Customer Reviews

Dimension Cork Grips

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

According to various sources, such as Grant Petersen of Rivendell cycle works, all cork grips are a slightly loose fit and require an adhesive. This makes sense as cork does not stretch as much as rubber, so if cork grips were as snug fitting as rubber grips for the same size bar, they might tear. This goes for the composite ones indicated here; I can't say for the solid cork ones made in Portugal, but those are around $30 a pair.

So if you want the look of cork grips, these are probably as good as any. Just accept that they require adhesive and move on. I think just about anything will do... the first glue I found around the house was carpenter's glue and it worked fine. I just made sure the bar was clean and grease-free, swirled a little glue inside the grip and put it on. Two weeks later they haven't budged.

The key, however, to great looking cork grips is shellac. If you don't shellac them they might as well be any other grips. If you want them to exude class, get Bullseye shellac by Zinser at your local hardware store and brush on three coats. Get the amber shellac if you want them to be a nice honey color. We had the clear shellac on hand, which results in a color like the un-shellacked grips, only darker and shinier. They look great, so go with either one according to preference.

As for the ride, they are firm, but very effective at dampening. They aren't cushy but you don't need them to be.

I was reviving an old English 3-speed and wanted to add a personal touch, so I bought a pair of Dimension Cork grips to replace the hardened rubberized grips. The cork grips fit perfectly, and after using some 3M Spray Adhesive on the bars and inside the grips, they held strong.

In order to protect their color and add some durability I finished them off with three coats of Zinser amber shellac, which contributed a deeper finished color and a really nice feeling to the bars.

I've ridden it for about a month so far with no problems. If installed correctly, they are etremely durable and comfortable for city riding and classic touring.

These grips are real cork so they are light-weight. The pair I purchased was a large fit. I sprayed some aqua net hair spray inside and they are now a tighter fit. The downside is since they are only cork they are not very durable. For $7 I cant complain.

I bought these wanting a unique, retro look on an old 1982 Panasonic Tourist. They turned out great by sealing them with 3 coats of satin polyurethane, myself being too cheap to spring for shellac. The poly darkened them up just a little and provides great sealing against the elements. Keep in my mind that bar end mirrors are just about out of the question with these. They look too nice to have to cut holes out in the ends. The cork is rubberized a little so cutting with a hacksaw or dremel won't destroy them. You still must be careful when cutting them, you can smooth out the ends with wet 'n dry sandpaper. Start at 220 and finish up with 330 or 400 grit. Mine were shortened as I only had 4 inches of grip area.The cork is app. 10mm thick on the bottom.
I have to go back on mine and taper the ends a little. Used the grips on a set of black alloy mustache bars and accented with black cork bar tape in the middle. Comfortable ride that absorbs small shocks and looks way cooler than rubber or plastic.

I've purchased these cork grips for 5 bikes now. With a few coats of amber shellac, the natural colored ones look great and are weather and sweat-proof. The black ones look nice too. I prefer the plumpness of this style of grip over the finger-notched rubber grips. Natural style and comfort for a great price.

I love the feeling of cork grips, but they just don't last. These are harder than average. It's funny, people reviewing these say to shellac them. What the hell? That pretty much defeats the purpose of having these, well, unless you just like to look at them. If you're gonna shellac them, you might as well carve your own grips from a shovel handle... I can't even imagine how well they would work wet or sweaty palmed. Probably quite slippery.

So...

Get these for the looks. If you want a trail worthy grip go for foam.

The handlegrips are just like everyone else said. They're a little bigger than the handlebars but not by much,(at least mine weren't, I have the older 25.4 clamp size bars.) I change my bars alot so I didn't want to glue them like everyone else did so I used double sided tape which worked. The tape I used isn't the foam kind though, it's very thin and is pretty much scotch tape but stronger. I wish I could tell you where I got it but I can't remember. I also used the amber Zinsser Shellac on them to make them weather proof and last longer. The shellac is at Ace Hardware for $7.99 for a 1/2 pint and it only last 3 years before it goes bad. The one I bought was 4 years old, it worked but check the date on the bottom of the can and get one within the 3 year mark. Overall the grips are worth the money. They come out looking good after they're finished.

These hand grips come looking quite nice in the packaging but in the end not so great. First of all the company is quite slow about processing things so don't try to expidte them as they take 4 days just to process your order and the only thing you are paying for is to shorten the actual time they are in the truck. The cork is neither as thick nor as cushioning as I had thought it would be. I had seen a set of these at the bike store for $10 more and loved the feel. Now I wish I had gotten the bike store ones. In addition, these are for large thick handle bars. I have standard Cruiser bike and my boyfriend has had to modify the product to get them to stay on. We anticipate it will be terrible to get them back off when we have to replace them in a year.