Mountain Biking - Bar end question - put grips on them?

I just put a set of bar ends on my MTB (I climb lots of hills), and I wonder why most (all?) bar ends do not have rubber grips over them? Not only are my plain alloy bar ends slippery, but they are pretty cold on the hands first thing in the morning.

Is there any reason not to slide a set of grips over them?

it might be just the angle i have my one at (yes, just the left), but when i put a second hand grip on it, it wore away the skin between thumb and forefinger real quick. Like I said, could just be the angle/shape of grip.

Grips on bar ends should only be used if the bar ends are mounted on riser bars. [/sarcasm]

Truthfully, shane45, if you think it'll work for you, by all means go for it. Or wear gloves, which 1) usually have some degree of padding in them and 2) keep your hands warm on those cold mornings.

I don't think grips will fit bar ends very nicely, especially if they have any bend or curve to them. Personally I would just wear gloves, but if you want them covered, grab a roll of cork bar tape (they stuff road bikes use) and wrap them with that. Just be prepared to rewrap every so often because undoubtedly the tape will get worn off or trashed in even a minor crash.

Lizard skins also used to make a neoprene bar end cover, not a really a grip though. Maybe try searching for that.

I think one of the reasons it's not generally done might be weight since most barends are found on XC bikes. I've always worn gloves when riding, but temperature can be an issue for the fingerless models. No reason you can't put grips on.

When I was touring on the kona, I wrapped the bar ends with cloth tape. Seemed to work just fine.

I got some long rubber grips from the LBS. They were each about 30 cm long and looked like floppy rubber tubes. I dont know who makes them though. I used two of these to cover my aerobar. You could put these on over your bar ends and the main bar. I think they would look OK. Take off the original grips then slide these on (using WD40 if necessary) and cut to fit. I softened the grips in boiling water to get them on.

I got some long rubber grips from the LBS. They were each about 30 cm long and looked like floppy rubber tubes. I dont know who makes them though. I used two of these to cover my aerobar. You could put these on over your bar ends and the main bar. I think they would look OK. Take off the original grips then slide these on (using WD40 if necessary) and cut to fit. I softened the grips in boiling water to get them on.

This is the second time I've come across someone suggesting using WD-40 for installing grips. Where does this come from? Do you want them to spin like motorcycle throttles? Use hairspray or spray adhesive.

This is the second time I've come across someone suggesting using WD-40 for installing grips. Where does this come from? Do you want them to spin like motorcycle throttles? Use hairspray or spray adhesive.

I tried hairspray and there was absolutely no way on this earth that those suckers would have gone on with hairspray. It was hard enough with WD40 and the scars on my hands from where I wore away my skin pushing the grips on have just about healed now. Don´t forget I am talking about LONG (30 cm) grips. It also didnt help that the aerobar was 26 mm in diameter.

When the WD40 dries off there is no chance of any slip at all. In fact the last time I had to take the grips off I had to cut them off and buy new ones so there is no chance of them slipping round like motorcycle throttles.

Hairspray should be tried first but WD40 is sometimes the only way with long grips on a thick bar

I tried hairspray and there was absolutely no way on this earth that those suckers would have gone on with hairspray. It was hard enough with WD40 and the scars on my hands from where I wore away my skin pushing the grips on have just about healed now. Don´t forget I am talking about LONG (30 cm) grips. It also didnt help that the aerobar was 26 mm in diameter.

When the WD40 dries off there is no chance of any slip at all. In fact the last time I had to take the grips off I had to cut them off and buy new ones so there is no chance of them slipping round like motorcycle throttles.

Hairspray should be tried first but WD40 is sometimes the only way with long grips on a thick bar

I've put many long grips on handlebars with hairspray (or just water for that matter). You just have to get a whole bunch of it on and make sure it stay at the interface. Squiting some on the leading edge as the grip works up the bar helps.

The reason I wouldn't use WD40 is that it's a petroleum lubricant that doesn't evaporate very fast and, with some grip material, might actually degrade the rubber.

If it works for you that's fine and I'm not try to change your mind. I'm just boggled by how you came about using WD40 to keep the grips on. I would never have even tried it because it's a lubricating/penetrating oil/solvent.

Grips on bar ends should only be used if the bar ends are mounted on riser bars. [/sarcasm]

Truthfully, shane45, if you think it'll work for you, by all means go for it. Or wear gloves, which 1) usually have some degree of padding in them and 2) keep your hands warm on those cold mornings.

Lizard Skins make these (http://www.rei.com/online/store/ProductDisplay?storeId=8000&catalogId=40000008000&productId=451784&parent_category_rn=4500801&vcat=REI_SEARCH). They work well and take a bit of the chill off the barends.

I get numb wrists if I don't have grips on mine, since I battle carpal tunnel. In winter it is for thermal purposes, but since the gloves are thick the diameter is not a concern. In summer I like having the vibration damping, as well as I can lean it on painted walls, my car, shop windows, etc.
Stylish it is not, but if you are using them, who sees it anyway?

I just put a set of bar ends on my MTB (I climb lots of hills), and I wonder why most (all?) bar ends do not have rubber grips over them? Not only are my plain alloy bar ends slippery, but they are pretty cold on the hands first thing in the morning.

Is there any reason not to slide a set of grips over them?


Go to price point, and buy the Lizard Skins barend cover.

They are nice, neoprene :)

EDIT: sorry didnt read post, people already suggested them

I went thru 2 sets of lizard skins. I liked the way they feel, but they fall apart after a couple of months. Now I use bar tape, gel/cork type and this works well for me.

my ergo control barends are aluminum with a molded on rubber skin. they are available @ performance bikes or a lot of other on line places. and they dont stick out so far in front. they have helped with my carpal tunnel and riding. I can change hand postions while riding as well as climbing and still have good control in turns

Grips on bar ends?Anyone remenmber the "don't be that guy" ads on tv? :D

I have thought about putting grips on my barends but I'd be concerned as to how long they'd last. My barends seem to be a major contact point during crashes and I tend to crash a lot. Besides... my long-fingered gloves seem to work fine with bare barends.

So far my kmart foam grips last a couple months at a time. The big thing is they are only a couple bucks a set and are nice and squishy, good for carpal.

A thinner grip should conform to bar ends just fine.

Why aren't grips on bar-end extensions standard equipment on MTB's? I suppose it is a combination of "style", and the fact that the grips available in the early days of mountain biking were the thick, rigid, often "pistol style" cruiser grips that would NOT flex around anything easily, if at all. As a result, nobody got in the habit of using grips on bar ends...and old habits do die hard!

I wouldn't use bar tape, however, off-road, since it would be easily damaged if one "dumped" the bike--almost a given on the trail! You would, also, need to replace it all too often (even if it weren't physically torn or otherwise structurally "compromised") simply because bar tape would get disgustingly dirty in short order...and will not come clean "in the (bike) wash"! (On bikes that pretty well stick to the "pavement", bar tape on bar ends works well, however.)

Some covering on bar-ends does help grip and/or comfort and is worthwhile.

Why aren't grips on bar-end extensions standard equipment on MTB's?

Because anyone who's used barends in offroad conditions can point to all the nice scrape marks on their barends that would have resulted in replacing their barend grips every other week had they had grips in the first place. I think you answered your own question later on in your post.