Grips

Ritchey WCS Ergo Locking True Grip Review

As your main contact with the bike, a decent set of grips is pretty important. These grips from Ritchey are made from neoprene with an anatomical shape, making them both comfortable and light on the scales. Twin-bolt collars clamp them firmly in place on the bars.

I must profess to preferring my grips thin – I only have small hands – but after a couple of rides I did grow to like these. They’re ergonomically shaped, thinner at the ends with a slight bulge part way along their length. It’s a shape that feels comfortable in the hand. It won’t suit everyone, but just like everyone is fussy about saddle shapes, so people have their own preferences with grips.

The neoprene foam gives good cushioning so you get a little more bump absorption. I found the grips ideal for longer cross-country rides where the shape and cushioning comes into its own. The foam has a good softness and provides good grip, even in the wet.

Clamping them to the bars are lock-on collars, with two bolts per end. This approach clearly ensures the grips don’t budge on the bars, whether they’re carbon or alloy, but I didn’t notice them being appreciably more secure than lock-on grips with a single bolt at each end.

On the scales they’re 121g, a bit lighter than the claimed weight of 133g, which is impressive. That’s without bar plugs.