10 Best Grips for Dirt Jump Bikes in 2024

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DMR Brendog Death Grip

The Brendog death grip has been designed brilliantly. Several different types of grip pattern with a useful sized flange and clever inner core.

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Lizard Skins Moab

Moab grips are designed after the famous desert in America. Red Bull host their Rampage event here. A lot ot the design shows aspects of the area.

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Ergon GE1 EVO

Ergon have put so much time into designing this grip for the most amount of comfort. Great for enduro and slopestyle riders

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I think mountain bike grips are a unique part of a bike. They're the main connection between you and the bike but they also don't impact the performance of the bike itself in any way. The main aim of a set of rubber dirt jump grips is to keep your hands solid and comfortable on the bars.

As well as the patterned rubber, mountain bike grips will often have one or two lock-ons at either end of the grip. These grips can also feature a flange on the inner side of the product. Flanges help keep your hands in the correct place when you may be flying down a dirt jump track or downhill course.

In this post, I'm going to list the best dirt jump biking grips for all types of riders. I will also go through the aspects you need to look for when buying a grip that isn't on this list.

DMR Brendog Death Grip 2024

 Photo by @Intkernow

Brendan Fairclough is a professional British mountain bike rider. A very versatile rider that can excel at any type of mountain biking. As he gets older his results have only improved. 8 world cup podiums, 3 finishes inside the top 10 at Red Bull Rampage, 2 European Championships and multiple national championships.

Fairclough is well known for his fun YouTube riding videos, impressive dirt jump builds and crazy variety of sponsors. For this grip, Brendan came with the aim of “making the ultimate grip to use on all my bikes”

The interview linked above goes into great detail about how this grip was developed but I'll include some interesting aspects below.

After the success of the Vault pedal, DMR wanted to work with Brendan again on a totally different product. Unlike a lot of other brands/rider partnerships, DMR decided to design this grip completely from scratch.

The team wanted to go with one lock off on the inner side of the grip. When you use a lock-on you need to use an inner core that, without being locked, will slide freely on the bar. With a single lock, it would be likely that the rider would feel the grip moving at the opposite end of the lock.

To remedy this issue DMR opted for a tapered inner core. After purchasing this product make sure the grip is fully pushed onto your bars. The tapered core will prevent it from fully sliding on.

Ribs, knurling, waffling, a single clamp lock-on and flanges have been combined to create a modern and unique-looking grip.

The softer ribs are positioned around the forefinger and thumb to provide a more comfortable platform that moulds to your hand when gripping hard.

Most of the grip is made from a mushroom pattern, which is used to help with wear and hand fatigue. Brendan noticed most grips wore down in this are much faster and thus needed something comfortable but durable enough to prevent excessive wear. This area looks raised when you're looking at the grip but will deform to the perfect height when holding the grip firmly.

The last pattern used on this grip is the moto-style grid. You would normally ride with this section pointing towards the ground. It's super durable and gives you a perfect edge to grip when riding in horrific weather. It may not sound like this would help but you should try it out, there's an interesting improvement over regular grips.

 Photo by @Intkernow

 Photo by @alexbogni

DMR DEATHGRIP INSTALLATION with Brendan Fairclough

Nukeproof Neutron

Historically I've really enjoyed this style of dirt jumping grip. It's super simple and the pattern is really comfortable. The only issue I've found is that the tread wears down relatively quickly. Nukeproof uses a durable A25 Karton rubber in the hopes of deterring this.

The grip has two locks, one on either end. The grip will be locked tight to the bars and won't prove tricky to slide on and off.

You'll feel much more of the terrain when using these grips. The rubber is thinner and you might find them less comfortable on longer rides.

 Photo by mtbmarketplace

 Photo by grbro2011

ODI Ruffian 2024 Dirt Jump Grip

Ruffian grips are another classic, especially in mountain biking. This is a slim, lock-on grip with a history of being a very versatile grip.

The locks are well made and will stay in place once bolted to the bike. Since clamped grips are usually open-ended, ODI includes their awesome Snap Cap bar end plugs. These aren't plugs like you'd normally get, These are almost flat and just clip onto the end of the grip. Cheap, subtle and easy to replace.

