Description
Ergon GFR1 Factory Grips – The Ultimate Gravity Grip
The world-class gravity grip featuring the Factory Custom Rubber compound was exactly what Tahnée Seagrave and her teammates from Canyon CLLCTV FMD Racing requested. Working together, Ergon developers delivered the ultimate gravity grip with the GFR1 Factory. Developed through close collaboration with top professional downhill riders, these grips represent the pinnacle of gravity grip engineering – combining extreme damping, maximal control, and unique German-manufactured rubber compound for the most demanding tracks.
Developed With World-Class Athletes
Ergon developers work closely with athletes and teams. This direct collaboration is the only way to produce the most efficient products that can meet the highest demands of professional racing. The GFR1 Factory evolved through intensive teamwork with top professional downhill riders, particularly Tahnée Seagrave and the Canyon CLLCTV FMD Racing team.
This partnership ensured every design decision addresses real-world demands of World Cup downhill racing. The riders provided detailed feedback on grip feel, damping characteristics, hand positioning, and durability through the most technically demanding tracks on the circuit. The result is a grip optimised not through theory but through proven performance at the highest competitive level.
Factory Custom Rubber Compound
The defining feature of the GFR1 Factory is its exclusive Factory Custom Rubber compound – developed and manufactured in Germany. This unique material represents Ergon’s highest-performance rubber formulation, featuring maximal grip and rebound properties.
The compound is manufactured to the highest standards of purity and is TÜV-certified – a German technical inspection association certification confirming the material meets stringent quality and safety standards. This certification level is virtually unknown in bicycle grip manufacturing, reflecting Ergon’s commitment to material excellence.
The Factory Custom Rubber is unique in the world of bicycle grips. The proprietary formulation balances multiple performance characteristics that typically conflict: exceptional grip (requiring soft, tacky compounds), precise durability (requiring harder, wear-resistant compounds), and optimal rebound/damping (requiring specific elasticity characteristics).
The grip feel is soft yet defined and precise. Unlike extremely soft compounds that can feel vague or mushy, the Factory Custom Rubber maintains tactile precision whilst providing the cushioning and grip security gravity riding demands. Your hands receive clear feedback about bar position and bike behaviour whilst being protected from impact and vibration.
German Manufacturing Quality
The Factory Custom Rubber is developed and manufactured in Germany, reflecting Ergon’s core values of ergonomics, product design, and engineering all happening in Germany. This German manufacturing ensures consistent quality control, material purity, and production standards that would be difficult to maintain with overseas production.
The material’s purity is particularly significant. Lower-quality rubber compounds can contain contaminants or inconsistent material properties affecting performance and potentially causing skin irritation. The TÜV certification confirms the Factory Custom Rubber meets stringent purity standards suitable for extended skin contact during aggressive riding.
Precise Durability
Grips are always subject to wear and tear, especially in tough MTB terrain. Downhill and gravity riding creates particularly demanding conditions – regular crashes, abrasive glove contact, UV exposure, weather extremes, and aggressive riding forces.
With the Ergon-exclusive Factory Custom Rubber material, the surface structure remains precise and especially grippy for longer durations than standard rubber. The compound resists wear whilst maintaining its textured surface pattern and grip characteristics. This longevity means the grips perform consistently through seasons of aggressive riding rather than degrading rapidly.
The durability extends beyond surface wear. The compound resists UV degradation that hardens and cracks standard rubber. It maintains elasticity through temperature variations. The material doesn’t become brittle from cold weather exposure or excessively soft from heat.
Textured Siping Design
One of the most notable features developed through athlete collaboration is the grip’s slim design combined with specific textured siping along the gripping surface area. This textured pattern creates maximum feedback yet remains highly damping – characteristics that typically oppose each other.
The siping consists of precision cuts creating flex zones in the rubber surface. These flex zones allow the grip to compress and absorb impact whilst maintaining secure connection with your hands. The pattern creates mechanical grip through texture engagement whilst the underlying Factory Custom Rubber provides damping characteristics.
The textured top surface is specifically optimised for palm contact, providing secure purchase without feeling overly aggressive or abrasive. The pattern works excellently through gloves whilst remaining comfortable for bare-handed riding.
Pronounced Lower Grip Zone
The GFR1 Factory features a particularly strong lower grip zone for the fingers. This design addresses a specific performance requirement: pulling up the front wheel costs valuable energy every time during technical riding, jumps, and tricks.
The pronounced lower zone provides enhanced purchase for fingers, reducing the gripping force required for front wheel lifts. This reduction in required effort decreases hand fatigue whilst improving control. The additional texture and material thickness in the lower zone creates a secure purchase point that works almost unconsciously – your fingers naturally find the enhanced grip zone.
This design particularly benefits gravity riding where frequent front wheel lifts, manual techniques, and aggressive bike manipulation are standard riding elements. The reduced gripping effort accumulates over a race run or practice session, significantly decreasing hand fatigue.
Inner Stop for Optimal Hand Position
The inner stop of the GFR1 Factory provides direct orientation for fast manoeuvres, jumps, or tricks. This positioning reference creates an additional safety feature, keeping your hand in the optimum position and ensuring you can operate controls at all times.
During dynamic gravity riding, hands can slide inward on grips during hard braking, compression, or impacts. The inner stop prevents this inward migration, maintaining proper hand position relative to brake levers, shifters, and bar ends. This consistent positioning is crucial for safety – you need reliable brake lever access in all situations.
The stop also provides tactile reference during blind manoeuvres. Without looking down, you can feel whether your hand position is correct, allowing immediate adjustment if needed. This unconscious positioning awareness improves control and reduces mental load during technical sections.
Slim Design for Maximum Feedback
The GFR1 Factory’s slim profile seems counterintuitive for a grip emphasising extreme damping. However, the slim design combined with the Factory Custom Rubber compound creates optimal balance between feedback and damping.
The slim profile maintains direct connection with the handlebar, allowing you to feel bar position and bike behaviour precisely. This feedback is crucial for gravity riding where precise bike control through technical terrain requires constant awareness of bike position and movement.
The extreme damping comes from the Factory Custom Rubber’s rebound properties rather than excessive bulk. The compound absorbs impact and vibration effectively without requiring thick cushioning that would compromise feedback. This approach delivers the best of both characteristics – damping for comfort and control, directness for precision and awareness.
CNC-Machined Aluminium Inner Clamp
The strong aluminium inner clamp prevents the GFR1 Factory from twisting on handlebars, including carbon bars. This secure clamping system is particularly important for gravity riding where impacts and aggressive riding forces can rotate poorly-secured grips.
The inner clamp design is superior to simple collar clamps. By clamping from inside the grip rather than externally, the system doesn’t create pressure points under your palm. The single-bolt design simplifies installation whilst providing reliable security.
The CNC-machined construction ensures precise dimensions and reliable performance. The aluminium material provides strength without excessive weight, and the machined finish ensures smooth, burr-free contact surfaces that won’t damage carbon handlebars.
Replaceable End Plugs
The end plugs on the GFR1 Factory are replaceable – an important durability feature. Grip end plugs typically suffer damage during crashes when bars contact the ground. With integrated, non-replaceable plugs, this damage would necessitate complete grip replacement.
The replaceable design extends grip lifespan significantly. When end plugs become damaged or worn, simply replace them rather than discarding the entire grip. This serviceability reflects Ergon’s philosophy of creating durable, maintainable products rather than disposable consumables.
The replaceable plugs also allow customisation. Different plug styles or colours could be installed to personalise grip appearance or replace damaged plugs with alternative designs.
