Installing a set of the best mountain bike grips is an easy way to make a big difference to your riding by improving comfort and control at one of the key contact points on your bike.
Mountain bike grip choice is as personal as it gets and there are no hard and fast rules here about which ones to go for. However, shock and absorption, width and surface texture are three things to bear in mind when considering which mountain bike grips to get.
You might be happy with a relatively thin and firm grip if you're riding cross-country, but you'll likely want something with a bit more cushioning and a grippier surface if you're heading downhill.
Length of grip is another thing to consider. If you have large hands or run a wide handlebar, you might appreciate longer grips, but if space on your bar is limited you might want to go for a shorter grip.
Most of the options here are lock-on grips that have clamps. These are good because they stay in place and don't move around, as other clamps can.
With this in mind, read on to find out about the best grips our expert testers have got their hands on.
We've also included our mountain bike buyer's guide at the bottom of the page, with suggestions on what to consider before buying a new pair of grips.
Best mountain bike grips in 2023
Gusset S2 (Extra Soft Compound)
- Price: £18 as tested
- Length: 131mm
- Diameter: 32mm
Your hands drop neatly into place on the S2s, as the Extra Soft rubber sags a little under your weight. The diamond-cut pattern and raised finger strips keep your hands exactly where you want them.
They provide unparalleled damping and lessen wrist-jarring on big impacts. The single lockring means you can easily access the full width of the grip, with support over the whole palm.
However, there’s no escaping how quickly the Extra Soft Compound rubber wears down, with these showing signs of it after testing, but that’s the trade-off for their top-level compliance and feel.
Chromag Format
- Price: £22/$30/€24/AU$39 as tested
- Length: 134mm
- Diameter: 30mm
Considering how good these Chromag grips are at damping vibrations coming through the bar, the direct handling you get from these slim-feeling grips is impressive.
The finger ridges do a decent job of adding mechanical grip – even though they aren’t the biggest – and the ribbing for thumb comfort is softer than most. A subtle outboard flange adds support when resting your hands right at the edge of the grips.
We didn’t always find our fingertips sat in the indents. As on most grips here, you can’t use your bar for tool storage due to the integrated end caps.
DMR Deathgrip Race Edition
- Price: £26/$28.95/€27.99 as tested
- Length: 135mm
- Diameter: 30mm
DMR's Deathgrip Race Edition grips offer huge amounts of traction thanks to their super-soft and 'race' compound construction which has been developed in collaboration with Brendan Fairclough.
Alongside tacky rubber, the knurl pattern bites into hands and gloves well, providing unparalleled grip while still remaining plush for damping.
All this traction does come at a cost, with the grips relatively quick to wear out.
A 'mushroom' section near the thumb allows for shifters and dropper levers to be used while still feeling a secure connection to the bar through rough sections.
DMR Deathgrip
- Price: £23 as tested
- Length: 133mm
- Diameter: 31.3mm
DMR’s Death Grip offers serious levels of traction even in the worst of conditions, with the multi-pattern design providing grip even when slathered in mud.
The thick mushroom tread around the inside of the grips helps you to feel connected with the bar when moving your digits off for breaking and shifting, while the small overlap of the clamp protects your inner knuckles from irritation.
Good adhesion is made thanks to the knurled diamond pattern on the outside of the grip, aiding in keeping rotational and lateral movement to a minimum.
The soft 20A compound provides plenty of tack, even on cold days and makes a good home for gloved and gloveless hands.
Plenty of well-placed cushioning is provided, though it doesn’t come at the sacrifice of feedback through the bar.
Gusset Matt Jones S2 Lock-On
- Price: £23 / $30 as tested
- Length: 131mm
- Diameter: 32mm
The S2's eccentric off-centre core design provides plenty of performance, adding bulk-free cushioning to the top side of the grips.
A single clamp keeps the S2s from twisting on the bars, with a 3mm Allen key used to tighten it.
Gusset’s standard ‘soft’ 30A VEXK compound covers the entirety of the grip and helps give a tacky feel, while the chamfered clamp design keeps things comfy when changing gear.
Horizontal ribs on the inside of the grips stop your hands from rotating on heavy landings, while vertical radial ribs on the end give confidence that they won’t slide off laterally.
The diamond pattern in the palms grips sweaty hands and wet gloves with ease, while the ribbed underside gives plenty of purchase for digging fingers into.
ODI AG-2
- Price: £30 / $35 / AU$55 as tested
- Length: 135mm
- Diameter: 30.5mm
Developed with Aaron Gwin, you’d expect these single-lockring grips to take a thrashing, and they don’t disappoint.
