Supacaz understands how cyclists choose their gear, and the Grizips Handlebar Grips are a perfect example. Mountain bike grips are probably a more personal choice than underwear. Of course, the right mountain bike grips might actually prevent you from losing control and sailing over a ledge and falling to serious injury or death. Underwear has other benefits, but is rarely lifesaving. Options abound, but a couple of general characteristics hold true. A grip should be, well, grippy no matter what the conditions or how much you sweat. The grip should be secure, no throttling-up your bicycle is required or desired. From there, how a grip induces a tacky feel, how it secures, how thick it is, how long it is, and even what color it is are all variables, let alone well it cooperates with your shift/brake/remote clamps.

Grizips feature a locking collar and core system that has been popular for about a decade. No need to reinvent the wheel here. The molded core fits perfectly on the bar, and the aluminum anodized, powder-coated collar sits inboard (towards your controls). The collar is fastened with a simple hex key. Though not a two-end collar design, Grizips actually feels highly secure. XC, Trail, and Marathon or Epic riders will approve. A rubber grip is bonded to the core, and covers the end of the bar (sorry bar-end users). The diameter of the finished grip is a moderate 32mm.

Of course the key to the effectiveness of any grip is the hand interface- in this case a wondrous rubber that is super soft, and super sticky, but somehow manages to be very durable as well. Generally soft equals fast wearing. Not with Supacaz. The variable surface is excellent for channeling away moisture and giving good finger hold. Each individual grid of the segmented surface features a highly detailed relief version of the Supacaz star logo, which not only looks sweet, but provides more adherence. One full length zone spells out the company name and is the proper location for the mid palm when installed.

Why choose the Supacaz Grizips? If you are rider who prefers a low profile, soft, yet not squishy, non-ergonomic grip with tremendous feel, tackiness, and bar control, then you will love Grizips. The 130mm length is pretty much standard and the locking collar is low profile to be control friendly. This is a good looking, highly effective grip for those put a premium on bar control and feel. The locking system may not equate to DH or serious all-mountain riding security, but will handle everything else. Lock on, feel the California pedigree, and attack the trail with Supacaz Grizips.