ProductReviews
Ergon Grips
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Last year when I attended the Interbike Convention in Las Vegas, I was fortunate to speak with a representative from Ergon (Bike Ergonomics). They had a wide variety of various eye catching products on display. One particular product that I was interested in was a larger than usual bicycle grip. Larger than usual, meaning thicker rubber around the handlebar to absorb shock, an added extended palm support, all attached around an aluminum housing piece.
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Leaving the show and heading back to the good old mean streets of Los Angeles, and when I say mean, I’m literally referring to the streets, sidewalks and unpaved alley ways. I must say Los Angeles is a great testing ground for any police or fire mountain bike officer. There are plenty of pot holes, rain gutters and transients that pop out of nowhere to really test your biking skills and equipment. Eager to test the newly received Ergon grips for bicycle patrol, I quickly cut off my old worn out grips and attached the new larger Ergon-GP1s in a matter of minutes.
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One key thing point with this Ergon grip is that when removing an old worn out grip you have to cut, razor blade or use messy, sticky hair spray to remove and replace the old worn out grips. Assembly is simple with the Ergon PM-1: slide the MP-1’s on the handlebar and use the single Allen bolt for adjustments, it’s that simple!
Reduce forearm and finger soreness:
No more than a few hours on the shift, I was overly convinced that indeed these were a high quality pair of bicycle grips and intended for performance. I’m sure these are great racing grips for the bicycle extremists, but when it comes down to a police or fire (paramedic) bike officer. We are talking strictly comfort and support. Let me tell you, the Ergon-PM1’s live up to the test. This may definitely be the grip for you. The traditional bike grip adds little support to your palm or forearms which is much needed for and average (8 hours) to (10 hours) bike shift. Usually, by the end of your shift your hands palms and fingers are tired. These grips reduce pressure on the particularly sensitive areas of the palm which later cause numbness to the pams and fingers. They also correct the riders grip, forcing you to take a natural hand position and angle when griping the handlebars. I feel that they also give the rider a more stable base when controlling the front handlebars, therefore giving the rider more confidence.
Various traditional grips, on the average, will cost you approximately 10-12 dollars. The retail price for the Ergon-PM1’s is around 30 dollars. I guarantee, that if you try the Ernon PM1, you’ll have a much more comfortable and enjoyable ride. You may want to reach deep into your pocket and shell out an extra 20 dollars an up grade to the Ergon-PM1’s to see what you missing! There are a few other grips out there that resemble the Ergon PM1’s, but have a smaller base and are about half the size. When I returned to the station and passed the good word of the Ergon PM-1’s to my fellow bike officer’s around the city. It took around two weeks or so before I heard from around a dozen bike officers. The simple feedback I received was, “The Ergon’s are the most comfortable grips I’ve ever used, I wished I would have purchased these along time ago!” You definitely get what you pay for.
Give your forearms and fingers that much needed break. Gget rid of fatigue and save the strength in your fingers and forearms for a real emergency.
www.ergon-bike.com
