Many cyclists will remember the bar-end handlebar grips that were popular on mountain bikes some time ago. Well, Spirgrips offer a unique take on that basic concept, and they're now being offered in a new-and-improved form.
While old-school bar-end grips were simply vertical extensions added to the ends of a bike's flat handlebars, the original Spirgrips were significantly different – they were mounted between the brake levers and the existing grips, and they were shaped not unlike the brake hoods of a road bike.
As was the case with bar-ends, though, the idea behind them was to give riders more of a choice of hand positions. According to their Geneva-based designers, riding with your hands placed at an angle on the Spirgrips (as opposed to flat on the regular grips), puts your hands more naturally in line with your arm. As a result, users are claimed to experience less wrist pain.
On the new Italian-made Spirgrips + model, a soft and pliable polymer padded insert has been added. This reportedly not only makes the grips a lot cushier, but it also allows them to better conform to the contours of each user's hands. And for users who want to shave every gram possible when racing, the inserts can be temporarily removed – the grips will still work without them.
Additionally, instead of the aluminum used for the body of the original model, Spirgrips + are being offered in the buyer's choice of two other materials: a plastic/glass-fiber composite that's claimed to offer more elasticity and tensile strength, or stronger and lighter carbon fiber. The estimated weight per pair is 70 grams for the former, and 50 grams for the latter.
Spirgrips + are currently the subject of a Kickstarter campaign, where a pledge of €38 (about US$45) is required for a set of the composite grips (about 50 percent off planned retail), and €60 ($71) is needed for the carbon grips (approximately 35 percent off retail). Assuming they reach production, they should ship in December.
Sources: Kickstarter, Spirgrips
