ODI Elite Pro Lock-On vs Ergon GDH Team

We’ve talked about how important the touch points are on your bike before, the physical contact you have with your bike determines everything. Comfort, performance, stoke level - these all are only as good as the components you put under your hands, feet and butt. I personally have gone through a number of grip brands, designs, thicknesses, compounds, etc. And have landed on the ODI Elite Pro Lock-On as my main stay. But recently, the Ergon GDH Team grip became available to buy in North America. With a very similar profile and design, I was quick to grab a pair for testing. Can my current GOAT of grips be dethroned?

Ergon, short for ergonomics, has always placed a high importance on the comfort and performance of the parts that touch our bodies. I’ve used a number of their saddles as well, all with good results. The Ergon grips of yesteryear always left something to be desired for me however. Which is where the ODI offering stepped up. The noticeable flanged ends kept my hands feeling secure in rough terrain. And with a different grip pattern for both the palm and fingers, I never felt more comfortable. That same design philosophy appears to be used with the Ergon GDH Team - even with some refinement. Notice the varying levels of thickness in the middle palm area. Rising finger bed towards the outside of the handle. Extra tall flange on the inside. And with Left/Right specific grips, the potential for the Ergon grip to please was high.  

A good grip could be subjective, but to me, I am looking for something that is durable and comfortable. Durability usually goes against comfort when it comes to grips. So, this is a fine line the brands have to balance. You could make the grip very soft to reduce arm pump and make your hands float on pillows. But then you lose some input precision and as you could imagine, the grip would wear out super fast. There could be an analogy drawn here to bike tires. Super grippy tires wear out faster than harder compound options. Same applies here.

Considering comfort is also largely dependent on your hand size, shape and position you naturally use on the handlebar. It’s hard to definitively know how a grip will feel for you without a test ride. I can say that the actual area for your hand to rest on each of these is very close in size.

The last factor of a “good grip” I would mention is value. At what rate do you normally go through grips? Do you value where a grip is produced? ODI for instance, is Made in the USA. Ergon on the other hand is produced in Germany. It is foreseeable that if you are in a pinch to get a set of replacement grips, and you live in North America, Ergon may have a longer wait time if stock is low versus ODI.

The biggest thing you’ll notice when looking and comparing the two are the physical dimensions. The Ergon’s have a slightly bigger clamping area, larger inner flange and seemingly thicker palm area. Neither grip claims to be “thick” or even have different size options. Ergon does have other models in their lineup with such designation. But in this comparison, we have the only variants offered - which keeps the confusion to a minimum.

Another big difference is that ODI has a closed end design, whereas the Ergon has open ends with bar plugs. This could be seen as a plus or minus. The positive being you can run bar end tool plugs, protective guards, etc. The negative being that it’s a royal pain to quickly remove or install grips if needed. Another consideration here would be if you find yourself dumping your bike on the ground often. I have had a lot of grips over the years that get torn up on the ends from this very thing. I guess having the option to replace just the bar end cap is nicer than having a scarred grip until it gets replaced entirely.

I’ve tried both with gloves and without. To me, the stickiness of both brands are so similar the difference may be negligible. And I tested these back to back, being brand new - both fresh out of the box. The fresh out of the box grippy-ness only lasts so long for both. Since I have the most experience and miles ridden on the ODI, I was really looking to the Ergon for major differences felt. I will say the thing that stood out the most was the slightly raised profile on the palm area. I would describe the feeling similar to wearing flat sole shoes, then putting on a pair of running shoes with a very supportive arch. It’s not dramatic, but enough to be noticed. And I liked it.

On the underside or finger resting side of the grip is where I swayed back to the ODI in terms of preference. The waffle pattern with the Elite Pro is quite perfect in my eyes. I guess I have grown used to it. But if we are splitting hairs, the point goes to ODI.

One final impression note would be related to the inner side of the grips. The Ergon has a slightly bigger flange or lip for my thumb area to rest up against. I ride really “inward” I guess you could say with my hands. Which is why I also run my brake levers so inward as well. I even cut my bar width down to 780mm on most bikes. This is all to say I like the bigger area on the Ergon GDH Team to feel that contact point so I can position my hands quickly if I’m re-adjusting. Not having to visually confirm my hand position is nice. Which is not something I do with the ODI. But being that the Ergon’s are side dependent, I think it reinforces this point further.

Grips are one of those components where we have the luxury of choice. A lot of choices. And with price points being less than $40 USD usually, the decision to try something new can be very easy to make. I’ve been torn on these two in terms of my favorite. The Ergon GDH Team definitely has a DH leaning feel to them. It’s kind of hard to explain. The overall package feels at home on a rowdy bike. Or I simply feel like I can plow through rock gardens easier with them. While the ODI Elite Pro Lock-On feel at home on a trail bike. Not too bulky or intimidating. And if you consider a 13 gram weight difference meaningful, the ODI option would help you achieve weight goals on a shorter travel bike. At the end of the day, both are great options. You really won’t be making a bad choice either way. I guess the kicker is that currently, the ODI’s offer a variety of color choices while the Ergon’s are just black. As for me personally, I’ll be using the Ergon GDH Team on my new enduro bike build to get even more riding time with them.

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