How to Pick BMX Grips to Prevent Injuries

Whether you ride your BMX for leisure, or in competitive races, it is always important to maintain your safety equipment to reduce the likelihood of accidents or injuries. One important, yet sometimes overlooked, piece of equipment are the BMX Grips for the handlebars. Handlebar grips not only provide the rider with better control over his bike, but also prevent injuries caused from cuts on the metal at the end of the handlebars. Picking the right BMX Grips to prevent injuries is easy to do as long as you know how.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Small Budget

How to Pick BMX Grips to Prevent Injuries

1. First and foremost, check the size of the grips to make sure they will fit snugly on your BMX bike. Most BMX bikes have a standard size, so sizing handlebars is relatively simple. However, there are also children sizes, or sizes for non-BMX bikes, so make sure you have the right sized grips to provide a secure fit to your handlebars.

2. Consider whether or not you would like to go with a name brand grip, or a generic grip. Given that BMX handlebar grips are an inexpensive investment, it doesn’t hurt to go with a quality brand. ATI Grips are a high-grade product made in the USA. ATI grips run the full gamut--from cheap every day grips to high quality BMX racing grips.

3. Check the grip patterns to see how well they will prevent your hands from slipping. There are two basic categories of grip patterns to choose from: knobs and treads. Knobs are more like little bums across the handlebar grip, and are good for general riding conditions. Treads are more like a tire tread, and work exceptionally well in wet weather and muddy conditions. Choose the ones that best suit your needs.

4. Try the grips out to see how natural they feel in your hand, and how much protection they can give you against injury. Wrap your hands around the handlebar grips as if you were making a fist and holding the grip inside. Make sure you can fit your fingers comfortably across the grip and that they don't touch your thumb. Squeeze the grips and try to test how difficult it is to wrench your grip forward and back over the handlebars. Hopefully, you will be able to hold on tight enough that you can barely wrench them.

5. Inspect the closed end of the BMX grips. Try to select grips that have very hard rubber or plastic at the closed end of the grip. This will extend the life of the grip before it tears. Exposed metal at the end of the handlebars is one of the leading causes for deep cuts in bicycle accidents, so covering them up with strong, durable grips will help prevent injury.

Tips & Warnings

• If the ends of your BMX grips tear, replace them right away. Having an exposed handlebar puts the rider at risk of injury from deep cuts.

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