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review
Bar tape & grips
Lizard Skins Lock-On Charger Grip - GreenLizard Skins Lock-on Grips

Lizard Skins Lock-On Charger Grip - Green

7
by Shaun Audane
UPDATED Thu, Oct 15, 2015 04:24

First Published Apr 3, 2009

0
£18.00

VERDICT:

7
10
A great choice for more aggressive riders, offering good grip and comfort
Weight: 
118g
Contact: 
www.2pure.co.uk
How we test

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Intended primarily for an MTB audience, these Charger grips well prove interesting to the latest generation of road fixers coming from a BMX background and they make worthy upgrades for other flat-bar road mounts. The grips themselves are soft polymer with rows of tactile ribbing and subtle logos mounted atop black anodised sleeves with laser-etched graphics.

Fitting couldn’t be simpler: remove the old grips and slide the chargers on, locking them in position using the four tiny Allen screws. Refit your bar ends and/or plugs and you’re done. Despite some initial reservations, they offer excellent purchase with and without gloves but feel a little harsh on bare palms after about half an hour.

Despite my best efforts, grabbing on to them for dear-life along, wet, muddy forest tracks, they wouldn’t budge: great news for the white-knuckle addicts amongst us. Our test sample in neon green wouldn’t be my first choice but they scrub up nicely and have won me over these past few weeks.

Given the asking price I would’ve expected better fittings. The heads of our screws rusted after a few muddy rides and washes and the end plugs seemed something of an after-thought.

Verdict

Small niggles aside, they’re a great choice for more aggressive riders, offering good grip and comfort.

road.cc test report

Make and model: Lizard Skins Lock-On Charger Grip - Green

Price: 18.00

Weight: 0g

Size tested: n/a

Tell us what the product is for, and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?

The Chargers are a high end technical grip designed for more demanding mountain bikers. They make an equally good choice for flat bar road bikes.

Tell us some more about the techincal aspects of the product?

ODI designed annodised alloy sleeves with four Allen screws to lock them in position on the bars, soft, ribbed polymer grips whose profile reminded me of stickle brick construction toys.

Available in Black, white or green

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
7/10

Very solid but fittings were something of an after-thought.

Rate the product for performance:
 
8/10

Excellent grips which inspire confidence in demanding conditions.

Rate the product for durability:
 
7/10

Polymer grips seem very hardy, Allen key fittings tarnish quickly in wet or muddy conditions.

Rate the product for weight, if applicable:
 
8/10
Rate the product for comfort, if applicable:
 
9/10

Comfort is generally excellent with a supple, slightly gummy feel but can fel harsh on bare palms after about thirty minutes or so.

Rate the product for value:
 
7/10

At the upper end of what I would spend on grips but well worth the money.

Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose

The performance and comfort provided by these grips is excellent

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

Comfort and control

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

Cheap fixings

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes

Would you consider buying the product? Yes

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes

Overall rating: 7/10

About the tester

Age: 35  Height: 1m 81  Weight: 70 kilos

I usually ride: Rough Stuff Tourer Based around 4130 Univega mtb Frameset  My best bike is: 1955 Holdsworth Road Path and several others including cross & traditional road

I've been riding for: Over 20 years  I ride: Most days  I would class myself as: Experienced

I regularly do the following types of riding: cyclo cross, commuting, touring, fixed/singlespeed, mtb,

Lizard Skins
grips
Charger
Shaun Audane

Shaun Audane is a freelance writer/product tester with over twenty-eight years riding experience, the last twelve (120,000 miles) spent putting bikes and kit through their paces for a variety of publications. Previous generations of his family worked at manufacturing's sharp end, thus Shaun can weld, has a sound understanding of frame building practice and a preference for steel or titanium framesets.
Citing Richard Ballantine and an Au pair as his earliest cycling influences, he is presently writing a cycling book with particular focus upon women, families and disabled audiences (Having been a registered care manager and coached children at Herne Hill Velodrome in earlier careers)

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