Some of you may not be familiar with the name Nukeproof but the company has actually been around since 1992. Nukeproof started off in Grand Rapids, MI producing high quality carbon bar ends and titanium/aluminum and carbon/aluminum hubs. Now owned and distributed by Hotlines in the UK, Nukeproof is really making a name for themselves once again, this time with a full complement of MTB gear. I recently got my hands on a complete set of Nukeproof cockpit equipment for testing: the Warhead flat bar, Warhead direct mount stem, and the Element skinny grips.

Warhead Handlebars

I tested the no-rise flat bar version of the Warhead (medium and high rise versions are also available) at 800mm wide with a 9-degree  back-sweep. These bars are meant to keep you low on the bike with plenty of control and torque. A 760mm version is also available for those who would prefer to trade torque for lower weight and better clearances.  The 7075 aluminum is strong and quite stiff – hey, as the name implies, these are nuke proof. Talk about tough.

Warhead Direct Mount Stem

Complimenting the Warhead flatbar is the Warhead direct mount stem. The version I tested was the BoXXer direct mount (also works with Manitou, Fox, and anyone else who shares the 4-bolt pattern). This stem is made from 6061 aluminum and has been CNC machined to reduce as much weight as possible while maintaining strength (136grams). With a 31.8mm diameter bar (Nukeproof only produces 31.8mm diameter products) the 4-bolt face plate makes for a solid connection. Having a 45mm reach and just enough rise to clear most forks, this stem allows you to ride a bit further back on the bike than some other stems on the market.

Element Skinny Grips

The Element Skinny grips tie everything together and connect the rider to the bike. Using a familiar locking arrangement, these Kraton-clad grips have a fine knurled pattern and a relatively small diameter for maximum control, even in wet, muddy conditions. The 7000-series aluminum lock rings and end cap ensure nothing comes loose when it counts. The solid end cap with the logo also really helps prevent injury and eliminates “core samples” on the trail (think sharp bar ends penetrating the skin).

Installation

Installing the gear took about 30 minutes and two tries. While bolting up the bars and stem I did come across a small defect in the design. I noticed that if you clamped down one end of the stem then the other, the bars did not mate well. What you have to do is loosely assemble the bar and stem, then tighten down the gear. I found that the hard way when I noticed that the bars didn’t sit straight on the first go. Once I changed the way I mounted the parts, things worked much better.  The grips were a piece of cake to install and I had no issues there.

On the trail

On the slopes I enjoyed the control and ease of steering that I had with these mammoth 800mm bars. It was easy to handle my DH bike through everything that crossed its path. Even round rocks on the rock gardens didn’t alter the bike’s path thanks to the great grip and leveraged positioning of my hands. Throughout my test I didn’t hear a noise or feel anything slip when riding. My positioning on the bike (lower and back) was great when things got really rough, offering good weight distribution over the bike.

The only negative thing I can really say is the bar is a bit too stiff for me. I did get a lot of feedback into my hands which over a full day of riding got to be a bit numbing. My suggestion: ride this bar with padded palms (I didn’t).

Overall the Nukeproof gear is on par with other brands out there as far as price vs. performance ($100 MSRP for the stem, $85 for the bars, and $25 for the grips). With three colors to choose from (black, silver and yellow) you can really trick out your bike. Check out Nukeproof for yourself and see what else they have in store.

Thanks to the Martin at Hotlines and the folks at Nukeproof for providing the gear for review.

After years of research, A’ME Grips just introduced a lock-on, heated mountain bike handlebar grip. The company claims “a comfortable hand temperature improves blood flow which reduces fatigue and maximizes dexterity and performance” and we don’t disagree – though we’ll probably still stick to a good pair of insulated MTB gloves for the coldest days of the year.

The grips allow you to adjust to 6 different temperature settings at the push of a button and a techy blue LED indicates the heat level. At $129.95 for the pair, these grips aren’t cheap and the battery pack and charger aren’t even included at that price (no word on pricing for those items yet). We don’t know how much these grips weigh but we’re guessing the battery pack puts them on the heavy to extremely heavy side of the scale for grips.

Answer is a name that has been under the radar for a little while but they’re back again with an all new product line up. Here are two Answer products that I’m sure will pique your interest: The Fall Line DH Grip ($30 MSRP) and the Rove FR Pedals ($95 MSRP). Grips and pedals are the two main contact points between body and bike and Answer delivers the goods.

The Fall Line DH grip is specifically designed for the FR and DH crowd with a slightly thinner body than most grips you’ll find. This enables the rider to keep a firm grip while still allowing rapid hand position changes when the need arises. I found the grip felt a bit tacky which actually let me to slacken my grip a bit – no white knuckling, yet I still felt secure. Speaking of security, these lock on grips feature the familiar locking ring format that’s tried and true so there’s little chance they’ll come loose during the ride.

Installing the grips took just a heartbeat with only one allen key necessary. Just make sure you install the grips with the ANSWER logo facing forward. As a side benefit I found the logo added bit of extra grip due to the raised print. If you’re using a carbon bar, be sure to torque the grips down with a wrench slowly, checking often to make sure the grip does not rotate. There is such a thing as too tight, especially when you’re dealing with carbon bars.

Fall Line DH grip deets:

The Rove FR pedals felt great underfoot on the trails. With 10 pins and a wide, concave, low profile (16mm) platform, these pedals felt solid when the going got rough. Unlike some other pedals I’ve used, the pins on the Roves didn’t look like they would make mince meat of my legs if a foot slipped off. Still, the slightly lower profile aluminum pins offered good grip on my shoes.

