Hybrid Bicycles - How many have switched to Ergon's ?

Riding a Hybrid and here's the question?

Being a little older than most here, I have some difficulty closing my hands.

Yes, the A word and I just hate it. ...but I can continue on or give up... so my fingers tend to lock-up if I keep them closed too tightly.

When I handle a pistol, it has to be one with a large size, other-wise I can not hold it firmly enough to fire it.

The Ergon grips appear to have an extended surface to hold to and in a large size will not require me to close my hand so much as the standard bike grip do.

Thoughts, and have many of you switched to these Ergons ???

Love these things.... will not ride a straight without them

i got some Ergon GC3s, large size, and they have completely changed my opinion of flat bars. i was previously contemplating trying to rig up some bullhorn arrangement for my new hybrid because i hate flat bars so much, but the GC3s have made a tremendous difference for me. the wide, flat surface that supports your whole hand is a stroke of genius. unless they got some sort of patent on it, i honestly don't understand why every single flat bar grip in the world doesn't follow their design.

the GC3s are especially awesome because they have the extra long bar ends that allow for more hand positions (being able to move my hands around a lot is imperative for me on longer rides).

The GS-3 is what I'm looking at........ I like the large bar ends !

^ if large bar ends are your thing, think about the GC3, they're even larger than the GS3.

http://img846.imageshack.us/img846/9522/004dg.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/846/004dg.jpg/)

I put on the GC3 grips and after a lot of adjustment really like them. It took a while to find the right angle for them but once I got it dialed in they made a world of difference.

Love the ergo grips, however finding the sweet spot can be a little tricky with the hand position.

I have used GC-2's, GR-2's, and GX-2 Leichtbau's and all have been great. The first two were larges, the GX-2's are one size, and they have all been great. I have large hands, and have had no issues with them. My family has seen them, and since had me install them on all of their bikes. Have not tried any of the 3's, but all the 2's have been great.

And I am a longer distance rider. Most rides 50 to 100 miles. Never any issues.

Guess I should have said, larger pad areas on the grip ends, and also a reasonable size/length to the bar ends.....

I have the same problem with my hands. I can't ride without ergo grips, the pain is unbearable. They make ALL THE DIFFERENCE. The grips along with bar ends are EVEN BETTER as the barends allow you to hold on without putting weight on your hands for some relief. I have the ergos on all my bikes.

I even bought an automatic shifting bike with coaster brakes and ergo grips for my rides to Publix - it's called a Trek Lime and has a very comfortable handlebar along with no pulling on the brakes or shifting.

I have a set each of GP1, GC2, and GC3. All great grips!

I have them on my hybrid and they are by far the most comfortable grips I have used. I wish they made something for dropbars.

Have the large size on my Navigator and on my Multitrack. Have the medium size on both the wife's Navigator and her Multitrack.
Set them up snug but not tight enough that they can't be moved. On long rides we find that shifting the angle every now and then helps us with our hands.

Does anyone not like them? I tried some with the built-in bar-ends. I wanted to like them. But I've since gone back to regular old round grips. I did not like the way that the flat area impeded my ability to wrap my fingers completely around the bar for a good grip. I also felt the flat area sort of forced me into a single position on the bike.

I have liked the short bar end on the -2 series as I don't really try to wrap my fingers around. Usually I rest my palms on the grip and fingers on the brake levers. With the short bar end, I also rest my palm in at the corner of the grip and bar end intersection. The only time I really grip with finger wrap is hill climbing or crazy fast descents.

I also grip them with my palms on the very end of the handlebar, palms perpendicular to the ground, kind of squeezing in on the bars. Its alot like having hands on hoods. I rotate between these 3 positions and have had very few issues. If I start to feel numbness, I move to another spot.

With big hands, standard round grips were never comfortable for me. So much of this is just personal preference.

Does anyone not like them? I tried some with the built-in bar-ends. I wanted to like them. But I've since gone back to regular old round grips. I did not like the way that the flat area impeded my ability to wrap my fingers completely around the bar for a good grip. I also felt the flat area sort of forced me into a single position on the bike.

As said elsewhere, this (like pretty much everything in cycling) comes down to personal preference. Some people just don't get on with Ergons, just as (for example) some people just don't like either flat bars or drop bars (easy to find endless, pointless discussions on the latter topic!).

I switched to Ergons years ago, just after they first appeared, and wouldn't use anything else. FWIW, it does take some fiddling to get the right angle, but once found they do what they claim -- relieve pressure/stress on the wrists and on the nerves in the palm -- for me, and many others. Some, OTOH, notice no difference at all, or come to dislike them.

