Ergon grip won't grip?
#1
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Ergon grip won't grip?
I let a friend ride my bike for about 5 miles, and noticed that the left Ergon grip would twist with mild pressure.
I loosened and pulled the Ergon bar end and noticed the grip ends were about half inch still inside the grip, so I moved the shifters and brake levers inward so that the grip end would be flush with the bike's bar end. But I still have movement.
These worked for two weeks, and the set on my wife's bike works great (same handlebar). Why am I getting slippage? I'm not putting excessive force on them, but I need them to stay put for safety. Thoughts?
I loosened and pulled the Ergon bar end and noticed the grip ends were about half inch still inside the grip, so I moved the shifters and brake levers inward so that the grip end would be flush with the bike's bar end. But I still have movement.

These worked for two weeks, and the set on my wife's bike works great (same handlebar). Why am I getting slippage? I'm not putting excessive force on them, but I need them to stay put for safety. Thoughts?
#2
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I have Ergon grips on my Brompton folding bike, and because the handle is so tight on space, there was a gap: the grips had about a 1/2 to 3/4" of empty space before the bar end. I must have overtightened one day, and cracked the interior surface of the Ergon grip. Since then, it still holds snug, but not as well as before.
You might want to see if there is a hairline crack or something. The way the Ergon tightens the maximum force is applied at the end so that 1/2" gap you mention might have had something to do with the slippage.
You might want to see if there is a hairline crack or something. The way the Ergon tightens the maximum force is applied at the end so that 1/2" gap you mention might have had something to do with the slippage.
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Couple drops of super glue should bond it just enough to hold firm but since it's trying to bond to metal you should still be able to break it(the superglue) if you need to remove the grip.
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You've got to get the ergons all the way on to the ends of your bars. I did mine myself and carefully measured and moved my levers in a bit and still didn't get it right. I had my bike in for servicing at the lbs and he noticed they weren't tight enough so took the setup apart and found I had only got the ergons part way in the bars and they won't tighten properly that way and could actually be dangerous if you applied enough force. All good now.
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You've got to get the ergons all the way on to the ends of your bars. I did mine myself and carefully measured and moved my levers in a bit and still didn't get it right. I had my bike in for servicing at the lbs and he noticed they weren't tight enough so took the setup apart and found I had only got the ergons part way in the bars and they won't tighten properly that way and could actually be dangerous if you applied enough force. All good now.
#6
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You've got to get the ergons all the way on to the ends of your bars. I did mine myself and carefully measured and moved my levers in a bit and still didn't get it right. I had my bike in for servicing at the lbs and he noticed they weren't tight enough so took the setup apart and found I had only got the ergons part way in the bars and they won't tighten properly that way and could actually be dangerous if you applied enough force. All good now.
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Glad it worked for you. I wouldn't have known if it wasn't for my LBS mechanic and I didn't even get the ergons from him although I did get the bike and accessories from his store.
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I've the same Ergons now some 5 years. I've done:
covered them (twice now) with me own knocked-together neopreen "slipcovers;"
replaced the 4mm bolts with 5mm bits;
notched/knurled the clamp-rings such that they rather bite the bar &;
place a rich coat of high-stick hairspray on the bar and inside the Ergon for that no-slip grip
....!!quick, man, that hairspray doesn't dally!!
Did I say I've the same pair...?
covered them (twice now) with me own knocked-together neopreen "slipcovers;"
replaced the 4mm bolts with 5mm bits;
notched/knurled the clamp-rings such that they rather bite the bar &;
place a rich coat of high-stick hairspray on the bar and inside the Ergon for that no-slip grip
....!!quick, man, that hairspray doesn't dally!!
Did I say I've the same pair...?

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I let a friend ride my bike for about 5 miles, and noticed that the left Ergon grip would twist with mild pressure.
I loosened and pulled the Ergon bar end and noticed the grip ends were about half inch still inside the grip, so I moved the shifters and brake levers inward so that the grip end would be flush with the bike's bar end. But I still have movement.
These worked for two weeks, and the set on my wife's bike works great (same handlebar). Why am I getting slippage? I'm not putting excessive force on them, but I need them to stay put for safety. Thoughts?
I loosened and pulled the Ergon bar end and noticed the grip ends were about half inch still inside the grip, so I moved the shifters and brake levers inward so that the grip end would be flush with the bike's bar end. But I still have movement.

These worked for two weeks, and the set on my wife's bike works great (same handlebar). Why am I getting slippage? I'm not putting excessive force on them, but I need them to stay put for safety. Thoughts?
Pull the grips. Clean inside the grips and clean the bars. Reinstall with grips/bar saturated with Windex. When it drys it won't re-constitute when wet again. Traction on the bar is key.
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make sure you have enough space on your bars for the grips. Ergons require 135mm of bar length on each side for the regular length and 130 mm for the gripshift length. if you dont measure before you put them on it will be easy for you to mistakenly think they are all the way in when they are not. so they arent fully seated when you tighten them down which could make them slide around during use.
whatever you do don't overtighten the screw or you could damage them. when Ergon grips are properly seated they need only a very small amount of torque to stay firmly in place (without the need for hairspray or anything else). the screw just needs to be barely finger tight if even that (more like pinky tight).
edit to add: I have the GP3 with the bar ends. if yours have no bar ends you might not need that much space. check your manual for the correct length,
whatever you do don't overtighten the screw or you could damage them. when Ergon grips are properly seated they need only a very small amount of torque to stay firmly in place (without the need for hairspray or anything else). the screw just needs to be barely finger tight if even that (more like pinky tight).
edit to add: I have the GP3 with the bar ends. if yours have no bar ends you might not need that much space. check your manual for the correct length,
Last edited by downtuber; 08-30-12 at 09:39 PM.
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I have the same problem with the left Ergon grip. Fortunately, I paid the LBS to install them so I am going to have them correct the problem. Otherwise, I love the grips.
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This might be obvious, but make sure to take your bar end plug out before installing. I didn't do this and couldn't figure out why the Ergon bar end plug got pushed out when mounting my bar. The bar ends need fit absolutely flush to clamp down properly. Search YouTube for Installation Guide Ergon if you can't figure it out.