Aerozine XG1.2 Cork Grips – Review
Without a decent set of grips you are just a hipster hanging onto a metal stick. See what we think of the Aerozine XG1.2 Cork Grips.
We were first introduced to Aerozine over a few beers (too many) at Eurobike by their UK distributor NRG4. A Taiwanese company making their own components rather than branding up things for the big catalogues is refreshing, and chatting to their design team they are keen to develop their range of products.
We grabbed a few bits of finishing kit from them for my Bronson long term trail bike, and have been really impressed with these cork grips. They follow the standard lock-on set up, but the meat of the grip is made from a cork based compound designed to cut down on vibrations and improve control. When first fitted, I was impressed by how comfortable they were, and how quickly I got used to the smoother, softer surface of the grip, but was concerned that they would wear out overly quickly.
5 Months in, the grips have weathered really well, lasting at least as well as any rubberised grip I’ve used, and aren’t showing signs of getting overly thin. The edges of the cut-outs are still pretty crisp and mean that if you choose to go all Blenkinsop and go gloveless you can still hang on with sweaty mitts. With thin gloves on they are great, even on big rides with lots of fear-gripping I’ve not had any issues with discomfort at all.
The lock-on clamps have held up really well, as you’d expect from a tried and tested design, the larger allen key heads have stayed un-smashed and the basic plastic plug has stood up to plenty of abuse. You can see from the picture above that they have taken a few good impacts and stayed in place throughout. Overall, a really impressive go at something different from a grip, and well worth a go if you suffer on longer rides with sore hands.
85g the pair
130mm grip width
Available in a plethora of lock on colours, and black/white grip colours.
RRP £15.99
