RevGrips Pro Series Half Waffle Grips in review – the revolutionary € 99.00 grip
Grips are grips, right? Wrong! The innovative RevGrips are the first ever ‘suspended’ grip, isolating your hands from vibrations transmitted through the bar. Retailing for € 99, RevGrips are anything but affordable but if you suffer from arm pump or palm pain, they could prove invaluable.
Targeted at MTB, ATV and BMX riders, the American made RevGrips take a new approach when it comes to shock absorption. The design of the RevGrip is elegantly simple. Instead of being mounted directly onto the bar, the grip sleeve is suspended on rubber inserts held securely inside custom aluminium clamps. This allows the grips to ‘float’ and rotate a few degrees, effectively isolating them from the bar to reduce vibrations. RevGrips are available with an outside diameter of 31, 32.5 and 34 mm for the small, medium and large options respectively in an ultra-soft compound, or a small half-waffle design with a soft compound. The clamps are compatible with any sleeve so once you have brought into the system, you have the opportunity to change the grip sleeve in the future. RevGrip also offers three clamp insert options, the Race, Pro and Eliminator series which provide differing amounts of ‘suspension’ movement on the bar.
To find out if RevGrips were more than just snake oil, UK tester Trev ran one grip in parallel with a standard grip (a thin DMR Deathgrip Waffle). The results were interesting and quite surprising. When wearing gloves, differences in ‘feel’ were hard to detect. However, at the end of a long ride, the hand and forearm on the RevGrip side felt less fatigued and fresher. Trev observed that over high-frequency bumps and rocky ground, the RevGrip felt more damped and comfortable. When riding with standard grips, your hands are naturally rotating around the bars with impacts and shifts in body position. When running RevGrips, Trev found he maintained more consistent contact with the grip during riding as it can move with your hand. Rather than feeling sloppy, the overwhelming impression riding the RevGrips is one of more solid contact and control and surprisingly, LESS movement under the palms. That made it easier to maintain a lighter grip, which has enormous implications for reducing arm pump.
The amount of movement of the grip is customisable, and tuning washers can be used to adjust the rotational freedom. Retailing for € 69.99 and € 99.99 for the Race and Pro models respectively, the grips are undeniably expensive. However, the US-made grip has excellent construction quality and all the parts of the RevGrip are individually replaceable. End caps and clamps can all be purchased separately and should you wear out the waffle grip you can buy a new sleeve for around £29.99. The only problem we encountered was the 2.5 mm clamp bolt is easy to round if you over-torque it, so make sure to stick to the specs. RevGrips are so confident of their product that they offer a 30-day money back guarantee if you don’t feel a benefit.
Easy to dismiss as an overpriced indulgence, after testing, we’ve found that the RevGrips bring valuable performance benefits, especially for those who suffer from hand or arm pump. Grip choice is always subjective, but we found RevGrips offered more grip, comfort and reduced arm pump. In conclusion, they really work.
Tops
- increased grip
- more secure, means less strength required and less arm pump
- beautifully made
Flops
- expensive
- soft 2.5 mm clamp bolts
Tester Trev
Duration 2 months
Price € 69–99
Weight 67g each for 31 mm model
More Info revgrips.com