ESI GripsExtra Chunky MTB Grip - Ultimate Comfort and Control for Mountain Bike and E-Bike Riders, Durable Silicone Bicycle Handlebar Grips for a Smooth Ride

[3/30/25] 6 month review. I stand by everything posted below. After 100s of gravel / paved trail ride miles these are a godsend. I have no more heel-wrist fatigue. The wide foam helps to distribute the loading nicely without overtly being ergo grips. The foam compound has held up well too. I was worried it would compress or flatten out but that hasn't happened at all. Just for the heck of it, I loosened them with a wire zip tie and 90% isopropyl and rotated them around about 90 degrees. But that wasn't really needed just my bike OCD.I finally got around to installing these on my retro gary fisher straight bar. No problems at all with the installation. A little 70% isop alcohol and they slid right on. They are noticeably bigger and softer than my old trusty Oury #8. They are even a good inch longer (the actual grip surface) from end to end, which is nice since I can position my hands differently on the bar. The last ~1 inch of the Oury #8 is that little narrowed down, non-grip area that in my case was of no use. I ride with gel padded gloves, paired with these grips there is noticeably less shock and fatigue on my wrists.I actually did a warm weather ride without gloves and these grips were great. I could never do that with my Oury 8 grips because just a little sweat makes them slippery / slimy.They are not really "black", more of a dark gray. To be honest they look like someone cut / trimmed them with scissors in their garage... LOL This is purely cosmetic though, so no stars lost.I am a weekend, recreational rider only. My bike goes into hibernation during the winter rains. Not sure how these handle rain, wet, cold conditions. I also do not park my bike outside exposed, as in a school/work commute scenario. Not sure how well these handle being outside in the sun. Most soft materials don't handle that scenario well over the long term.Happy with my purchase.

This is my third set of handlebar grips. The foam is dense and provides a grip that is more cushioned and less sweaty than other name brand plastic grips. I am sure that under harsh conditions they could be less durable than plastic grips, but they are fairly tough, and worth it. Followed installation instructions and had them installed in 10 mins.

I have been running a different MTB grip for well over 10 years. I thought for sure they were the best possible grip for me. Then I tried ESI grips on a whim.At first I had some hand numbness and wasn’t sure I liked them. After 8-10 rides I got used to them and liked them a lot. I ride a hardtail and these grips do a lot to mitigate felt vibration. The dampening they provide is noticeable.I had red grips and had a red color scheme going on with my bike components. My frame ended up cracking a weld and the manufacturer warrantied it but sent a completely different color frame. The red ESI grips I had looked really stupid so I took them off (more on that at the end of this review) and replaced them with my old style grips. I was fairly certain from memory that my old grips were slightly superior to the ESI grips, so I changed them out with confidence back to my old grips.It only took ONE ride back on my old grips to make me miss the ESI grips. The ESI grips were in fact far superior to my old grips.I ordered a new pair right away and installed them as soon as they arrived. I had to order a new pair because I had to cut the old pair off. I tried for quite awhile to remove the first pair of ESI grips and they would not budge. I tried the air compressor method, I tried rolling, I tried everything I could think of and they would not come off. I had to slice them off.Fortunately they aren’t expensive so a new set was no big deal. Install of this second pair was as easy as the first.All you have to do is plug one end with a finger and pour a little bit of rubbing alcohol inside and they will slide right on with minimal wrangling. As for the end caps, just take some snips and snip off 3 tiny triangular sections evenly spaced around the first rib and the end caps will slide right on too.The only downside to these grips is that once they are installed they are on for good. As far as I can tell, they have to be cut off to be removed.But, they function as advertised and are a big improvement over all previous grips I have tried.

I have always ridden grips with minimal cushion and gloves with little padding. I recently developed some issues on my palm that made me decide to go thicker grips.I ordered the "Chunky" and thought "Hey, these are perfect. Then I saw "EXTRA Chunky" and thought "Hey, these must be better! They are.They make your grip area a little large, so if you have smallish hands, you might try the "chunky" instead.These grips are installed on my single speed adventure /gravel bike and they really help smooth out the vibrations on gravel roads.When riding singletrack they provide excellent grip and don't get slippery when wet.Installation was a snap with a little alcohol (isopropyl for the grips, and beer for me). Follow the instructions and you'll be fine.I am not sure if they can be removed easily or not for maintenanceEDIT: I had to remove them for some maintenance and squirted some alcohol under the grip with a syringe and they slid off with minimal effort. Reinstalled as above. BOOM!