聽on long rides.
All three sets bolt on for security and take up about the same real estate on the bars, so it鈥檚 easy to switch between them depending on the terrain you鈥檙e riding. And given how comfortable they are, you can fully expect to buy multiple pairs of Ergons once you try them. I鈥檝e been through dozens of sets over the years and keep multiples on hand for when I wear mine out.