The AG-2s have a very direct feel, transmitting a reassuring amount of feedback from the bar. Raised finger slots and large-diameter ends keep your digits in place, while the rubber compound used is forgiving enough to damp the buzz from rougher trails.
They’re the priciest on test, though – not a deal-breaker, but not ideal if you tend to wear out grips quickly. The smaller diameter in the thumb area sometimes left us wanting more support for the inside of our palms.
PNW Loam
- Price: £26 as tested
- Length: 133.5mm
- Diameter: 30mm
PNW’s Loamer grips use a varying tread pattern that employs a spiral mushroom pattern on the inside of the grip that counters hand rotation well and adds cushioning between your finger and thumb, relieving fatigue on long rides.
A dense, zig-zag pattern on the top of the grip provides support for your palm and helps reduce trail chatter vibrating up your arm.
Horizontal grooves on the underside of the grip provide plenty of purchase for your fingertips to dig into, making it comfortable to strangle the bars through rock gardens.
The soft compound feels great gloveless and extends around the bar end, doing a good job of hiding scratches when resting the bike on the ground.
On the outside of the grip, there's no taper, enabling you to overhang your hands without interference.
Race Face Chester
- Price: £25 / $27 as tested
- Length: 136mm
- Diameter: 31mm
Race Face's Chester grips use flanged mushroom tread that sits next to the clamp and helps keep you in contact with the bar when removing a digit for shifting or braking, while giving extra cushioning between the thumb and forefinger.
On the top of the grip, there's extra padding, which helps to isolate your palm from trail buzz, while the angled ribbing helps keep your hands from slipping sideways.
The tapered outside gives a good indication of the bar end without restricting your palms from creeping over it should you prefer to ride in that style.
The compound feels tacky even in cold temperatures, with the grips among the best on test during wet conditions.
The grips are easy to install, slipping over the bar with ease and remaining fixed in place thanks to the single clamp.
Brand-X Half-Waffle
- Price: £7.99 / $9.99 / €8.99 / AU$12.99 as tested
- Length: 135mm
- Diameter: 28.5mm, 31mm
Brand-X is known for its value for money, with the Half-Waffle grips being no exception, bringing lock-on grips to an ultra-low price point.
A tapered design that widens towards the end of the grip gives confidence while providing plenty of control through the palm of your hand.
The knurled pattern and half-waffle design on the underside of the grip give it plenty of traction, with the performance unparalleled in grips usually found at this price point.
While the plastic lock-on clamp isn't as effective as the metal kind found on more expensive grips, it does a good job of preventing grip twist.
ODI Elite Pro
- Price: £27.99 / $29.95 / €30 as tested
- Length: 135mm
- Diameter: 30mm, 32mm
The Elite Pros have an ergonomic design that offers high comfort levels without being overly bulky.
The thick rubber numbs vibrations through the bars, while maintaining a direct feel for accurate line choice, though this disappears towards the ends of the grips, where it's needed most.
A large outboard flange is positioned at the end of the grip, which we found reassuring, especially if you hold your bars at the ends.
The half-waffle design adds plenty of traction, though we'd have liked a softer rubber for greater comfort.
ODI Vans V2.1 Lock-on Grips
- Price: £29.99 as tested
- Length: 135mm
- Diameter: 31mm
ODI's sole-inspired grips provide ample traction in all but the muddiest of conditions, with the varying waffle pattern adding good tack and cushioning.
An unintrusive mini-flange on the inside of the grip adds comfort to your thumbs when shifting gear and acts as a good marker of where your hands are in relation to the bars.
On cold, wet days the tackiness of the rubber diminishes making the grip less adhesive but the diamond-shaped grip pattern makes up for this in most circumstances, although the addition of mud can make the grips quite slippy, as anyone with experience of Vans shoes can attest to.
With bare hands, the grips feel amazing, with the underside tread providing good support for nestling your fingers into. The square ends allow you to overhang your palms while maintaining a lateral grip.
OneUp Grips
- Price: £23 / $25 / €26 as tested
- Length: 135mm
- Diameter: 28.5–30mm
The OneUp Grips are made from a soft rubber with a slightly tacky feel, and the diamond pattern gives plenty of traction. Directional ridges add even more purchase.
The grips taper in diameter from 28.5mm near the lock-on collar to 30mm at the outboard end, where there’s a slight flange, which adds support and cushioning. The ride feel is direct without becoming harsh.
