Is changing hand grips as easy as cutting the old ones off and slipping the new ones on?
For anyone that has done this simple task will know that it’s not.
This is a quick guide on how I change hand grips. This is by no means the only way, and it’s most likely not the BEST way. It’s just the way I like to do them. I would be happy to hear what other techniques/tricks you use to do this and I’m more than happy to try them.
Here are the items I use. I stole the wife’s hair spray. This is great as it helps to stick the grips to the handlebars giving extra support so they don’t twist. Nothing worse than flying through some whoops and the grips start to slip. A box cutter to remove the old grips. Lock wire twisting tool and wire.
First, we need to remove the old grips. With these I was able to just peel them back and pull them off without any issues however, you may need to use a box cutter knife to remove them. I have heard of people using an air compressor to inflate them to get them off, though I have never tried this.
Once the grips are off you should try and clean the handlebar ends with a good cleaning agent. I use kerosene. Once clean it’s time to put the new grips on.
IMPORTANT: The handgrips will have different size holes in them. The larger hole goes on the throttle, and the smaller hole goes on the left side.
Take the hairspray and spray it down the inside of the grip. Not too much, just enough to lightly cover all of the surfaces.
You then need to slide the grip onto the handlebar, making sure it’s all the way on.
Leave them for about 30min or until the grips start to become more difficult to twist.
Most people stop at this stage.
I take it 1 step further and use lock wire to keep them in place. Don’t do the wire up too tight or you will cut through the grips, and make sure you trim the excess wire and bend it to face outwards and try and push it into the grip to stop it sticking out. This will reduce the risk of the gloves getting caught if trying to slide the hands off the grip.
I hope this guide is useful in some way. Please leave a comment below with any other ideas/tricks.
