We thought we’d pretty much seen it all when it comes to grips but these Loaded AmXc ones have proved us wrong. For starters they look downright weird, and that’s thanks to the unique material which they’re made from. Loaded reckon their patented ‘anti-slip’ compound gives superb grip even if covered in mud, grease, snow or rain. And I don’t know if it’s true but one little birdy told me that US Navy Seals use this magic substance on some of their equipment to provide the best possible grip. Whether that’s true or not I don’t know, but what I can tell you is that the first reactions from anyone who has seen and tried them is something along the lines of “what the hell are they?”, which is then closely followed by something like “actually they do feel really grippy”. We’re yet to try them out properly, but we have high hopes for them.

Aside from the unique compound there are a few other details that are worth noting. Firstly, despite being pretty thin (which we like) these grips seem to offer a good deal of cushioning, and despite the jagged looks they’re even comfortable without gloves. I think part of that is possibly down to the use of a pretty thin plastic core (it’s still thick enough to resist twisting though) which allows more of the rubbery material to be used, and then maybe the material itself has good properties too. At 130mm wide the grips are wide enough for all but the biggest hands, and at each end you’ll find a Lock-On style clamp. The integrated aluminium end cap is a particularly nice detail, and it goes some way to making up for the price which definitely sits at the higher end of the grip spectrum. Oh, and although the grips themselves only come in the black colour you do get a choice of black, red, gold, green or blue anodised aluminium parts. If you fancy trying out some different grips then what better place to start than these.

Price: £23.99
www.havendistribution.co.uk
www.loadedusa.com

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