Review on 🚴 Ergon GP1 Ergonomic Lock-on Bicycle Handlebar Grips: Ideal for Hybrid, E-Bikes, and Mountain Bikes - Regular Size, Gripshift or Rohloff/Nexus Compatible - Black/Gray by Michael Vargas

While driving I felt a slight numbness in my hands. True, I haven't ridden in such a long time, so I can't say for sure that my old grips were the culprit. When I received them I was definitely surprised that they were almost the same size and shape as my bike's (Giant FastRoad CoMax 1 2016) handlebars. The upholstery pattern is slightly different and a bit softer, but not essential. I have read the instructions and installed accordingly. No problem. However, based on the instructions, I found that my original grips (at the bike shop) were set with the palm pads rotated much further down. As soon as I got on the bike I felt better. My palms felt supported. Given the angle at which the store installed the originals, I'm not sure I've ever used palm pads. Or, if I did, it clearly required my wrists to be flexed significantly. So I took a 10 mile walk. I quickly realized that my rear derailleurs needed to be adjusted to accommodate the new crank angle. After doing this I noticed an improvement. But a word of warning: the numbness came back first, maybe a little worse. I paid attention and found that I put a lot of pressure on it with my palms as the pillow is in a usable spot now. Once I figured that out and started using the mat for support instead of support, the numbness went away. What surprised me was that despite the almost identical sizes and shapes of these and my original grips, the feel was very different. One last thing, the end caps are removable and not required to place or hold the handles properly. Since I have a mirror that mounts on the end of the handlebars, that's a plus. The only reason I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 is that after one ride I noticed that one of the tiny rubber nubs on the grip was slightly deformed. This may indicate that they will not last long. I'll update this review after a few miles on the cranks and adjust the chainrings accordingly. If your bike already has palm rest grips, make sure they are properly adjusted before changing them. Per Ergon's instructions, in the riding position, your palms should be supported but not pressed against the heels of your hands, and your wrists should be in line with your hands (i.e. not flexed).