The Lizard Skins Northshore grips are a chunky set that is designed to give your hands support through the burliest of downhills. The larger diameter and the relatively soft feel of the grips lead to a feeling of supreme control while being comfortable even without wearing gloves. Unquestionably a genuine contender for the best MTB grips crown.
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Lizardskins Northshore grips - Technical details
The Northshore grips have a flat profile with no tapering and feature a large waffle-type grip pattern with big rectangular sections
Lizard Skins says this is the chunkiest grip it's ever made, coming in at a whopping 33mm diameter. In comparison, the brand's Charger grips measure 31.25mm and the thicker Death Grips option from DMR comes in at 31.3mm. This is consistent along the whole grip, which has a gnarled rectangular approach to the grip sections.
The Northshore has a double lock-on approach with a collar on either side. These are done up with a 2.5mm Allen key, which means it’s nice and easy to make sure the grips are done up tight. The Northshores come in five colours; black, grey, dark red (pictured here), brown and teal. The grips tip the scales at 125g and a length of 130mm.
Lizardskins Northshore grips - Performance
The super-wide diameter takes a little to get used to, especially if you’re coming from some thinner grips. They feel super natural and really comfortable. As someone with larger hands, the large diameter seemed to just work for me and led to a really comfortable ride – that said, riders with smaller hands might have differing views.
While riding, I found that the large diameter and the relative suppleness of the grips gave a very pleasant hand feel, whether I was sessioning some jumps or sending it down some bumpy stuff. This meant that, for me, I was able to ride without gloves comfortably for a couple of hours at a time; something I don’t normally do which reiterates the comfort levels on offer.
It feels as though there’s a little flex in the rubber compound, which almost gives the ability to roll your wrists ever so slightly, which I found to be great. In practice, this meant I felt a little less wrist fatigue than I have with stiffer grips.
The only slight downside of the rubber is that it has a tendency to feel a bit slippery – this occurred when my hands got sweaty on hotter days. This never caused any issues, but there’s you'll definitely need to use gloves for the wetter days.
The bar-ends are a little less premium feeling than the rest of the grips which is a bit of a shame. They need to be knocked into the bar but are very secure. While they aren’t the best for reusability you can always opt for installing bar-end tools or puncture plugs if that’s what you prefer.
Lizardskins Northshore grips - Verdict
Coming in at £32 for a pair, there’s no denying they are super expensive. In fact, they are one of the most expensive mountain bike grips available, with only Ergon grips costing a little more.
When using the grips on the trail, I think they are worth the price due to the premium feel of the materials. They also have dealt well with crashes so far, too.
Whether a pair of grips is worth £32 to you is a question I can’t answer but I do think they’re worth every cent based purely on the comfort, confidence and durability on offer.
The PNW Loam grips that Liam tested come in at £14. Although they weren’t compatible with bar-end tools, the £27 ODI SDG Lock-On grips are a good option as far as longevity is concerned but their propensity to wear quickly might be offputting for some.
Overall, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed these grips. They’ve given me a little renewed confidence, allowed me to ride without gloves comfortably and have taken the beating that I’ve given them so far.