How do I remove rubber grips?
 

I have a mountain bike and I want to switch to a different bar. But the grips are on the bar really tight. Is there a trick to removing them or do I just have to muscle them out?

cut them off. buy new grips.
Ive muscled them off in the past, but they never seemed to stay on the bar as well after that.

Get an air hose with a small nozzle and shoot the air under the grip from the inside while you slide the grip off. Or, if you're not reusing the grips, cut them off with a utility knife. When you put the grips on, spray a liberal amount of hairspray inside them and they will slide on easily but stick in place by the time you ride it. You don't want grips sliding around while riding singletrack in the woods.

+1 to cutting them off, but a quick trick I used once was to drill a hole in a board so the hole is slightly larger than the bar diameter. Cut the board in half through the hole. Clamp it together on the bar, inside of the grip, and pull it out. It will get the grip off pretty easily unless there's adhesive in there (hairspray installation comes off without damage to the grip).

Dunno what tools you have available, but with my full woodshop, this took about 3 minutes.

Thin screwdriver poked cautiously under the grip, right next to the bar, and drizzle WD40 along blade. Remove screwdriver, and carefully insert nozzle of WD40 can into space vacated by screwdriver blade, and give it a couple of gentle squirts, and let sit for 10 mins. The grips will slide off oh, so easily! Same lube can be used for fitting new grips. WD40 eventually dries and grips won't slip (contrary to what many ignorant folk might have you believe…)

- Wil

^^^^^^^ +1

+1 on the WD-40 with a spray nozzle and long narrow flathead screwdriver.

I do the same w/ an old spoke - insert it as far as easily posssible (if you wanna save the grips) & dribble or spray in almost anything wet - I've used WD40, dish soap, Windex window spray, Shout laundry detergent, whatever's around the workshop - wiggle spoke a bit, remove spoke, twist grips -

By the way, YES, the WD-40 trick works very well. AND in reverse, if you use WD-40 to get the grips ON and then leave them for a week or so, the grips will be tighter than tight.

Get a turkey baster. . .syringe type with a "needle" attachment. Load it with soapy water, insert under the grip from the end [no need to pierce the grip] , inject a little fluid, wiggle the grip, inject more, repreat 'til it breaks free and slip it off.

Rubbing alcohol works and dries pretty fast. I've occasionally had good luck with a can of Dust Off.

+1 for alcohol. It's cheap and it dries clean. Also, I use it to install grips, too. Grips slip right on, alcohol evaporates and you're done.

Alcohol is good, but often you can also use a can of compressed air (an 'air duster' for computer parts), work the straw as far as you can beneath the grip, and then simultaneously release air and pull the grip off. It will float right off.

+1 for alcohol's efficiency, cleanliness, and lack of residue. I use a blunted hypodermic syringe...slide the needle in between the grips and the bar, squirt while wiggling the grip to distribute the alcohol, and voilá, Bjorn Stronginthearm's your uncle. Same thing for installing--slosh some alc into the grip, slide the grip right on. Evaporates in a minute or two, job done.

Blow Hard
 

They best way is with compressed air. IF you have access to a compressor, stick the nozel under the grip and twist off.

You can also squirt some hair spray under the grip and that will work. Remember to clean the bar well before installing new grips.

I'm not saying where you can get the needle or that I even have them but, with a sharp needle, you can inject water under the grip by sliding the needle through the rubber. Push in water, it swells up and the grip comes right off. Reinstall with hair spray. Do it at night and you'll be ready to ride in the morning.

Heat with a paint stripper -- a hair blower may work

regards from Iowa

Gene