Knee pads for hands? The ODI Vanquish grip uses D30 (that soft, flexible, and impact-absorbing material) Also available in black and grey.
How advanced can a set of grips really get? ODI seem to have attempted to answer this question with their Vanquish grips. The headline figure here is a pretty hefty price tag sitting at the best part of £40. However, your £40 does get you an incredibly well engineered pair of grips.
Firstly, the Vanquish grips are made using D3O technology. Whilst you’re probably most familiar with this tech from lightweight knee pads, its vibration resistant properties naturally lend themselves well to a pair of grips.
Brands usually achieve this vibration damping with big fat squishy rubber. Whilst some may prefer this feel, the counter argument is that this always dulls out the feel of the trail and in some cases a fatter grip can increase arm pump. I am definitely in the thinner and firmer camp with this argument.
However, using this D3O tech in the grips means this vibration damping can still be achieved whilst leaving quite a firm feel. As a result, none of that trail feedback is dulled out; allowing you to keep a nice responsive and direct feeling cockpit.
The mid-size 32.75mm diameter still feels a little on the fat side for me, which may decrease your arm pump tolerance on longer descents. However, this really is down to personal preference so it’s probably important to consider how you actually want a pair of grips to feel.
This firmer material also means that these grips seem to wear out less quickly than other softer compounds. This isn’t at the sacrifice of stickiness either as the grips seem to remain tacky on gloves and bare hands even in the wet.
This ruggedness is supported with double reinforced ends to further improve the longevity of the Vanquish grips. These double reinforced ends were really noticeable, over more or less the last six months they have been lent on walls, crashed on and even taken dents out of some tight Scottish trees. I am very pleased to say the ends are still tidy and not peeling, with the grips as a whole showing no real signs of wear.
The ODI Vanquish grips make a good case for spending a touch more to get a well thought out, versatile set of grips. The Vanquish grips are on the fatter side of grips which is definitely worth considering if this suits you, as some riders, myself included, find that a fatter grip can worsen arm pump. Whilst pricey, you can certainly see where this extra money is going. Even if just from a quality point of view, these grips have stood up well to a decent amount of punishment. The D3O material provides an absorbent feel yet still allows for a good amount of trail feedback and a nice firm feeling grip.
| Brand: | ODI |
| Product: | Vanquish D30 Grip |
| From: | Freewheel |
| Price: | £39.99 |
| Tested: | by Aran Francis for 6 months |
