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Mountain Bike Grips, Explained

After reading, you'll understand how to choose a grip by its published diameter and hardness instead of by its colour, and why the torque figure matters more than anything else on the box.

Updated August 23, 2026 · Companion to our Outdoors & Fitness review

In this guide

Almost every grip listing is written in the same excitable register about traction and control, and almost none of it helps you choose. The useful information is a handful of numbers, and brands publish them inconsistently. First-time buyers usually get tripped up in three places: assuming all grips fit all bars, assuming lock-on means better, and never once checking the diameter against their own hand. None of that is your fault. It is just that the industry talks about grip patterns far more than it talks about millimetres.

The 30-second version

  • Diameter is the spec that decides comfort, so find the published millimetre figure and match it to your hand before you look at anything else.
  • Lock-on buys convenience, not comfort, because the plastic liner and metal collar it needs make the rubber thinner and add a hard ring under your hand.
  • Softer rubber damps better and dies sooner, and a 20A Shore A figure is about as soft as mainstream grips get.
  • Clamp torque is a safety number on carbon bars, and published figures range from 2 Nm to 5 Nm depending on the grip, so use the one for your grip.
  • Wing grips are a positional tool, not a cure, and persistent hand numbness is a reason to see a clinician rather than to buy a different grip.

The products this guide is about

Our verdict on each, with the full reasoning on the companion review.

What actually matters

  • Outer diameter - the measurement across the finished grip, published by good brands in millimetres and typically between about 29 mm and 36 mm. A larger diameter means your fingers curl less and pressure spreads over more palm, but too large for your hand and you end up squeezing harder, not less.
  • Attachment type - lock-on grips clamp to the bar with a metal collar so they cannot slip and come off with a hex key, while slide-on grips are pushed on and held by friction, glue or wire. The choice determines how thick and how soft the rubber can be, because a lock-on needs a rigid liner inside it.
  • Shore A durometer - the hardness scale used for rubber, where a lower number is softer. A 20A grip feels tacky and cushions well; a firmer compound feels more precise and lasts longer. Only some brands publish it, so its absence tells you something too.
  • Wall thickness - how much rubber sits between your hand and the bar, which is not the same as diameter. Wolf Tooth publishes 5.5 mm of foam on its lock-on Fat Paw and 9.5 mm on the slide-on version at the same 36 mm installed diameter, which shows exactly what the liner costs you.
  • Clamp torque - the tightening figure for the lock ring bolt, given in newton metres. It exists because overtightening crushes bars, and carbon bars are much less forgiving than aluminium. Published figures differ per grip, so do not carry a number over from your last set.
  • Length and free bar space - grips run roughly 125 mm to 136 mm, and the maker also states how much uncurved bar you need per side. If your shifter and brake clamps eat into that space, the grip will not seat properly no matter how much you shove it.
  • Flange - the raised lip at the inboard end of some grips, which stops your hand sliding inward and gives a moto look. It also takes up bar space and gets in the way of some shifter positions, which is why most trail grips are sold in both flanged and flangeless versions.

The specs, in plain English

Lock-onA grip built on a hard plastic liner with one or two aluminium collars that pinch onto the handlebar. It cannot rotate in the wet and removes with a hex key in seconds. The price is a little extra weight, a hard ring under the inboard edge of your hand, and rubber that has to be thinner because the liner takes up room.
Slide-on (push-on)A plain rubber tube with no liner that you push straight onto the bar. Because nothing is taking up space inside, the rubber can be thicker and softer at the same outside diameter. You will need alcohol, hairspray, glue or safety wire to keep it from spinning, and removal usually means cutting it off.
Shore A durometerA standard hardness scale for rubbers and soft plastics. Lower numbers are softer. Around 20A is a soft, tacky mountain bike grip that damps vibration well but wears faster. Because brands rarely state the test conditions, treat a durometer figure as a useful comparison between two grips, not an absolute measurement of feel.
Outer diameterThe measured width across the outside of the fitted grip. It is the number you should be matching to your hand size. If a listing quotes only one figure with no explanation, this is almost always it, and if a brand does not publish it at all you are shopping blind on the most important variable.
Wall thicknessHow deep the rubber or foam layer is between the bar or liner and your palm. It is the real measure of how much cushioning you get. Two grips can share an outer diameter and feel completely different because one is thick soft foam and the other is thin rubber over a chunky plastic sleeve.
Kraton and thermoplastic rubberThe family of soft, mouldable synthetic rubbers most grips are made from, sometimes named on the product page. It is tacky, takes fine surface patterns well and recycles more easily than vulcanised rubber. Naming the material tells you less than a durometer figure does, so do not treat it as a comfort spec.
FlangeThe moulded collar at the inboard end of a grip that stops your hand sliding towards the stem. Dirt jump and downhill riders often like it, and it can foul certain shifter and dropper lever positions. Most popular grips come in flanged and flangeless versions of the same rubber.
Free bar space or clamp areaThe length of straight, uncurved handlebar available for the grip once your brake and shifter clamps are in place. Makers publish a minimum, often around 129 mm to 130 mm. Measure yours before you buy a long grip, because the fix is moving your controls inboard.
Bar end plugThe plug that seals the open end of the handlebar. It is not decoration: an unplugged bar end is a sharp-edged tube in a crash. Closed-end grips have this built in; most lock-ons include a plastic or alloy plug, and better ones sell replacements separately.