Oddly, though (just an aside), I find that Ergons (I use them with separate bar ends) allow me lots of variation in hand position: in effect, duplicating the 'on the tops, on the corners, on the hoods' sequence of drop-bars, but with the control position (shifting/braking) 'on the tops'.

The Sirrus I bought comes with an Ergon-Like grips oem I'll use them a while an see if they work out first.

I love Ergon grips. Both of my bikes came with them, and they were a big part of what I found so comfortable about the bikes. I don't know why all bikes wouldn't come with these.

I put the GC3's on my Giant Roam 1. The grips that came on the bike were shaped similar but they moved around the bar. The Ergons are locked in place and very comfortable. I have the bar ends locked in vertically. I have back issues and mounting the bar ends vertical allows me to sit upright when need be and still maintain control on the bars.

The only downside with the grips is that being a rubber material they stay wet from sweat for as long as I'm riding. Any other rubber based grip would have the same drawback. I may try putting grip tape on them and see how that works out.

Shabo

I have the GC3's on both of my bikes. Love them!

+1 for the GC3's. My crosstrail came with ergonomic type grips and my hands still were tingly and painful. The bar ends really make a difference, with many more hand positions possible. If you angle them forward, parallel to the ground, it gets you in a more aero position. They also can by handy climbing hills. They may be expensive, but are worth every penny.

I have a set of GR-2's on my 7.3FX, and love them. Very comfortable. I especially like the ability to vary my hand position when I take my hybrid for a longer ride.

I've got GP-1's on mine.

I have a flat bar on my bike (Gary Fisher Monona) and my wrists would be sore after so many miles on a longer ride. That's what convinced me to try the Ergons. I got the basic GP1's and it's a world of difference. They take the pressure off the wrist and now the heel of my hand sits comfortably on the blade of the grip. The angle takes some tweaking but it's super easy to do.

I just ordered some of these. For 50 bucks they better be awesome..

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41VdmF-1BiL._AA300_.jpg

I had these on my old Gary Fischer Advance. When I bought my new Cannondale Quick, I figured I would give the stock ergo grips a chance. My hands and wrists hurt just about every ride... so I bought another pair of Ergon GP1's and have had no problems since. I don't think I could do without.

214729

I just ordered a pair of the GC3's after reading this thread. Last Saturday after about 15 miles or so my hands were getting sore using the stock grips on my 11' Montare. My wife's 12' Neko SL has grips that look very similar to the Ergon's and she thought they made her hands feel much more comfortable than my grips. I rode her bike for a mile or so and would have to agree. I'm glad I came across this thread. :thumb:

My GC3's should be here today. I also ordered mine after reading the forum. Looking for something to help with the numbness in my right hand.

I like the GC3's I bought; better than stock. But I think I like the grips on my wife's 12' Neko SL better. They feel a tad softer.

I have that same "can't fully grip the bar" problem Jonathan mentioned above if I ride singletrack, but no problems touring on the road. Had a pair of GP1s for at least 4-5 years.

I bought a pair of GC3-L last year for my then-new Quick CX and could not get them locked on solidly enough to really lean into the bar-ends. If I put much weight on them, they moved.

They're in my parts bin now. I should probably sell 'em on fleabay...

Colin, sounds like your bar has a smaller diameter. Wrap a couple of layers of tape on the bar where it clamps then slide the grips on and try tightening it. The GC3's were rock-solid on my Roam 1.

I actually really want the GC3s but I dont want to order them and wait - I want to get them right away! I spent like 10 minutes searching for nearby bike shops and calling to see if they stock them.

Anyone here who has the GC3s actually able to source these locally or did you all order onine?

if online, where did you order them from?

Count me in the GC3 club. I ordered a pair and received them within two days from Amazon. Direct liquidators has them for $35/pair. Please be warned though, they did not come in the full retail packaging and they had a few nicks on the inside where the bar slides into the grip.

They work fine, but I don't think that the vendor should list them as new.

Other vendors have them on Amazon also. I read quite a few reviews online and a few said that you only need the large if you have very large hands. I am 5'11" and the smalls are perfect.

I agree with the previous comments. They are so much more comfortable on my hands and wrists. The ability to dial in the grip and barend independently is very nice.

Anyone here who has the GC3s actually able to source these locally or did you all order onine?

if online, where did you order them from?
My first pair of Ergons (GC2) were hanging on the wall at one LBS in town. My GC3s I ordered from another LBS, and I'm pretty sure that they sourced them through QBP. My GP1s I ordered from Wiggle in the UK; I added them to a u-lock bracket order (that I couldn't source anywhere else) to save on shipping.


