If you have recently taken up cycling as part of your fitness routine, you will no doubt have discovered the necessity of providing proper protection for your hands. Whether you ride mostly in the dirt or on the pavement, bumps and vibration can quickly numb your hands, making it difficult to control your bike. Along with a quality pair of cycling gloves, installing a good set of grips can do much to alleviate any hand discomfort. Fortunately, whether you are switching to more padded models or simply replacing worn out ones, installing new grips on your mountain or hybrid-style bike is relatively easy.
Replacing Your Bicycle's Grips
Step 1
Unbolt any handlebar extensions you may have installed on your bike using the proper size hex key. Starting with the end closest to the center of the handlebar, attempt to peel the grip away from the bar; it does not matter which grip you remove first. If you are fortunate, the grip will easily roll back onto itself and off the bar, similar to how you would remove your sock by pulling it off inside out. Most likely, you will need to loosen the grip using the water in your spray bottle. Peel back the grip as far as you can and spray water underneath it. Twist the grip to loosen the adhesive while continuing to peel it back and spray water as far underneath as possible. In difficult cases, you may need to use scissors or a utility knife to cut and scrape the grip off the bar and use adhesive remover instead of water.
Step 2
Clean the handlebar grip area thoroughly with the rubbing alcohol and lint-free cloth. Ensure that there are no bits of rubber or adhesive from the old grips on the bar, as the bar must be clean in order for the new grips to adhere properly. Let the bar dry completely.
Step 3
Cut off the end caps of the new grips with the scissors or utility knife if you use handlebar extensions on your bike; leave them intact otherwise. Spray hairspray on the grip area of the bar and on the inside of the grips. Slide the grip onto the bar, being sure to leave enough room at the end of the bar for any handlebar extensions. Some grips are left and right hand specific, so be certain to install them on the correct side. Let the grips dry completely, which could take an entire day. Do not forget to reinstall any handlebar extensions.
Tips and Warnings
- Be sure to choose a grip that fits your hand. That oversized, padded grip may look comfortable in the package, but if you have small hands, you may find it difficult to wrap your hand securely around such a large grip. Although hair spray is usually an effective adhesive for bicycle grips, it may not prove sufficient for all grip and handlebar combinations, or if you ride frequently in the rain. In these instances, use a more powerful spray adhesive such as the type found in hardware stores. But be forewarned--removing grips applied with such adhesives will prove difficult when the time comes to replace them.
- Before riding with your new grips, make sure they are securely fastened to the bar; loose grips could cause you to lose control of your bike.
Member Comments