You can purchase the Ruffian dirt jump grips in a hard or soft rubber compound. I think it's great that they offer this choice. Using a soft grip will mean you're more comfortable without gloves and there's no break-in period but they won't last anywhere near as long. If you're a die-hard glove rider or don't want to change your grips as often you should definitely go for the hard rubber option.

Lizard Skins Danny MacAskill Lock On Grips

Danny has been one of my favourite riders for many years. I'm hopeless on a trials bike but his skills are impressive no matter the discipline.

After posting a 5-minute long video back in 2009, Danny shot to biking fame. The video, posted on the Inspired Bicycles YouTube channel, has since garnered over 39 million views.

It would take too long to give a complete bio of Danny MacAskill, he's really done so much cool stuff on his little orange trials bike.

Lizard Skins made a lot more than just bike grips. You can go to them for everything from baseball grips to gaming skins. MacAskill is one of a few riders that have worked with the company to make a specific biking grip. I think they've done a good job for their target user.

Similar to the Death Grip, most of the grip is covered in a mushroom or a pyramid design. There are a few small areas of the grip that are a flat line or block design, mainly just to show the company logo.

There isn't much in the way of padding or comfort in these grips. You get a 30mm diameter rubber grip with a relatively rugged pattern that isn't best suited to unpredictable enduro or downhill mountain bike tracks.

I think these grips are a good option for people in the same discipline as Danny. However, I think there is a better option for those riding bigger dirt jumps or downhill tracks.

Eurobike: Lizard Skins X Danny MacAskill

Lizard Skins Moab Freeride Grips

I don't know if this grip is the best on this list. I do know that I love the design. It's super simple, low profile with a lock on either side. The tread is a pattern of the famous delicate arch in Moab, Utah. Hence the name.

Moab is a super famous place for dirt jumping and mountain biking. It's home to many famous dirt jump parks, the crazy slick rock mountain bike trails and the insane Red Bull Rampage.

If you're reading this and don't know what Red Bull Rampage is, you should leave now and go watch some videos. The best MTB free riders in the world head to Utah and in a very unique competition they create their own routes down the mountain. Every single year this event ends up with the biggest jumps, craziest crashes and impressive ingenuity from some jaw-dropping riders.

Anyway, back to the grips. I don't think these grips have received as much R&D as other grips on this list. It seems to be more of a commemorative grip than one for hard enduro or dirt jump riding. Having said that, the lock rings keep the grip solid and the unique design offers a good grip.

ODI Longneck MTB Grips 2024

It's rare to see a list of the best cycling grips without ODI Longnecks being included. They're simple but probably one of the best-selling bike grips in history. Anyone unsure of which grips to buy should definitely test these out. They've proven so popular that ODI has produced several iterations with different improvements each time.

Flanged, flangeless, clamped, extra long and closed-ended are just some of the options that have been developed and sold with this grip design.

The famously comfortable ribbed pattern is called the mushroom pattern. It's effectively a series of ribs that run the full length of the grip. ODI use a hard rubber compound for the base of this grip, the ribs are packed together tightly and made from super soft rubber. Some riders find the grip wearing down fast but the comfort and reduction in vibration is worth it.

ODI only developed the longneck grips as slip-ons for many years. The scooter riders and BMX riders loved them but MTB and dirt jump riders trust unclamped grips far less. Since 2019 the longnecks have been developed with a clamp. Since then they've unsurprisingly dominated the mountain bike market as well.

Spank SPIKE 33 Bike Grips

I think the SPIKE 33 grips are a great model for a lot of different cyclists. Spank niched down a little more than a lot of brands but I think the risk paid off.

The super rugged, thick, coned end caps specifically target these grips at heavy e-bike riders. Bigger bikes like these tear through bar ends much faster than regular dirt jump bikes. E-bikes also have a higher average speed than most other bikes so when you do catch a bar end on a tree it's likely to be at a higher speed.

Personally, I love the look of the grip pattern on these grips. Upon first inspection, the ribbed pattern looks a lot like the ODI longnecks but they actually have small offset dots all the way around each rib. It's super cool and intricate when viewed up close. Below the rider's palm is a flat, softer piece of rubber that will keep you comfortable when riding.

Ergon GE1 EVO Grips

As you'll understand from reading Ergon's article above, a lot of research and development has been invested into this product. This grip is primarily intended for enduro riders and racers but there's no reason why you can't have great success using them on a dirt jump bike.

