off-road.cc

The WCS Truegrip has great shaping for comfort and grip, and its neoprene foam nails that fine line between not enough padding and too bulky. It's also very light and easy to colour-coordinate, but it’s let down by not staying put on the bar... which kind of makes a mockery of that name.

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At a 130mm wide there is plenty of space for even the big pawed of us (me), and I like the six-sided shape as it supports your palms well. The included end caps are there to stop the dreaded bar-end cookie cutter incidents in a crash, and help pop the grip on.

The Truegrip has a classic/outmoded [delete as applicable] look and design, and this is what lets it down in use. As there's no locking ring, and despite it being a very tight fit, it's going to twist if you don't stick it down. I hope it would work without adhesive, but a degree of movement started on the first ride.

Whilst the grip never fully rotated, I found the twisting quite disconcerting – and it only gets worse in the wet. It's frustrating as the high-density foam is tough, comfortable and really light (43g without end caps), making it otherwise ideal for long rides and rough terrain.

Ritchey-WCS-TrueGrip-Review-07.jpg, by Jim Clarkson

Yes, this problem can be solved with glue (or soap, washing-up liquid, deoderant, lacquer, WD-40, hairspray or any number of other household items, if you believe the folklore), but this creates issues removing it when worn out, either by scoring a carbon bar accidentally or the adhesive not setting or working. None is supplied with the grip, either.

I would love these comfy foams if they just stayed put, but unless you're willing to experiment with bathroom and kitchen ingredients, you'll probably end up like me: the Ritchey WCS Truegrip makes me glad for today's easy-fit, easy-to-remove grips that stay positioned and connected when riding.

ritcheylogic.com

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