Description
Ergon GS1 Evo Grips – Ergonomic Performance Comfort Grip
The GS1 Evo reimagines what ergonomic comfort can be for touring, trail, and e-bikes by minimising aching hands and numb fingers. Ergon took the best-selling GP1 winged grip and evolved it with popular characteristics of the mountain-specific GA3. The result is a new favourite among many riders – from quick jaunts across town to endurance events to journeys across continents, the GS1 Evo delivers benchmark ergonomic performance.
Evolution of Proven Design
The GS1 Evo represents thoughtful evolution rather than revolution. Ergon identified what riders loved about the GP1 (the original ergonomic winged grip) and the GA3 (the mountain-specific performance grip), then combined these attributes whilst addressing areas for improvement.
The GS1 Evo features a larger supportive wing than the GA3, providing enhanced pressure distribution and wrist support. However, it maintains a sleeker profile than the GP1, making it more suitable for dynamic riding where excessive bulk can feel restrictive. This balance creates a grip that supports extended comfort riding whilst accommodating the position changes and bike handling required for trail riding, technical sections, and varied terrain.
The evolution also includes completely redesigned rubber compound, zone-specific textures, refined shape, and updated aesthetics suited to modern bikes. The GS1 Evo isn’t simply the GP1 with minor tweaks – it’s a thoroughly reimagined ergonomic grip optimised for contemporary touring, trail, and e-bike applications.
Enhanced Wing Reduces Pressure
Ergon once again sets a benchmark in ergonomic grip design with the GS1 Evo. The grip’s high-performance wing distributes pressure evenly across the palm rather than concentrating it on small contact areas. This pressure distribution is crucial for extended ride comfort.
Without ergonomic support, body weight concentrates on relatively small areas where palms contact cylindrical grip surfaces. This concentrated pressure causes several problems: localised discomfort and pain, nerve compression leading to numbness, and reduced blood flow causing cold hands.
The GS1 Evo’s wing spreads pressure across significantly larger palm surface area. This distribution reduces peak pressure points whilst maintaining adequate support. The wrists are supported in more neutral positions, protecting the sensitive ulnar nerve that runs along the hand’s outer edge.
The result: numb fingers and aching hands become things of the past. Riders who previously experienced hand problems after 30-60 minutes can ride comfortably for hours. This transformation isn’t exaggeration – proper pressure distribution fundamentally changes hand comfort during cycling.
Prevents Carpal Tunnel Compression
If wrists are bent excessively whilst cycling, the carpal tunnel can be pinched off, resulting in burning pain in the hand or forearm. This condition affects many cyclists using standard cylindrical grips that force wrists into angled positions.
The GS1 Evo fully supports the wrists in more neutral alignment. The flexible wing, perfectly adapted to the hand, ensures form fit between hand and grip. Hand and wrist pressures distribute evenly over the wing, relieving the carpal tunnel and preventing pain.
The carpal tunnel is a narrow passageway in the wrist through which the median nerve and tendons pass. When wrists bend significantly, this tunnel narrows, potentially compressing the nerve. Symptoms include numbness, tingling, burning sensations, and weakness. Chronic compression can cause lasting nerve damage.
By supporting wrists in neutral positions, the GS1 Evo prevents tunnel compression. The wing’s positioning naturally aligns wrists more appropriately, eliminating the extreme angles that create problems. For riders with carpal tunnel syndrome or susceptibility to these issues, this ergonomic design can mean the difference between cycling being painful or enjoyable.
Zone-Specific Textured Grip Surfaces
Thumb, fingers, palm: these three hand zones grip and control your bike whilst riding. The GS1 Evo has special textures for each area, adapted to hand ergonomics for optimal control and safety.
Each zone experiences different forces and requires different grip characteristics. The thumb zone requires secure purchase for steering control and front wheel lifts. The finger zone needs texture supporting powerful gripping during braking and technical sections. The palm zone benefits from balanced texture providing security without excessive friction that would resist hand repositioning.
The GS1 Evo’s texturing addresses these varied requirements. Rather than using uniform texture across the entire grip surface, Ergon engineered zone-specific patterns optimised for each area’s function. This approach maximises control and safety whilst maintaining comfort.
The textures work excellently with or without gloves. Many touring and e-bike riders prefer riding without gloves for comfort and convenience. The zone-specific texturing provides adequate grip for bare-handed riding whilst remaining effective when gloves are worn.
Completely New Rubber Compound
The GS1 Evo features a completely new rubber compound developed specifically for sporty touring and fitness rides. This proprietary formulation is manufactured exclusively for Ergon in Germany, ensuring consistent quality and material properties.
The compound balances multiple characteristics: adequate softness for comfort and vibration damping, sufficient firmness for control precision and durability, appropriate tackiness for secure grip without feeling sticky, and UV stability for long-term outdoor exposure resistance.
German manufacturing ensures material purity and quality control. The compound is TÜV-certified – meeting stringent German technical standards for safety and purity. This certification is particularly important for riders who prefer riding without gloves and have continuous direct skin contact with grips.
The rubber compound meets German toy and food safety standards – an extraordinary level of material purity virtually unknown in bicycle grip manufacturing. These standards ensure the material is toxin-free and safe for extended skin contact. This attention to material quality reflects Ergon’s commitment to rider health and safety.
The UV-stable formulation resists degradation from sunlight exposure. Many rubber compounds harden, crack, or lose grip characteristics when exposed to UV radiation. The GS1 Evo’s compound maintains its properties through years of outdoor use, ensuring consistent performance throughout the grip’s lifespan.
Sleeker Profile for Dynamic Riding
The GS1 Evo has been optimised in design, featuring a slightly smaller shape than the bestselling GP1. This sleeker profile makes it ideal for dynamic riding where excessive bulk can feel restrictive during position changes and bike handling.
The reduced profile maintains ergonomic support whilst improving suitability for trail riding, technical sections, and mixed-terrain applications. The grip provides comfort for touring whilst accommodating the more active riding style these applications require.
This balance makes the GS1 Evo versatile. It’s not purely a touring grip or purely a mountain grip – it bridges categories, performing excellently across touring, trail riding, e-biking, and fitness cycling applications.
Adjustable Wing Angle
Thanks to the high-quality aluminium inboard clamp, you can adjust the GS1 Evo’s wing angle to perfect position for your riding style and handlebar configuration. A single clamp bolt allows easy installation and twist-proof security.
Wing angle adjustment is crucial for optimising ergonomic benefits. Different riders have different hand sizes, wrist flexibility, riding positions, and handlebar sweep angles. What works perfectly for one rider might not suit another. Adjustability ensures the wing supports your hand correctly regardless of these individual variations.
The single-bolt design simplifies installation and adjustment. Loosen the bolt, rotate the grip to desired angle, retighten. The system is intuitive and requires only a standard Allen key.
The inboard clamp design also allows riders to comfortably grab further out on the handlebar’s outside edge. External clamps create hard edges that can be uncomfortable when gripping at bar ends. The internal design eliminates this issue.