They lack the additional thumb cushioning that some other designs provide, so if you have large hands or prize comfort over all else, the slim shape may not suit you.
Renthal Push-On Ultra Tacky
- Price: £13 / $17 as tested
- Length: 136mm
- Diameter: 27.5mm
Looking for the most direct and responsive-feeling grips possible? The Renthal Push-On Ultra Tacky grips are some of the best.
The lack of a plastic insert means they provide comparable damping to thicker options. Installing them with glue is quick and easy, too, and they stayed in place during testing. The rubber really is ultra tacky, so it helps with keeping your hands in place, as does the flange at the end.
There are no finger ridges or waffle pattern for added grip and if you can’t detach your brake levers, gear shifter or dropper post lever without also removing your grips, these aren’t your best bet.
Renthal Traction UltraTacky
- Price: £25 / $33 / AU$55 as tested
- Length: 130mm
Renthal’s UltraTacky lock-ons offer so much purchase that even a layer of dust or grime doesn’t affect grip. The ‘traction ridges’ stop your hands slipping on flat landings. Plus, the super-soft rubber compound helps damp trail chatter and vibration when things get rough.
The large twin lockrings won’t be to everyone’s taste, though. They sit taller than the rest of the grip and, if you’re used to hanging your hands off the end of the bar, you may find the outer ring a little intrusive under the meaty outer edge of your palm, especially on bigger impacts.
Truvativ Descendant grips
- Price: £30 / $32 / €34 as tested
- Length: 133mm
- Diameter: 32mm
The Descendants are consistently grippy and well-damped thanks to their cushy horizontal mushroom tread pattern.
This pattern continues around the grip, evolving slowly into a mountain range on the underside for you to dig your fingers into.
There’s some rotational movement attributed to the unconsolidated mushroom ribs flexing under the hand, which can be initially off-putting, but once accounted for it adds good comfort on gnarly terrain.
A boxed-off outer edge of the grip allows meaty palms to overlap the bar ends unrestricted, while a thin band of tread provides a horizontal grip.
The clamp is relatively thin compared to others we've tried, enabling easier access to shifters and levers, which small-handed riders will appreciate.
How we tested | mountain bike grips
Mountain bike grips are one of the few contact points between you and the bike and need to be comfortable and grippy, to give you traction in all weather conditions.
They will usually be made out of soft rubber compound and come in varying sizes, to fit different hands.
The best grips can reduce hand fatigue and provide more security on long descents, making them better for long days in the saddle, while increasing your confidence.
Pricing is usually in the region of £15 to £25, although higher-quality ones can hit over the £30 mark.
We test grips over a prolonged period. To ascertain which grips deliver the best performance, we ride them on a mix of trail, enduro and downhill trails in varying conditions. They get switched between bikes and tested back to back until their pros and cons can be summarised.
Also consider…
The following mountain bike grips scored fewer than four out of five stars when our reviewers tested them, but they might just tick the right boxes for you.
All Mountain Style Cero
- Price: £27 / $33 / €30 as tested
- Length: 132mm
- Diameter: 30mm
All Mountain's Style Cero grips use a comfortable rubber compound that aids in damping trail vibrations and adds mechanical grip when wearing gloves.
A slight outboard flange helps keep your hands centred on the grips, while the half-waffle underside keeps your fingers in place.
While the knurled pattern adds to the grip, it's certainly not as effective as others we have tested.
Deity Knuckleduster
- Price: £19 / $22 / AU$40 as tested
- Length: 132mm
- Diameter: 32mm
The Knuckledusters are new-school grips that combine a single lockring with an internal conical sleeve, to give a solid hold on the bar while still allowing you to use its full width.
Coupled with the waffle design on the underside, the upper mushroom pattern provides decent comfort. At 32mm in diameter, they’ll suit riders with larger hands.
With each flange of the mushroom pattern standing independently, the grips can feel vague when you start to push harder. This can be fixed by holding on tighter, but doing so often leads to early arm pump.
Ergon GE1 EVO Factory
- Price: £36.99 / $44.95 / €44.95 as tested
- Length: 141mm
- Diameter: 30mm
Using a softer rubber than Ergon's standard grips, the GE1 EVO Factory offers good traction thanks to a tacky compound, which provides high levels of control.
The GE1 EVO Factory features a flared design that helps to distribute pressure across the grip evenly while keeping your hands centred on the grip.
The dimensions of the grips make it difficult to set up brakes and shifters in preferred positions because they are longer than most other grips on the market.