Green flags vs red flags

Green flags

  • The listing states an outer diameter in millimetres, and ideally offers more than one.
  • A Shore A durometer figure is published for the compound.
  • A clamp bolt torque in newton metres is printed on the page or in a downloadable manual.
  • The maker states the minimum uncurved bar space the grip needs.
  • Replacement collars, bolts and bar plugs are sold separately, which means you can repair rather than rebuy.

Red flags

  • No diameter anywhere in the listing, only adjectives about comfort and control.
  • A single size sold as suiting everyone, with no thin or thick and no small or large option.
  • No torque figure given for a lock-on collar you are expected to fit to a carbon bar.
  • Claims that a grip prevents nerve damage, carpal tunnel syndrome or handlebar palsy.
  • A very cheap slide-on described as an OE replacement, which usually means thin single-ply rubber and a glue-in fitting.

Who's who: the brands

  • DMR - British brand whose Deathgrip defined the modern trail grip shape, and one of the few that publishes durometer, both diameters and a torque figure.
  • Ergon - German ergonomics specialist known for wing-shaped grips sized by glove size, with detailed fitting manuals and explicit torque values.
  • ODI - Long-established American grip maker whose lock-on system is licensed across the industry, with a range spanning cheap single-ply slide-ons to race lock-ons.
  • Race Face - Canadian component brand whose Chester grip is the reference budget lock-on, published with durometer, two diameters and pair weights.
  • Wolf Tooth - American machinist brand that publishes unusually complete grip data, including foam wall thickness and a maximum clamp torque, and sells every part as a spare.

How to read a listing without getting fooled

Read a grip listing backwards. Skip the paragraph about traction and confidence and go straight to the spec block, which is usually the last thing on the page. You want four things: an outer diameter in millimetres, a length, a durometer figure and a torque value. If the diameter is there, compare it against whatever you currently ride, because that is the only meaningful reference point you have. If the length is there, check it against the straight section of your bar between your controls and the bar end. If a durometer is given, use it only to compare against another grip that also publishes one. If the torque is missing and you ride carbon bars, treat that as a reason to look at the maker's downloadable manual, and if there is no manual either, look at another grip.

How much should you spend?

Grips are one of the few components where the budget tier is not a compromise. A budget lock-on from a major brand can publish exactly the same 20A durometer rubber, the same clamp design and a wider diameter range than a mid-range option. What the mid-range tier buys you is finer diameter steps, more refined surface patterns, better end-cap durability, published torque values and, from the better brands, replacement collars and bolts so you can keep the grip going. Premium pricing tends to go on ergonomic shaping, unusual materials such as silicone foam, and hand-size-specific fitting rather than on better rubber. If money is tight, buy budget and spend the difference on getting the diameter right. If you ride long days or your hands give you trouble, the mid tier is where the sizing options live.

Questions, answered

What does 20A durometer actually mean?

Durometer is a hardness measurement, and the A scale is the one used for flexible rubbers. Twenty is near the soft end of that scale, which is why 20A grips feel tacky and slightly squishy under the thumb. Softer rubber deforms more around your hand and absorbs more high-frequency buzz, but it also abrades faster and tears more easily at the ends. Because brands rarely state how or where they measured, use a durometer figure to compare two grips that both publish one rather than as an absolute.

Do flanges actually do anything?

A flange is the raised lip at the inboard end of the grip, and it does one job: stops your hand creeping toward the stem. Riders who ride steep, rough terrain or who have had a hand slip inboard tend to like it. The costs are that it uses bar space, it can interfere with the position of a shifter or dropper lever, and it changes where your thumb naturally sits. Most popular grips are sold in flanged and flangeless versions of the identical rubber, so it is a preference, not a performance spec.

Can I use mountain bike grips with a twist shifter or on a gravel flat bar?

Yes on flat bars, with a caveat about length. Mountain bike grips are made for the standard 22.2 mm outside diameter grip section, which flat-bar gravel and hybrid bars also use, so the fit is the same. The caveat is that gravel and commuter cockpits often have less straight bar available, and many mountain grips ask for 129 mm to 130 mm per side. Twist shifters need a shorter grip, and some brands sell a dedicated short version for exactly that reason. Measure before you buy.

Are foam or silicone grips a real alternative to rubber?

They are, and they solve a specific problem. Silicone foam grips can be built much thicker at the same outer diameter because the material is lighter, which is how a 36 mm foam grip can weigh about the same as a 32 mm rubber one. That thickness damps vibration well and suits large or gloved hands. The trade-offs are durability, since foam tears more readily than rubber if you crash on it, and feel, because some riders find foam vague compared with a tacky rubber knurl. They are worth trying if trail buzz is your main complaint.

Ready to choose? See our top pick, the alternatives, and the one we'd skip See the Mountain Bike Grips verdicts

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