Ergon GT1 Ergonomic Grips

Are Ergon GT1 grips the best thing for your comfort on a touring or bikepacking ride? At first glance they look like the most sophisticated grip I've ever seen – but does that translate to actual comfort?

Like all ergonomic grips from Ergon, they come in two sizes – S and L – based on hand size. The S weighs 230 grams and the L 250 grams. They clamp with a 3 mm hex bolt and, when tightened to the specified torque, don't rotate at all.

Ergon recommends these grips for touring and urban cycling. What makes them unique is that, even without any bar ends, they offer four distinct hand positions.

🚴 Experience

I can confirm that the primary grip position on the GT1 is genuinely very comfortable. The palm support area is enormous and my hand doesn't suffer on it at all. Getting the rotation right matters – tilt it incorrectly and your wrist will bend awkwardly. There's a degree scale marked on the grip to help you dial in the right angle.

On either side there's a thumb rest – I've seen this feature sold as a standalone accessory, but here it's built right into the grip. If you're wondering why you'd want it: you can "park" your thumb on the raised section on top, and because you still have something to hold onto, you don't lose control of the bike and can still brake reasonably comfortably.

The grip doesn't have conventional bar ends, but the outer edges are wider than usual, so they function in a very similar way. You also don't have to worry about snagging them on tree branches or tall grass. The position isn't quite as comfortable as a proper full bar end, but it ticks all the boxes for a change of hand position.

In Ergon's own manual there's a fourth position where you curl your fingers over the front face of the grip – but in practice I never used it. You don't have great control over the bike from that position.

The hex bolt clamping works well and the grip doesn't rotate, but the bolt is recessed quite deeply. When I try to reach it with my Wolf Tooth multitool, I can't get to it and have to use a workshop-quality hex key. Worth bearing in mind if you carry compact multitools.

🔧 Conclusion

Overall this is a very good grip for what it promises. For urban cycling and riding on wider, mellower paths it's excellent. You get several different hand positions straight away, so your hands will thank you over longer distances. If you venture into more demanding bikepacking terrain, though, it's not quite the right tool. On steep descents where I need to brake hard and aggressively, the grip digs into my palm rather than adding comfort.

I experimented with different grip rotations and brake lever positions but couldn't find a configuration that worked well on descents. Ergon itself doesn't list these grips as suitable for MTB use.

If you're heading into the city or on bikepacking routes without technical terrain, this grip will give you plenty of comfort. If you plan to ride a lot of proper off-road – up and down hills – my preference would be the Ergon GS2 instead.

For more tips on hand comfort while cycling, check out the article on preventing numb fingers on the bike.

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