The World’s Most Comfortable Bike Grips
RTI Sports, a German manufacturer and wholesaler of bicycle components, teamed up with Ergonomidesign to design a range of ergonomic grips that will benefit any rider who experiences discomfort, numbness or pain in hands and arms when cycling. The Ergon grips have been developed with mountainbike riders in mind, but the grips are easily mounted on any bicycle with a standard handlebar.
Mountainbike riding is a grueling sport, with large forces being exerted by arms and hands as the bicycle is controlled along the trail. Designer Peter Ejvinson and ergonomist Thomas Nilsson found out that many grips on the market are so rugged in their design that riders experience discomfort and pain even after shorter riding sessions.
The team decided to tackle the wrist angle and the distribution of pressure in the palm of the hand. Prototypes were tested in real-life conditions by the team themselves as well as by experienced mountainbike riders. The optimal shape was found in a wing-shaped design that allowed the forces applied to the hand to be evenly distributed over a large portion of the palm. Based on research findings showing that the female hand is more sensitive to pressure, slightly different materials and patterns were chosen for the men’s and ladies’ versions.
Development was completed in only eight months, including lengthy field tests. The first Ergon grips, available as Race and Performance models with both men’s and ladies’ sizes, were launched in 2004. Despite the rather high price tag, Ergon is the best selling grips in its segment. Since 2004 the Ergon product range have been augmented with several models. In spring 2010 the bestseller Ergon GR2 are launched in a new and completely reworked design. The new Ergon GR2 are selected for inclusion in the design exhibition "Why Design Now?" at Smithsonian Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum in New York between May 14th 2010 to Jan 9th 2011.
“From my personal experience, the grips are a clear improvement over traditional cylindrical ones in that they provide significantly more surface area for the hand to rest on, particularly the lower palm. Ergon's site provides some nice schematic Flash animation of the ergonomic advantages, from both angular deviation and surface contact perspectives. I was also satisfied with the smooth material finished that doesn't leave depressions on your skin from long duration rides. So real-world approval from a Certified Professional Ergonomist (and cyclist)”, says Rob Tannen, Director of Research at Bresslergroup. A leading figure in human factors and design research.
Read about when the Ergon grips defeated Lance Armstrong: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/14/sports/othersports/14cycling.html?_r=2&oref=slogin&oref=slogin
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