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Using the grip body as the GS2 Carbon, the GS2 adds an innovative GFK 3 finger bar end. Featuring non-slip rubber inserts, the bar end doubles as the clamp, allowing both the grip and the bar end to be independently adjusted.
As hand size is different from person to person, Ergon manufactures the GP, GS and GA ranges in two sizes – Small and Large. This difference is in the diameter of the grip. The reason for this is that a larger hand is better able to grip a larger grip with less stress and effort. This is the same in reverse for small grip. A smaller hand needs a smaller grip to allow the hand to close around it. Of course, this is all also down to personal preference.
Features:
- Size: Small – 6.5 to 8.5″ hand – 92mm diameter
- Use: Mountain Biking, Endurance Racing
- Material: GFK Composite with rubber inserts (Bar end)
- Weight: 222g
Ergon Gs2 Review:
On The Trail
I’ve been test-riding the Ergon GS2 for the last couple of weeks, and it has been a great experience. Previously, I have been riding with Renthal Fatbar Ergonomic grips. They were good, the oval shape was comfortable and the short riser left a long section of grip available to enable T-handles to easily be adopted. The Fatbars were also very wide … really wide. Making hand position a bit easier, and improving grip width, but making the hand widths in contact with them very out of balance. As a result, I had grown to be pretty flexible in grip width (and probably more often than not I would run around a 1.5cm width). The Fatbars were ideal for high-speed rock garden riding and were amazing on rough terrain. If you rocked the bike in the turns and made the bike feel like it was moving underneath you, the Fatbar bite provided positive feedback to your hands and a feeling of confidence and control.
By comparison, the Ergon GS2 does not provide the wide bite nor the same amount of comfort in the grip body, but it does provide a more balanced grip width. They are narrower in the front of the grip and wider in the back. As a result, you can push the GS2 grips to a relatively wider position (than the Fatbars) with less compromise between your grip width and the contact width on the front. The other nice feature of Ergon grips is that the position of the hand in the front of the grip (when in the ‘T’ position) is lower in the hands than the Fatbar (just where it’s needed). The Ergon grips come a bit higher out of the top stems, and on a short stem they need to be set about two turns down on the stem rise, which gives a level position in the ‘T’ hand position. With a longer stem, you can run them further down, and really play with the grip position in the ‘T’.
The GP/GS range of grips allow the rider to grip a narrower handlebar width with comfort. They also provide very positive control through a powerful grip. The grip itself is a combination of tacky rubber and grippy plastic. Moving the hands from grippy rock surface to loose dirt can really be felt. And the bar end doubles as the GS2 grips are adjusted out of the box, and allows for a very easy change to a ‘T’ position.
The use of carbon fiber is strong, stiff and light. And it is grippy: the Ergon’s have a really positive feel. The only let down to the GS2s, in my opinion, was the bar end. It was too top-heavy and didn’t veer left or right when the bike was leaned over. It was also a bit too slippery with a sweaty hand. Overall, the grip is a great product. It’s light, comfortable, grippy, ergonomic and relatively low cost.
Ergon Gs2 Review:
Ergon GS1 Bar End
GS1 is a relatively new addition to the high tech Ergon product range. It is basically a GFK (compact fibre composite) bar end that allows the grip to be widened. The bar end simply screws into the other Ergon bar-ends and will allow up to 2cm of added width.
The greatest advantage of this bar end is that it allows you to run an Ergon with a wider grip on a standard 26mm or 31.8mm diameter bar. This means that you can run a standard road bike handlebar (26mm or 31.8mm) and comfortably position a half-clamp Ergon grip or Ergon Fatbar without any compromise to ergonomics, while achieving the ultra-wide grip available from a full-clamp Ergon.
The bar end has a sturdy clamp that can’t be seen from the outside and allows the Ergon junction to rotate. The bar tape can be easily pushed through and held there.
Features:
- Size: Small – 6.5 to 8.5″ hand – 92mm diameter
- Use: Mountain Biking, Endurance Racing
- Material: GFK Composite with rubber inserts
- Weight: About 71g
Ergon Gs1 Review:
On The Trail
Ergon provides two sizes of Gs1 clamp for different hand sizes. I’ve been testing the large Gs1 Bar-End (produced for the GS2 grips) with my medium GS2 grips.
I ran this combination on my Kona Wasp, which has a 785mm (31.8mm) diameter bar. The bar has a 90mm drop and a 620mm width across the grip. With a standard Ergon grip, I always felt that it was a bit too narrow – I had to position my hand far outside of either the rocker or the bottom of the stem. The GS2 grip with an Ergon bar end created a nice, firm, near-vertical grip position with my hands ideally located in the middle of the bar. I think that the combination is perfect for the wider bars, with a wider range of hand positioning.