Another cool thing about the hex pins is that you can change them with a socket wrench rather than an allen key. On most pedals the pins are nothing more than long allen screws that are inserted into the pedal which allows the screws to back out easily on the trail. The Rove FR pedal pins have a positive “lock” onto the pedal to avoid this situation.

The 6061 aluminum body can take more abuse compared to other magnesium bodies and won’t show damage as easily. The combination of a cartridge bearing and DU bushing promise to keep these pedals spinning smoothly for a long time.

Rove FR pedal specs from ANSWER:

Thanks to the folks at Answer for providing these products for review.

As if mountain bikes weren’t becoming geeked out enough with GPS and electronic suspension, now you can get keyboard grips for your ride. Okay, so these are actually BMX grips from Odyssey but with the flick of a knife you can lop off the flanges and mount these babies on your mountain bike. The keyboard arrangement isn’t quite QWERTY – the home row actually spells out Aaron Ross, the designer of these smooth grips – but the top row encourages you to “hop”, “spin”, and “whip.”

I’m pretty sure if I ever put white grips on my bike they’d become dull brown and orange after just a few spins in the dirt Too bad you can’t use these to type your singletracks forum posts while you ride.

Via email from Denis B | Gizmodo | Wired | Art of Trackstand

A tale of two grips? Vorsprung durch Technik? German grip maker Ergon, now famous with its different view on how you should hold on to your handle bars, has expanded their MTB grip line even further. Ergon now offers twelve different grips so you’re sure to find one that will fit your hand and application. Ergon’s grip range covers freeride, all-mountain, trail, XC racing and even touring.

In this article I’ll review two of the lesser known Ergon grip sets: the GA1, a more traditional (round) shaped, all-mountain grip and the GX1 Leichtbau, a lightweight, XC racing grip.

With any Ergon grip set you need to remember that they usually come in two sizes (small/large) for different size hands. Ergon offers the GX1 Leichtbau in team green and black, while the GA1 come in three colors: all white, black, and team green. Another key point of importance for those who use carbon bars is that you may need the HS100, Ergon’s handlebar plug reinforcement – otherwise you may damage the end of your handlebar.

Ergon GA1

Installing  the GA1 on my Opus Maadh was a piece of cake – just remember you have the option to set the grip to your own personal comfort angle (see instructions or Ergon’s website for more detail). I went to Kelso Conservation Area to put the grips through their paces since Kelso has a great mix of rock gardens, skinnies, step ups, twisty single track and drop offs that will put any component through a serious workout. Heading out on the trails it took a few minutes to get used to the new shape of the grip which has a slightly raised section midway on the grip to match the recession of your own had. After getting used to the new feeling I found the grip held the palm of my glove really well and my hand did not slip at all. As a result I was able to relax the amount of force that I normally use to prevent  hand movement over tricky terrain. Even going through a few soft and wet spots the grips didn’t change the amount of control they offered.

One thing I truly love about the GA1 is the control the grip offers when hitting the skinnies. The superb grip and full-handed feeling gives me confidence when climbing and negotiating the elevated pathways. Since these particular grips are round (unlike the GX series) they allow even more wrist movement. Overall, the GA1′s really hit the mark and they even match my bike to boot!

GX1 Leichtbau

Installing the GX1 Leichtbau took a bit longer (not by much) on my XC bike simply because the wing extensions will bug you if your wrists are not at the same level. Other than that there was no issue (again, get the plug ends if you have carbon bars). Once the clamp was torqued @ 4Nm I was off on the trails. Now these handlebar grips are very different compared to the GA’s in the fact that these grips have extension (wings) that allow pressure to be spread out more on the hand rather than concentrated in one spot, allowing the rider to go further and feel more comfortable.  If you see the photo below you can see that my hand follows the contour of  the grip nicely. I have my glove removed for clarity and do not recommend riding without one.

These grips differ greatly compared to Ergon’s original GP1. First, they are lighter – 136.4g  compared to 205.8g – and have a smaller, slimmer wing and lower grip diameter that allows for improved hand positioning. All these features are what XC riders want: comfort, control and light weight. For this test I went to the DVP which offers fast, flat, twisty sections along with steep short climbs and rolling sections that could be pumped as well as coasted through. All in all, the trails offer typical XC riding.

Getting used to these grips was quick and easy. The shape of the grip did not really affect the way I ride, and the added wing really helped support my hand along those steep climbs, allowing me to conserve some energy. The relatively minimalistic diamond shaped pattern offered just enough grip, although when wet it was just a little slippery (perhaps due to the fact that the gloves I was using a the time were new and not worn in).

The Gx1 Leichtbau grips feel great and do what they advertise, providing comfort and control, great for those long rides. Heck if they’re good enough for Dave Weins, Jeff Kerkove, Irina Kalentieva, Wolfram Kurschat and the rest of the Topeak Ergon team, there must be something there. Try them out at your LBS!

Cheers.

After years of design and searching for the right manufacturing partner, Cam Zink and crew finally got the Sensus Grips in stock last week. That’s a ton of R&D and attention to detail for something as simple as bike grips so we’re pretty stoked to see how they perform (the endorsement from Zink himself goes a long way, see video below).

The grips are made from a “super soft compound” and the swirly, fine ridge pattern looks like the underside of a mushroom cap – you know that’s gotta feel good on the digits. It’s hard to believe but these things are even made in the USA which is rare for bike stuff these days. Choose from black or white grips, $10.99 for a pair (end plugs not included).