Ergon GFR1
- Price: £33 / $40 as tested
- Length: 141mm
- Diameter: 30mm
With their raised finger ridges and knurled pattern, the GFR1s give good mechanical grip, despite the rubber compound not being that tacky. The ribbed section under the palm damps vibrations well, taking the sting out of the trail while maintaining direct handling.
These are longer than many grips, so take up the most handlebar real estate and their end-plugs stick out further, too. They’re also pricy. We’d like to see a flange at the outboard end and more thumb cushioning.
Lizard Skins Wasatch grips
- Price: £32 as tested
- Length: 136mm
- Diameter: 29mm
The Wasatch grips have a narrow diameter, which gives direct trail feedback. They feel great in the hands, though this comes at a high price and with little cushioning.
With tapered design from the clamp, the grips follow the contour of your hands well, remaining a consistent diameter to the end, enabling you to overhang your palms.
Horizontal tread keeps your hands from rotating on heavy landings, while the diamond-cut grip pattern keeps bare and gloved hands stuck to the bar.
There isn’t much cushioning incorporated into the design, with hand and arm fatigue quick to set in on rougher terrain, due to increased trail buzz.
The rubber compound covers the bar end, and remains grippy on cold days and when lathered in mud. Grip twist wasn’t an issue, with the single clamp keeping the Wasatch fixed to the bar.
Race Face Love Handle
- Price: £23 / $25 / AU$36 as tested
- Length: 130mm
- Diameter: 28–30mm (tapered)
These double-lockring grips use a mushroom pattern under the palm for comfort and have a knurled underside that gives plenty of purchase. Flipping them puts the knurled section under your palms for even more feedback through the bar.
One of our first test pairs had a lockring drop off, but the problem hasn’t recurred with our second set. These grips are slim, tapering down to 28mm, and give a lot of feedback through the bar, which won’t suit everyone. They take longer to bed in than we’d have liked, too.
Mountain bike grips buyer's guide
Grips appear to be one of the most basic components on your bike – usually consisting of nothing more than an inner plastic tube covered in a rubber compound and featuring either a single or dual clamp. However, they are an important contact point that can seriously impact performance.
What to look for in mountain bike grips
How a grip performs can be determined by its size and profile, grip pattern, clamp design, the compound of the rubber and the quality of the materials used.
Getting the formula right improves grip and hand security on the handlebar, leading to better control and less fatigue when hitting the trail.
Grips are quite personal items, more so than most bike components, with people's preferences depending on their hand size and the feel they desire through the handlebar.
Smaller-diameter grips will often feature less cushioning, resulting in more feedback being passed on to your hands. Thicker grips will help more in reducing trail buzz.
Thicker grips are usually better at reducing fatigue for this reason, with the larger contact area also helping to keep your hands in a relaxed position as opposed to balled up around a thinner grip.
The connection of the grip to the handlebar is fundamental in stopping grip rotation on hard impacts – a frightening feeling that sees both grips turn into twist throttles.
Solid mounting clamps are needed for this, with most grips featuring a single clamp on the inside to secure them to the bar, ensuring they can’t slide off in your hands.
Most grips will use multiple patterns to aid in all areas of contact with the bar.
Many grips use ribbed mushroom tread patterns on the topside because the design adds cushioning when deformed and provides a large surface area to boost adhesion to your hands.
The underside often sees horizontal ribs for your fingers to wrap around, creating an extra layer of connection and countering hand rotation.
The rubber compound is also important in the traction the grip provides, with manufacturers often listing the hardness of its rubber using a durometer reading.
Softer compounds will be more tacky, although this often comes at the sacrifice of needing to replace the grips faster.
Harder compounds will last longer, but won’t offer the same mechanical grip.
Mountain bike grips features
Clamp
Clamps, otherwise known as lockrings, sit at one or both ends of lock-on grips and cause excess friction with the bar, keeping the grip in place. Usually tightened with an Allen key, they stop the bar from rotating on the handlebar.
Chamfered and tapered
The profile of the grip is often chamfered (angled at the extremity) or tapered (sloped all the way across) to the inside clamp to give a more ergonomic feel in the hand and protect your digits from bashing into the clamp.
Compound
The rubber compound of the grip is usually a good indication of how grippy it is, with softer compounds proving to be tackier than harder ones.
Body
Lock-on grips will feature a hard plastic body onto which the compound is coated. This enables the grip to slide onto the handlebar and protects the handlebar from the clamp.
Bar-ends
Bar-ends are usually built into grips, covering the outside of the handlebar and removing the danger of piercing yourself on the bar like a spud on a spud gun.
