Handlebar grips

[JohnToo]

My solo bike’s handlebar grips are manky and need replacing.

Those of you who have cycled with me on Fridays may have noticed that I use foam Grab-Ons. I do that because I get wrist ache on longer rides and I figure foam has got to be more squashy and absorbent of vibration than cork.

But I notice virtually no-one else does likewise.

Am I deluding myself? Is cork or other trad handlebar tape just as good? Or is it just that foam grips offend the fashion police?

[Markymark]

My new (or not so new now) whizzo road bike has padded tape. It is sold as an endurance bike so built for longer rides. It felt a little weird at first but really like it now. Very comfortable on all day rides.

[ransos]

Me too. You can get thicker varieties marketed for CX, which may be the way to go.

[Rutabaga]

I get painful hands and wrists too. Sometimes I think it's more to do with the angle at which the hands sit when on the hoods. I did wind a layer of opened-out old inner tube around the bars of my touring bike, on the parts where I rest my hands the most, then put ordinary bar tape on top. It makes the bars look a bit chunky but it does seem to help a bit with general comfort.