Updating this grip over the previous iteration, Ergon has increased grip with less strength input. More comfort, less arm pump and a longer feeling of stability are the results of these improvements.

The tread pattern on these grips is very unique and quite confusing. The texture of the grip is intended to work against the natural rotation of the hand. Alongside this, multiple intersecting channels in the main gripping zones increase the grip you feel.

Just to prove how much thought has gone into this design: the tread pattern has been extended to the edge of the grip as it has proven to reduce numbness in the ulnar nerve on the edge of the hand.

You can see in the image of the grips cross section that it's not actually perfectly round. On the bottom, in the grip zone of the thumb, it is elongated to distribute the thumb pressure more evenly.

In the other diagram, you will be shown some of the gripping zones they concentrate on. Under each of these zones, the rubber is a different thickness. This gives a feel of a softer grip in certain areas and a stronger one in others. It's impressive.

ODI Elite Pro

After 25 years of dominating the handlebar grip market, ODI has gained masses of experience and authority within the industry. As well as dirt jumping grips, ODI outfit everything from ATVs to jet skis and snowmobiles.

The ODI Elite Pro grips are one of the company's premier mountain bike designs, they feature several interesting design features that not every grip manufacturer can perfect.

This grip is built to conform ergonomically. There's a half-waffle pattern designed to be pointing forwards. Its main objective is to provide extra control and grip when leaning over the back of the bike. The knurling is over another section of the grip. Also intended to give extra grip, this area is positioned under the palm of the hands. I think for people with smaller hands, all of these patterns could cause some discomfort on longer rides.

ODI opted for a much harder rubber than a lot of today's popular grips. For those riders who like landing jumps without a lot of squishing and moulding in their hands, this would be perfect.

Including the various patterns and the single inner clamp, this grip is surprisingly similar to the DMR Brendog grip listed above. If you're interested in this style then either of the two will perform well.

SDG Thrice DJ Grip

These are probably the craziest-looking grips on this list. There are so many different aspects in the tread pattern it's insane. It has a similar amount of grip changes as the DMR Deathgrip shown above.

Away from the tread, you will see this grip has a rare feature. There is no lock on collar, it's actually integrated into the main part of the grip. There's also just one lock on the inside of the grip.

A thick inner core is unnecessary when you have an integrated locking collar like this. SDG have used this advantage along with a soft gel compound to give a comfy and adhesive ride.

Starting on the grip patterns, a half mushroom profile is placed under the palm for comfort as this is the area where most of your weight is placed. The circular icon dampers have been used on many other SDG grips. These dampers have been proven to disperse shock and vibrations efficiently away from the hand.

Finally, a ramped and undercut saddle icons are all over the bottom of the grip. These icons are designed in a way that makes it easy for fingers to grip them. Slippage and finger traction is improved for most riders.

Grip Pattern Recommendations

As you've seen from this article, grip patterns vary wildly from one grip manufacturer to the next. A lot of companies are researching the best grip patterns for different types of riders and you can see they're implementing the best options no matter how silly they look.

Knurled patterns often help with finger traction, waffle and ribbed patterns keep your palm comfortable and some grips have a raised area for thumb cushioning.

When buying a new grip you should choose something that has tread features which will improve the comfort of your riding style. Excessive cushioning is needed more in downhill and enduro riding, whereas dirt jump riders will fare better with grips that offer stability and control in unpredictable situations.

Whether you wear gloves or not also changes the grip pattern you should look for. Some grips have grooves that help move sweat away from the palms. Gloved riders won't need this as the sweat will be absorbed by the gloves.

How Often Should I Replace my Grips

You can't put a time limit on how long you should use a set of grips. All riders ride a different amount, at a different level and while using different equipment. Every little change will affect the speed of wear on your grips.

Having said this, it's super easy to tell when you need to change your grips. You've probably noticed it before. When your DJ grips become sticky and smooth it's time to replace them. Dirt, small stones and other debris will start to easily stick to your grips.

You'll notice this happening around the same time as the tread pattern on the grip has worn down. Once you're through the effective tread pattern you won't receive anywhere near as much comfort, shock absorption or support from a new grip.

It's also common to just wear through a few different spots on your glove. This has happened to me in the past and instead of replacing the grips, I twisted them around so the pressure of my hand wasn't on a worn area.

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