Yes, you read that right. These grips have their own suspension. Forget suspension forks, steerer tubes, or even stems, Revolution is putting suspension right in your grasp. Their grip suspension system is pretty straightforward; the patent-pending design isolates the grip away from direct contact with the bar to keep impact shock and regular trail vibration at bay, meaning less fatigue in your hands or forearm pump through those stutter bumps…
Revolution see their user-adjustable system as just a logical next evolution of the mountain bike grip. And while they may be a bit expensive for a grip, they are cheap for a suspension component, and build in full user-serviceability. Designed to solve the problem of tired, beaten-up hands and arms, Revolution themselves were a bit surprised at the real boost to on the bike performance. It makes sense when you think about it, easing the impacts on your hands and upper body pretty directly results in increased speed and confidence while riding.
Two years of development, the dynamic, Shock Absorbing Grip System just becomes an extension of the entire suspension setup of the bike. From tires to your fork, to the flex in your carbon bar, the grip is just the next step in your connection through the bike to the trail. At first you may think that you don’t want your grip to move, instead to have something firm to hold on to maintain control. But in fact, your hands are already moving and chattering on your handlebar, and the movement inside the grip is small, but effective.
Remember there’s not that much extra space in there to begin with, so this isn’t likely to devolve into a discussion of how many inches (or even mm) of travel your grips have. Revolution says that you actually don’t really notice the grips moving while you ride either. It really sounds like they move more like a really soft squishy grip, but give you something firm to actually hold onto. Revolution also claims the grips will really help those who already suffer from hand and wrist problems, as the grips soften those repeated blows to those riders already used to suffering.
The grip works by having a slightly larger inner diameter that floats on replaceable shock absorbing inserts for multi directional absorption. Different sized tuning washers between the grip sleeve and the clamp let you customize the feel from really soft to ultra-stiff, and pretty much anything in between. That means you can try them out and see, really dial in how much shock absorption works best for you on the trail. That adjustability may be the best feature for those unsure if it is something worth trying out on their own bike.
The grips are made in the USA and are out together from fully replaceable and user-adjustable parts. They come in the same sizes as standard grips, with both popular 31mm & 34mm grip diameters available. Really for pretty much any type of mountain biker from XC to DH, Revolution thinks their grips will let you enjoy the ride more.
The full Shock Absorbing Grip System with everything needed to put them on your bar and customize the setup retails for $110. Rebuild kits will set you back $35 with fresh grip sleeves, new inserts, and bar end plugs (all of the soft rubbery parts.) Every other component is also available separately, so you can keep replacing bits as needed to keep them running for many years to come without having to buy the full kit.
And they are so sure that you’ll appreciate the feel, Revolution offers a 30 day money back guarantee. Check them out in person at a smattering of select dealers, or order online direct from the source.
