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Ritchey TGV grips review
When it comes to grips for mountain bikes, I’m a strong advocate of the various lock on systems that are available at pretty much every serious bike store in North America. However, a couple of months back, I decided to replace my worn Intense Lock-ons with a pair of low price Ritchey TGV grips. I paid under $8 (cad) for the grips, which feature a dual compound rubber and a contoured profile, installed them on my bike and set out on the trail.
The first thing that I noticed about the grips was the fact that the grip’s contoured ‘bump’ weren’t located in the same spot where I position my hand (near the outside of the bar). Over time, I found myself moving my hand around on the bar to get a better hold / hand position for aggressive breaking. This constant movement didn’t have an adverse effect on my riding but it was another thing that I was forced to think about — and it was something I didn’t need to do with the grips the TGVs replaced. Additionally, while one of the grips stayed in place, the other tended to drift inwards towards the stem.
The wear life on the grips I tested was below average. Typically, I can get between three-quarters and a full season out of a set of softer lock-on grips — the TGVs lasted three days at Whistler before wearing through to the secondary rubber compound. When I purchased the grips I didn’t expect a full season out of them, but I did expect a little more than three days worth of riding.
The verdict: The Ritchey TGV grips perform well when they’re fresh out of the package — the rubber compound is soft and easy to grab and they are easy to install — and they’re cheap enough to be considered ’short term’ accessories.
However, as soon as they get some serious trail time, the grips’ shortcomings come to the surface. The dual rubber compound — while soft and easy to grab — wears quickly and limits the long-term effectiveness of the product. Similarly, the contoured design of the grip won’t necessarily fit your hand, limiting the utility of the extra padding.