The Lizard Skins Charger Lock-on Grips are a dual lock-on option from Lizard Skins. They’re on the skinnier side but the double lock-on helps keep them in place. The ability to use bar-end storage adds to their appeal and popularity as one of the best MTB grips.
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Lizard Skins Charger Lock-On grips - Technical details
The Charger grips are 31.25mm in diameter and have a flat profile and no tapering. They use a ribbed design with the Lizard Skins logo which spans each grip. The grips are 130mm in length.
The Charger comes with a double lock-on approach with a collar on either side. These are secured with a 2.5mm Allen, which means it’s easy to make sure the grips are done up tight. The Charger only comes in a black colourway but you can customise the colour of the lock-on rings using the Lizard Skins website configurator – there's even an option to have them engraved, for a little extra.
Lizard Skins Charger Lock-On grips - Performance
The Charger grips are very well made, with pretty anodised collars at either end of both grips, which feel high quality and give an air of class. The rest of the grips are a similar story, feeling nicely made with the ribbed rubber feeling great underhand. Although, it should be noted that after riding for about two hours without gloves my hands felt pretty tender, due to abrasion and the slight lack of suppleness.
The thickness of the grips is 31.25mm throughout, which is roughly average when compared to other mountain bike grips – the DMR Deathgrips in the thicker variation come in at 31.3mm for example. As someone who has pretty large hands, I felt that a slightly larger diameter would be more suitable but, for people with average hands, this shouldn’t be an issue.
When I wore gloves though, the grip performance of the Chargers was very good, with the ribbed texture providing great traction, even in the wet and muddy British autumn. I found that my wrists fatigued slightly quicker than usual due to the slight lack of flex, meaning over rough terrain there isn’t the ability to roll your wrists much. As a result, after a while of riding over the jarring terrain, my wrists and hands were pretty sore.
The bar-ends that come with the Charger grips do show up damage quite easily. However, they are designed in such a way that you can use bar-end tools without worry.
Lizard Skins Charger Lock-On grips - Verdict
At £30 per pair, these grips are not a budget option. They are a nice pair of grips but I’m not sure whether they are anything super special. The ability to use bar end tools is a noted positive, and the nice feeling of the grips is a good start, but I can’t say they particularly stood out much to me when compared to something like a £23 Deathgrip. They have held up well so far though, with no noted wear or damage yet, even with a decent number of hours of use.
At a slightly lower price of £28, you can go for ODI's Reflex grip, which is a great option. Compared to the Charger, it feels better finished and refined. It's rubber compound and design do a better job of vibration damping too. Considering it's a couple of quid less than the Charger, the Reflex is definitely a worthy option.
Overall, I’ve enjoyed using these grips, they’re reasonably comfortable, nice and grippy, and look good. The full RRP is quite a big pill to swallow, but if you can find them on sale, then I don’t think you’ll be let down.