Everything You Need To Know About Putting Grips On A Bike
FatTony
- October 29 2009
- 8,939 views
- 31 comments
Words and photos by Fat.
Taking off old grips and putting new grips on your bike is about as basic as you can get when it comes to bike maintenance. However, there are a few tips and tricks that can help you do the job quicker so you can get back out there riding again. Here’s a few of our favorite ways to get’r done…
There are about a million and a half (give or take) ways to install grips on a bike, so if you have your own method that you like, that’s fine. Hell, your way may even work better for some people than ours, so go ahead and post it in the comments below. With that said, here’s how we do it.
Some things you may or may not need, all of which will be explained throughout the steps below: Bike with old grips, can of WD-40, box cutter, 4-6 zip ties, screw driver, new grips, and pliers.
If you don't need to keep your old grips, the quickest and easiest way to get off the worn out rubber is to simply slice it with a knife. (Do we really have to put in a "do this at your own risk and be careful" warning? Okay, well we just did...)
If for some reason you want to keep the old grips, shove a flat head screwdriver in between the grip and the handlebar. Then put a few drops of liquid in there. You could use WD-40, water, or even your own spit. You probably do not want to use something like Kool-aid or soda because the sugar may make the grip stick even more. The liquid will loosen the grip from the bar and it'll slide right off after a wee bit of twisting and wiggling.
Before putting on your new grips, wipe your bars down with a clean rag. You don't want any liquid, dust, or dirt on the bars when you put the new grips on. Those things will cause your grips to slip more and may give you what we call "throttle grip."
Now here's where things get a little unusual and we show you our tricks of the trade… Put some zip ties in your grip. We used five. The butt end should be to the outside of your grip.
Spread the zip ties around the end of your bars, separating them from one another. Go ahead and give your grip a good push and it should go on the bar fairly easily. Why does it go on easily? The zip ties prevent the soft rubber of your grips from making contact with your bars, so they slide on approximately eleven times easier than normal.
Push your grip all the way on the bar so the end is flush with the edge of the bar. Unless you like the streamers-on-a-girl's-bike-at-Walmart look, you'll want to go ahead and pull the zip ties out now.
You may be able to get them out by hand, but if not, a pair of pliers should do the trick. Pull those puppies out one at a time and your grip should stay in place and be snug on the bar.
I use plastic bar ends and highly recommend them. If you crash and your bars are uncapped, there's a damn good chance the end of your handlebar can puncture you like a cookie cutter, leaving you with a core sample of your innards. I choose plastic because metal bar ends can get sharp after they've been scraped up and can be lethal. I should know—I got stitches in my groin after a metal bar end sliced me open.
Now you've got your grip on your bar, it's tight and isn't slipping around, and your bar is capped. You, my friend...are ready to shred. Yeeee haw!
Some other ways to get grips onto bars are:
- Using an air compressor with a narrow tip to blast the grip onto the bar. This is popular in bike shops where air compressors are common.
- Spraying a small amount of hair spray in the grip and quickly putting it on the bar. The liquid makes it slide on easily. Then when it dries, the hairspray helps the grip stick better so you never get throttle grip.
- Using ultra-sonic brain waves to telepathically command the grip to jump onto the grip. For this you have to be pro though with at least seven sponsors.
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October 29th, 2009 at 1:35 pm
If you have access to an air compressor, you can use the nozzle attachment. Its fast and easy.
October 29th, 2009 at 3:23 pm
morgan wade has atleast 7 sponsors. lets see a video him doing that last way!
October 29th, 2009 at 4:39 pm
air compressor for the win.
October 29th, 2009 at 6:11 pm
try wd-40 instead of hair spray, works better for me.
October 29th, 2009 at 7:00 pm
i never thought of the zip ties, it makes perfect sense.
October 29th, 2009 at 7:34 pm
Air compressor is def the easiest if you have it… I like the zip tie idea for those who dont have the compressor… wd - 40/ hair spray take a long time to dry… rubbing alcohol works well and has a faster drying time than wd/hair spray…
October 29th, 2009 at 7:42 pm
Oh for gods sake… riders need to just grow balls and slam the grips on and peel em off if needed.
October 29th, 2009 at 7:49 pm
wd-40 takes 10 secs to dry if you dont spray alot in your grip! best way
October 29th, 2009 at 9:14 pm
the best way is brake clean because its the best choice for you and the grip! just spray some in there then go have a bath in some
October 29th, 2009 at 9:23 pm
the air compressor is the easiest. iv used thin allen wrenches instead of the zip ties too, but my favorite is clear coat spray paint, it does a 100x better job of "glueing" your grips to the bars than hair spray, so you never twist them from lots of use.
October 29th, 2009 at 9:56 pm
Use a lit bit of lock tight u can get at any bike shop. Spry a lit in your grip and should be dry in 5 min and stay in place same with wd-40 I been going this for 10 yaers and it the best way to go
October 30th, 2009 at 12:07 am
wd40 does work very good… even though it is a lubricant when it dries your grip wont move at all
October 30th, 2009 at 12:32 am
it takes it like 2 days for it to dry though..if u just put the one end of the grip on the hit the other end it goes on just fine..
October 30th, 2009 at 12:34 am
use spray paint works better then wd-40
October 30th, 2009 at 1:28 am
what a load of shit
October 30th, 2009 at 11:51 am
longnecks ftw!theyre particularaly hard to get on and off though i think.kick ass grips all the same..
October 30th, 2009 at 1:27 pm
hey guys..alcool on the bar and inside the grips….wait and enjoy!
October 30th, 2009 at 9:23 pm
you can use gasoline it evaporates very fadst but even better is zippo lighter fluid takes like 20-30 secs and its tight
October 30th, 2009 at 10:20 pm
I like to use the air compressor because you don't have to wait for any liquid to dry but i just got the suelo tubo grip and it was way to thigh to go on with air. I've used hairspray and wd 40 both work very well but you do have to wait for it to dry
October 30th, 2009 at 10:38 pm
haha i once put my grips with old spokes..
just like with zip ties
October 30th, 2009 at 11:06 pm
Just spit in the grips, they slide on like nothing and dry pretty quick as long as you dont get carried away
October 31st, 2009 at 12:54 am
Aerosol brake cleaner, like brakleen. Not only does dry insanely fast, but i cleans the car while you slide the grip on. Cheaper than buying an air-compressor!
October 31st, 2009 at 6:44 am
The zip ties thing has been working great for me, and i go through grips like every three weeks.
the air compressor is best though if your close enough to one.
October 31st, 2009 at 9:27 pm
put your grips in warm water , so they expand
then take them out of the water and blow them inside so there is no water left in
then put your grips on easy , and leave for water to dry out , normally like half a hour.
November 2nd, 2009 at 2:25 am
I always go with petrol seems to dry super quick
November 2nd, 2009 at 3:56 pm
air compressor is the best method. by far.
November 2nd, 2009 at 5:03 pm
WD-40 i love it<3
November 2nd, 2009 at 5:03 pm
WD-40 i love it<3
November 2nd, 2009 at 6:35 pm
Use Tri-Flow bike lube. I'm not shitting you. Don't use too much. Just a few drops. Goes on fast. Dries fast too. Hell, it even smells good. WD-40 is second rate schwag next to the Tri-Flow, and don't even get me started on how much hairspray sucks(takes too long to dry after you use it).
November 2nd, 2009 at 9:35 pm
gt85, it drys in ilke 20 seconds grips wont mve for shit
November 4th, 2009 at 5:17 am
i put one end of the grip on and plug the other end of my bars with my thumb and then hit the end of the grip, sealing it with my hand as i hit it and shooting air in between the bars and grips.