I read quite a few reviews online and a few said that you only need the large if you have very large hands. I am 5'11" and the smalls are perfect.
I'm 6'0" and I use Large grips. I would say that my hands are an average size for a man of my height, so it would seem that comfort is subjective. All the more reason for consumers to encourage their LBS to stock Ergon grips in both sizes. "If you stock them... they will come."

6'0 here and I wear size XL gloves. Ergon large is fine, but I still use just about the whole grip.

All I know is that I changed my generic grips to Satellite Grips, and it improved my ride by 100%.

PS.

It helps to have some nice padded gloves too! :)

GP1s here, both on the flat bars that used to be on my hybrid commuter and still on the my MTB's bars. I may change those to a set with bar ends, but I haven't gone out to get them yet.

Like the others here, I'd never again own a flat bar bike without them.

Well, it's official - I've joined the Ergon bandwagon! While I did not buy the GC3 grips I wanted, I ended getting the GC2-L because they were actually in stock at a local bike shop so I said "effff this" and just bought them, they look pretty nice IMO and are absolutely worth the money ($40) my wrists feel like I never even went on a bike ride! I got fairly large hands (I'm 6ft 170lbs if it matters) I tried both the Small and the Large and opted for the large ones which suited me better. Good luck for all of you deciding whether picking up a pair or not!

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c42/ColombianMax/IMAG0794.jpg

me....put them on a set of smalls last night, and going on the first ride with them tonite. i hope they don't take alot of dialing in to get them comfy...

me....put them on a set of smalls last night, and going on the first ride with them tonite. i hope they don't take alot of dialing in to get them comfy...

I hit the sweet spot the first time! Just hop on your bike and adjust them wihle you're on it until you feel that would be comfortable. Worked for me

me....put them on a set of smalls last night, and going on the first ride with them tonite. i hope they don't take alot of dialing in to get them comfy...

I dialed mine in by setting them just loose enough to require effort to wiggle, but tight enough that they didn't accidentally slip, and even had one at a slightly different angle than the other. Then, whenever I went for a ride, I made sure that I had an Allen key or minitool to adjust whichever one hurt more. When they both felt great, I tightened them down a bit more to lock them in place.

I think they might be a bit easy to overtorque, though, unless the clamp is steel instead of aluminum. Don't worry about really cranking down on them, just get them snug enough that they don't move around.

Love them. Took the GP-1's off my MTB, cut them down to fit my Brompton. Ordered some GR3's to put on the MTB. They really make all the difference for a recreational rider like me.

I wasn't sure, but I slipped a pair of GS1's on my X-Caliber this week and the difference is amazing. I'm sold on Ergon grips now. I wonder if their pedals are as good.

I wasn't sure, but I slipped a pair of GS1's on my X-Caliber this week and the difference is amazing. I'm sold on Ergon grips now. I wonder if their pedals are as good.

Pedals? I didn't know they had pedals...

*google.. and back*

Ok, cool. I'm almost willing to try them; maybe on my wife's bike, though, since I'm probably going to switch all my bikes to one form or another of clipless.

well, mine are off....did not like them at all. go figure, there is always one of us, right?

well, mine are off....did not like them at all. go figure, there is always one of us, right?

[standard BF response] You're wrong. [/standard BF response]

:p :D

My first set of Ergon GC2 grips are on my hybrid commuter. Just ordered some large horn GC3s so I can have more comfortable commutes. I thought the GC2 and GC3 share the same grip bodies.

Does anyone know if I can merely swap the bar end out?

UPDATE:

Got the GC3 and put them on the Cannondale Bad Boy commuter.

Rode on the local bike trail with my wife to the coffee shop - maybe 10 miles round trip.

MAN DO I LOVE THEM!

For me, I rock them at a 45 degree angle so that the forward part of the bar ends allow me to ride darn near upright for more comfort.

The GC2s are now on the MTB. We'll see if I keep them.

For for commuting with a flatbar or hybrid bike, check out the GC3s.

BTW - the grip bodies on the GC2 and GC3 are similar but the bar ends have different cutouts - not interchangeable.

I just ordered a set of GP-1 small's for my MTB I'm converting to hybrid.. I experienced them on a Trek FX 7.4 I rode at the LBS the other day and loved them.
Wes

Whatever came stock on the Trek Allant, I'm very happy with!

I get numbness in about 5 minutes of riding without them. I can go for about an hour with them.