OURY Grips Review

The mountain bike that I acquired was missing grips for the handlebars.

I couldn’t ride around gripping the hard aluminum bars as it would kill my hands. The perfect bicycle grips for me would provide good grip obviously, but would also provide cushioning for my hands and wrists.

The mountain bike was an old Trek and wasn’t equipped with suspension. Every pebble and crack in the pavement could be felt as I rode the bike, and my wrists were sore from the jarring. What I needed was good quality grips that did their job, fit the style of my bike, and would make my wrists feel better.

Fortunately for me, I came across a pair of red OURY grips (click to view on Amazon) and decided to give them a try. OURY is a favorite grip brand in the mountain bike community, and I needed to know if the hype was real.

OURY Grips have not only met the hype, but exceeded it. They were easy to install on my mountain bike (with only one hiccup that I’ll address later), and had lost of fantastic colors to choose from.

I chose the red to match my black and red mountain bike. Not only did they fit the style of my bike, but they were chunky, comfortable, and cushy.

The grips I like best for a mountain bike fit my hand like a glove. They’re not nimble little things that are going to slip out, but do their job of giving me something to grip.

After riding around on a bike without grips it was nice to have these provide a cushion for my wrists. As a bonus they’re a reasonable price for a decent pair of grips. Overall I am very pleased wtih the OURY grips, and think they were worth the purchase.

In the following short video you can hear from Marti Schild who is an employee at OURY Grip.

She’ll explain that they’ve been in the grip business since 1968, and explain exactly how to install the OURY grips onto your bike. Marti gives a brief explanation of what their grips are made of.

In addition, you can hear her talk about the variety of colors they provide and what makes OURY grips unique compared to their competitors.

The Benefits of OURY Grips

OURY Grips come in a variety of colors. They currently offer 14 unique colors. These colors include black, blue, bubble gum pink, green, hot pink, grey, brown, orange, purple, red, white, yellow, and glow in the dark.

Personally I view bike grips like socks. They need to be functional, but its fun to get funky with them. I chose the red OURY bike grips to match the black and red scheme I was going with. It was nice to have options to choose from.

OURY grips do what they’re supposed to do very well. Grips are made to be easily gripped. They shouldn’t be hard to grasp or easy for your hand to slide off.

Slick grips can easily cause an accident if you’re not careful. The good news is that OURY grips don’t have this problem. They’re large grips, but even with average man hands I had no problem gripping these things. This is in part due to their block design which aids in providing traction for my hand, and part due to their softness.

The cushion allows you to sink your grip into them and lock onto the handlebars.

The OURY grips help reduce the vibration felt while riding. A rigid bike can really take a toll on your wrists and arms while riding on rough terrain.

One of the benefits of the OURY grips is that they acted as shock absorbers.

Did they take the shock from everything? No, but they really did help soften the vibration that my hands, wrists, and arms were feeling from riding.

If you plan on using these grips for a mountain bike that will be ridden on trails than these grips are a must.

The Downside of OURY Grips

There are two downsides to the OURY grips.

The first I experienced firsthand, and the second I have only read about. The first problem came with the installation. According to the packaging it asks you to clean the handlebars before installation which I did.

Next it instructs to pour a little rubbing alcohol instead the grips and swish it around.

Next you’ll need to slide the grips into place before letting them dry for 24 hours. Apparently the rubbing alcohol will evaporate quickly and lock your grips into place.

This method worked for one of the grips. My right grip is locked in, and I would have to really work to get it off. This method did not work for the left grip. Even after a day of waiting it slid off the handlebar while I was riding.

I tried another method that worked for the left grip. I sprayed the inside of the grip with hair spray, sliding it on immediately, and then waiting for the spray to dry. It did the trick! Not a real negative against the grips, but slightly frustrating going to ride with grips only to find that one of them wasn’t ready.

The second problem is only from reading the reviews of a few others. Apparently after heavy use in the rain some OURY grip users claim that the grips get extra sticky.

Those who ride with gloves say it’s not that big of a problem, but the extra stickiness can get a little much for bare hands. I’ve yet to experience this as I haven’t ridden in the rain with them yet.

Pros of OURY Grips

• They come in 14 unique colors to match your bike
• Easy to grip. You don’t need to be worrying about your hand sliding off
• Durable
• Superior dampening of vibration while riding

Cons of OURY Grips

• Make sure to install properly. Use enough rubbing alcohol or they’ll slide off!
• According to some users, they can get extra sticky when they’re in the rain

My Conclusion – Good Reasonably Price Grips

OURY Grips are a favorite in the mountain bike scene and for good reason. They’re large, easy to grip, and provide a good amount of cushioning. I found these grips to be comfortable and worth my money.

My only recommendation is that if the rubbing alcohol installation trick doesn’t work than try the hairspray. The OURY grips are classics that I’m glad to have on my bike. They make it look good, and get the job done.