KORE is a name from mountain biking’s past that has survived into the new centuy. Among the many products in KORE’s 2009 range, one that stands out as a bit unusual is the “Gripster” grip. It is a lock on grip, but one with an entirely different take on the genre’ than the others in its class.

The Gripster uses a clamshell type clamp that runs the entire front end of the grip. This is secured to your bar by way of three small, special design bolts and nuts that clamp the surface of the Gripster to your bar across its entire length, not just at each end. This should produce a grip that stays put no matter what you throw at it. The fasteners are totally recessed, and are virtually invisible to your hands. You wouldn’t even know this is a lock on grip by the feel of it.

The Gripster also has a slightly ergonomic shape which accomodates the clamping hardware. The shape feels natural in your hand. While not a “platform” type grip, the Gripster should provide a better interface with the hands than traditional round cross section grips do. The grips texture is very aggressive and I was warned to wear gloves while riding these. It seems that the small diamond embossed pattern on the grips tends to tear at sweaty skin, so grip with gloves promises to be maximized. Additionally, KORE says that the shape of the grip aids in pulling off wheelies, lunges, and in any manoeuver where getting the front end up is required. The oval shape of the grips is touted as the reason for this by giving the rider more leverage on the bar.

The grips weigh a claimed 138 grams per pair including clamping hardware. Our examples weighed 140 grams on our scale. Cool! The grips were easy to install, but be aware that the little bolts and hollow nuts are easily dropped when loosening up the clamp for installation. So don’t try installing these in the front yard! We tilted ours up towards us,(Bolts down and away from the rider), not unlike an ergonomic paddled grip, and will experiment from that position. The grips have a captured end, so no bar plugs are necessary. Bonus!

Stay tuned for more updates as we get out to ride the Gripsters.