The Ergon GFR1 Factory grips have been developed in collaboration with Tahnée Seagrave and her teammates at Canyon [CLLCTV] FMD Racing. The partnership has resulted in a slim grip with solid damping properties. However, the mushroom upper is prone to wear, they’re mighty expensive and suit a more acquired taste.
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At first glance, the GFR1 looks rather different from what we’ve come to expect from an Ergon grip. Instead, the grip is made up of three distinct parts (so to speak). There’s a mushroom portion intended to provide damping to the palms, and then there are ridges, which provide extra grip to the fingertip. Everywhere in between gets a thin diamond-patterned film of rubber.
By the oil slick coloured lock ring on the GFR1 Factory grip, there's a small flange that gets even smaller around the grip's underside. That's to allow space for a shifter and dropper post lever.
As with many other Ergon grips, there's an array of markers that are super helpful when aligning the grips with each other. Even 'left', and 'right' are printed on the corresponding collars as each grip is designed specifically for each side of the bar. All of these markers are super handy, especially if you're really picky about your cockpit.
As for their weight, all together with the supplied bar end plugs, a pair weighs in at 102g.
During my first ride with the GFR1s, I had to spend some time getting used to them as they're alarmingly thin, even with the squishy mushroomy bit. I found that it's well worth spending a bit of time rolling around the car park to get the grip's alignment right with your hands, as they're so specifically sculpted to your hand's anatomy.
Though, after a ride and a smidge of faff, I quickly got used to the grip's slimness.
As someone who usually favours tapered or fatter grips, the GFR1s are surprisingly comfortable. When messing with them off of the bike, I was predicting all kinds of arm-pump, but being honest, it was never an issue. That’s thanks to that mushroom palm portion. It provides just enough damping to keep the grip reasonably comfortable.
Although, this is where I’ve seen the most wear show. At the start of my test period, with the grips, the mini mushroom flanges were nice and sharp; they’ve been rather quick to round off in the space of three months. While the damping they offer hasn’t been affected too much, it won’t be too long until they wear down completely, which is a shame considering Ergon’s usual standard of wear and the price of the grip.
Ergon has added the finger ridges to make pulling the front wheel up easier and minimize grip forces. The former is definitely up for debate, but the brand may well be onto something as for the latter. As I’ve said before, I don’t get on with slim grips, and that’s because I grip the bars too hard, but I’ve never felt the need to when running the GFR1s. They’re well placed, too, sitting perfectly at my fingertips.
However, a downside is that the diamond textured rubber has very little squish between the mushroom and raised fingertip sections. Because of this, I often find some discomfort at the tops of my palms, and surprisingly, I’ve had some skin come away from existing callouses.
At £42, there's no hiding the fact that the Ergon GFR1s are pretty pricy, but there's nothing on the market that's shaped quite this way. The only similar shape would be a half waffle. Nukeproof's Sam Hill Enduro Race Bar Grip Oil Slick is a good example. As you'll have guessed from the name, it gets that oil slick finish with a half-waffle shape. That'll cost £30.
My favourite grips, the PNW Loam Grips, really give the GFR1s a run for their money. At the moment, they'll set you back £18.50, and for that, you'll get a soft, grippy rubber compound, a supported and well-dampened palm section, along with a tapered shape.
However, the GFR1 is available in a non-Factory spec priced at £32, but those get a harder rubber compound. There's also a Factory spec available with black lock rings for £38.
For the money, the Ergon GFR1 grips are pretty tough to justify, especially with such well-performing grips on the market for much less. However, if you're after a set of super slim grips looking to minimise arm pump and the shape suits you, the GFR1s will likely fit the bill.
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