SQlab is a brand that revels in ergonomics and with the 70X grip, no stone has been left unturned. While it doesn’t look too exciting at first glance, its subtle contours significantly improve comfort and reduce fatigue over lengthy jaunts. It does sit at the higher end of the price range but is undeniably one of the best MTB grips on the market.
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SQlab 70X grip - Technical details
SQlab’s 70X is designed to offer the most control during gravity-fed riding, but the brand insists that personal sizing is incredibly important. As such, there are two grip sizes on offer. Before buying potential customers should measure their hands as per SQlab’s method.
The 70X is built up of three panels (for lack of a better term), with each using the shock absorption compound to offer a blend of grip, durability, and damping. The outermost panel, dubbed the comfort zone, is very slightly flared which shifts the angle of the wrist and provides extra damping against vibration. Then the central diamond zone is left most uncontoured, but the texture has been chosen for grip and support regardless of the weather.
Finally, the grip zone or forwardmost panel is designed to offer a secure grip. The brand compares it to gripping a glass and an angular surface, claiming that this offers more traction than a perfectly round one. The grip zone is built with what SQlab calls Ergobar, which is a wave-shaped profile that forms a flatter profile where the fingers wrap around. This wave shape then accounts for the length of each finger, placing a flat angle where the brand reckons it should be.
Fancy squishy rubber shaping aside, everything else is very normal. There’s a single lock-on clamp with a diameter of 22.2mm and the grip has a circumference of 90 and 103mm. As for the weight, I’ve measured them at 58g per grip.
SQlab 70X grip - Performance
To put it simply, the 70X is like a tapered grip but with a lot more thought put into it, and as a fan of tapered grips, I saw a huge benefit in the extra curves. Firstly, the flare at the end of the bar shifts the hand’s position ever so slightly, almost effectively increasing the handlebar’s back sweep (but not drastically), making grasping the bar feel more natural.
The Ergowave took a little bit of getting used to. Unlike many grips, it’s not a case to shove them on and you’re good. Instead, with the 70X you need to angle them for your riding position in order to feel comfortable, and this took me a couple of rides.
Once I had the grips set up comfortably, I felt as if I didn’t need to grip the bar as hard, which noticeably reduced hand fatigue. The biggest surprise is that during my whole time riding with the 70X, the calluses at the base of my fingers haven’t hurt. When using most other grips, I can guarantee that this pain will occur on longer rides.
The rubber damps vibration nicely too, so any arm pump is effectively avoided. This is also thanks to the flare towards the end of the grip which puts more rubber in the correct place to dampen vibrations.
Moving onto durability and I’ve got no complaints. Throughout the test period, the 70X was still looking pretty fresh and I’m sure it’ll continue to do so for months to come.
SQlab 70X grip - Verdict
When it comes to value, there are very few grips that do anything similar to the 70X. Yes, there are tapered grips that also do the job, such as the PNW Components Loam grip, but SQlab has gone a little further to effectively improve the ergonomics of a humble bicycle grip.
Around the same price as the 70X is a range of grips from Ergon - another brand that values ergonomics. While the Ergon GA2 essentially does a similar job as the 70X, it’s simply tapered with texture in specific places. They cost £28.
The RaceFace Getta Grip is contoured, too, but again, not to the same extremes. It also lacks that excellently grippy texture. However, they're a much cheaper consideration at £22.
The SQlab 70X grip is for those who are looking to boost the ergonomics of their cockpits and it does an impeccable job. It’s improved my overall comfort on the bike while remaining grippy and damping vibration. They have also reduced fatigue and post-ride pain, making them a permanent fixture on my bike. But this isn’t the one grip to rule them all, as there are many that are cheaper that offer good grip, damping properties, and comfort.
3 comments
I think you missed my point a little. Again, i am not talking about an alt bar that brings the end of the handlebar much closer to you, I'm saying that if these ergo grips put the wrist/hand in a slightly more angled position, and users and reviewers find that brings them comfort and relieve, than the standard straight mtb handlebars aren't the right shape to begin with.
If's easily possible (and already done on some bars) to agle the grip part of a handlebar a little bit, without putting the hands (much) closer towards you.
But then adding a bar with more backsweep affects weight distribution over the bike, tipping it further backward. This may be great for some but for myself, that's far from ideal as I prefer a flatter bar. This grip, and many tapered grips, tilt the wrist slightly, offering a more comfortable position without sacrificing the sweep that I prefer.
Every ergonomic grip puts the wrists more inwards, and every tester loves it. So exactly how no one ever puts 1 + 1 together and realizes that maybe, just maybe, mtb handlebars are too straight is completely beyond me.
I'm not saying everyone should go all alt bar and have handlebars that are way swept back, but you just have to look at an average mountainbiker holding on to a 1 meter wide straight bar to see that that can not be comfortable.