Visited store today. Checked out GP5, GP4 & GP3. Went with the GP4 (small) ecause:
- GP5 too bulky for my needs. Also affects folding. I don't want to carry around an Allen key.
- GP3 bar ends too small to be of any real use to me. Didn't even bother trying them on.
- GP4 perfect re: size, shape & aesthetics.
The grips all fitted very tightly. When installing you have to push them on very tightly so the handlebars actually go all the way fully inside them. Without doing this when you tighten the Allen bolt you can't fully clamp them. When clamped these things aren't budging. Very sturdy.
Black and grey colour-scheme suits the Mu Uno perfectly - they may as well be stock as they look very much in keeping. They make the Mu Uno look proper aggressive! The build quality is also very good. These are pricey but I'm already happy with my purchase. They really do make the bike feel very different. They also absorb a lot of road buzz. There's no way I could go back to the stock grips. Just as well..as I had to cut them off with a blade to remove them!
I do have to rotate handlebar position via QR when folding, so that bar-ends are in a 7'o'clock position, as otherwise they interfere with spokes when bike is folded. However having to adjust bars was already the case anyway due to my previously installed cycle computer & iPhone Quadlock mount. This doesn't bother me at all because even with just the front brake lever you get a neater fold by rotating the handlebars.
When riding I now position the handlebars so the ends droop down away from me - this means the grips are sitting lower than the centre of the bar. The bar-ends are set ever so slightly above horizontal position which allows me to fully lean forwards and fully grab the bar-ends without feeling like I will slip forwards off them if my hands get sweaty. This gives me the effect that I wanted to achieve by buying these - a gentle aero position when riding and grabbing the bar-ends:
Wiggle | Profile Airwing OS Handlebar | Aero Handlebars
Needless to say I won't be buying those handlebars anymore. The bar-ends, adjusted 'drooping' handlebar position and the fact I have positioned my stock seat as far back as possible means that I feel really nicely positioned now when riding. Grab the grips when in 'relaxed mode', and the bar-ends when in 'road-racing' mode. I'm around 5'11" so my seat is also positioned high. Was cornering at some really decent speeds today when leaning forward and fully grabbing those bar-ends. Amazing fun! The bike feels very different - much more racy & compact, much less upright.
One thing I may do is hacksaw a little off the handlebars (1-2 inches max each side) as when holding the grips and especially the bar-ends my hands are pointing outwards away from me and not in line with my shoulders. I'm slightly nervy about doing this though as there's no turning back! Lol. Will prob chop just an inch off each side first and see what that's like. Any thoughts?
Anyway here are some pics :-)
