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review
2024 Redshift Sports Cruise Control Drop Bar Grips - closeup.JPG£39.99
VERDICT:
Excellent way to add comfort, grip and control to your drop bars, for on- or off-road use
Easy to install
Easy to adjust angle
Pricey
Weight:
95g
Contact:
This product has been selected to feature in road.cc recommends. That means it's not just scored well, but we think it stands out as special. Go to road.cc recommends
At road.cc every product is thoroughly tested for as long as it takes to get a proper insight into how well it works. Our reviewers are experienced cyclists that we trust to be objective. While we strive to ensure that opinions expressed are backed up by facts, reviews are by their nature an informed opinion, not a definitive verdict. We don't intentionally try to break anything (except locks) but we do try to look for weak points in any design. The overall score is not just an average of the other scores: it reflects both a product's function and value – with value determined by how a product compares with items of similar spec, quality, and price.
What the road.cc scores meanGood scores are more common than bad, because fortunately good products are more common than bad.
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The Redshift Sports Cruise Control Drop Bar Grips are an excellent option for ergonomic, comfortable and strong grip at the end of your drops, providing a larger area for the heel of your palm to contact, lessening pressure points and increasing your grip.
> Buy now: Redshift Sports Cruise Control Drop Bar Grips for £35.76 from Velozone
You can possibly install the grips without fully removing and rewrapping your existing bar tape by carefully measuring, marking and then trimming the existing tape, then finishing it with electrical tape so it doesn't unwrap. The grips then slide on and are twisted to your preferred angle. This will be personal to you and also will depend on the flare of your bar.
The grips are secured in place with a 3mm hex, to firmly clamp them and prevent rotating. Redshift says the grips may not work well with ergonomically shaped drops, but I had no issues trying them out on my go-to ergo-drop bar, the Ritchey Venturemax XL.
Note that these grips are meant to be exposed – you don't wrap bar tape over the top.
In use, with bare or gloved hands, wet or dry, the Krayton material and slighty chequerboarded surface offers excellent grip, just the right mix of tackiness, and there's no feeling your hands could slip.
> How to make your bike more comfortable
For my hands, the grips extend far enough forward that there's still an element of grip and padding even forward in the drops enough to use the brake levers.
The surface also has just enough give so as not to feel harsh on the skin.
Ergonomics and grip aside, the final benefit is vibration control. Spreading the load evenly over the palm helps reduce pressure points where vibration could lead to discomfort, and the material has a slight give in it, further aiding comfort for long periods in the drops over rough surfaces.
There are many lower-priced generic flat-bar ergo options around, but they aren't shaped for your palm in the angle common to in-the-drops body positioning, so don't be tempted that you might get the same effect for less.
> Buy now: Redshift Sports Cruise Control Drop Bar Grips for £35.76 from Velozone
Verdict
Excellent way to add comfort, grip and control to your drop bars, for on- or off-road use
road.cc test report
Make and model: Redshift Cruise Control Drop Bar Grips
Size tested: One Size
Tell us what the product is for and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it?
They are for people wanting more comfort and grip when in the drops.
Redshift Sports says: Tired of numb, painful hands? The Cruise Control Drop Bar Grip System gives you the ultimate in control and comfort on your road or gravel bike. Instead of riding all day holding a round metal tube, you'll have multiple ergonomic positions designed to eliminate the high pressure zones that have you shaking your hands out every mile. Together, the Top Grip and Drop Grip offer a complete ergonomic upgrade that fits almost any drop bar on the market. So go ahead, take the long way home.
Combine with the Kitchen Sink Handlebar and Really Long Bar Tape to take things to the next level.
Benefits:
* Ergonomic pad shaping eliminates hot spots which can lead to hand pain, numbness and tingling
* Kraton rubber filters road buzz
Details:
* Drop Grips go over the end of the bar, giving you a comfortable drop position with quick access to the brake levers.
Compatibility:
* Compatible with standard drop bar handlebars and not compatible with flat handlebars
Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product
Redshift Sports lists these details:
Product Drop Grips
Weight 144 g / pair
Length 120 mm
Material Kraton
Rate the product for quality:
9/10
Rate the product for performance:
9/10
Rate the product for value:
5/10
Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose
Can't fault them – they work really well.
Tell us what you particularly liked about the product
The supreme grip in the drops, battering about.
Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product
Nothing.
How does the price compare to that of similar products in the market, including ones recently tested on road.cc?
They are a premium product compared with flat-bar ergo grips – but I can't find any direct competitor for drops.
Did you enjoy using the product? Yes
Would you consider buying the product? Yes
Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes
Use this box to explain your overall score
They're excellent. The price is the only issue – but if you buy the top grips as well you can save a tenner.
About the tester
Age: 47
I usually ride: Sonder Camino Gravelaxe My best bike is: Nah bro that's it
I've been riding for: Over 20 years I ride: A few times a week I would class myself as: Expert
I regularly do the following types of riding: cyclo cross, general fitness riding, mtb, G-R-A-V-E-L
Living in the Highlands, Mike is constantly finding innovative and usually cold/wet ways to accelerate the degradation of cycling kit. At his happiest in a warm workshop holding an anodised tool of high repute, Mike's been taking bikes apart and (mostly) putting them back together for forty years. With a day job in global IT (he's not completely sure what that means either) and having run a boutique cycle service business on the side for a decade, bikes are his escape into the practical and life-changing for his customers.
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