Specialized Body Geometry Grips

[Mr Pig]

Are crap!

The lock-on ones anyway. Was in a shop last night and saw a set of Specialized Locking Comfort Grips. My hands get really numb so looked like a good idea, they have an extended flat panel at one end to support your hand and they were half the price of another very similar looking set.

The only real difference I could see between them and the dearer set was the size of the locking screw. The screw on the Specialized grips is tiny and looks poor quality. I actually said to the guy in the shop that it looked far to small to do the job but he felt sure it would be fine so I bought them.

They come with an Allen key so no worries there. Put them on and gradually tightened them up a little at a time, giving them a twist each time to see if they were locked tight. Long before I got them tight, and whilst still applying relatively little force, the bolt head just rounded! The bolt is so soft there was no way they were ever going to lock on.

The bolt was so knacked I couldn't undo it but the grip was so loose it didn't mater as I could just pull the grip off the bar.

So if you're thinking about these grips, forget it. If shaped grips twist around the bar they're totally useless.

 

[Fiona N]

What about using a little discreetly applied Locktight when you slide the grips onto the bars? I don't have any problems and I've got the bar ends on too.

 

[Mr Pig]

What about a little Locktight

You could try that but firstly, I don't think it would work and secondly, I don't think you should have to!

The lock takes the form of a split aluminium ring which the offending screw tightens onto the plastic inner body of the grip, which in turn compresses onto the bar. Locktight does not work well between metal and plastic, it is designed for metal to metal joints. Also, the large contact area and the relatively slippery nature of the plastic means that a heck of a lot of force would be required to really lock these grips in place. Far more force than this little screw is ever going to provide.

I have other lock-on grips in the house which are much better. They have a metal band which is compressed onto the bar by a grub screw. This is much better as the smaller contact area gives far higher pressure and the grips also have a locking ring at each end of the grip!

The specialized grips only have a lock at the outside edge of the grip, which to be honest is pretty sketchy. The extended hand contact pad on the grip means that far more rotational leverage will be applied than a normal round-section grip would experience. Yet instead of having a stronger locking mechanism they have a poorer one.

With no locking ring on the inside of the grip, if the grip slipped just a centimetre along the bar it could fly right off! If you were not using bar ends I think these grips could be downright dangerous.

I've found Specialized products to be a real hit and a miss. Some are good but these grips are really not up to scratch. All image and packaging but the engineering detail just isn't there.

 

[ASC1951]

My hands get really numb

I would look at set-up first rather than bar ends, because you shouldn't any get numbness unless you have some sort of hand injury.

I can do 10 hour rides without even gloves and get no numbness or soreness in the hands. Nothing special about me or my hands, but I have had a full BikeFit session to give me all the measurements and I am very picky about the precise fit of my bikes. That £50 was the best bike-related money I ever spent (and they knocked it off the price of the bike).