Are These MTB Grips Gonna Make You Faster? We Found Out

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OneUp Components recently launched the Jackson Goldstone Signature Grip, and although they won’t make you as fast as Goldstone, they sure feel great in the hand and offer a noticeable amount of improved control thanks to Goldstone and OneUp Components’ obsessing over the details.

I’ve been putting them through the paces over the last few weeks, and they might be one of the most comfortable MTB grips I’ve grabbed onto in a while, and they even dethroned my previous top pick. Did they make me faster? No. Did I find my new favorite MTB grip? Yes. Are they perfect for everyone? Not really, and here’s why.

Grips are highly personal. Some like ’em thick, some like ’em thin, and the Goldstone Grips are somewhere in the middle, but closer to the thin side. With a variable diameter (29mm-33mm), they strike a nice balance that fills the void of the palm, grips the falanges, and gives the outer edge of the hand a little purchase room to push into. They are tacky where they need to be, and firmer towards the ends for added durability.

Goldstone Grip Details

Pricing: $29.99 USD / $36.99 CAD / £27.99 GBP / €29.99 EUR

• Length: 140mm
• Weight: 108g
• Body Diameter: 29mm – 33mm
• Durometer: Tacky 20A grip body with durable 45A outer flange
• Colors: White, Dark Green, Tan, Maroon, and Black
• Single inner clamp
• Raised palm pad
• 38mm Diameter outer flange
• Finger ramps
• Knurled grip body
• Core cutout under thumb (rubber runs straight to bar) for added comfort and damping
• Dual durometer construction

Who They’re For

The flared ends, while being harder, aren’t uncomfortable – they’re actually really pleasing to grab onto. This little flare is a take on what a lot of downhill racers are bolting to the bar ends, but in a way that doesn’t look strange or interrupt the familiar feeling of other lock-on grips. It offers a bit of support when twisting the bars, or cornering, and they act as a bit of a guide when you place the hands on the bars.

The raised, textured palm of the grip is super soft, but not so much that your hands wander or feel disconnected from the bars. It’s not meant to offer any sort of vibration dampening either; it’s just there to fill the gap between the palm. On the underside of the grip, there are some channels that welcome the creases of your fingers into an “elbows-out” riding style thanks to their angle and firmness, but getting the grips aligned with the brake levers is crucial to make them feel as good as possible and I had to play around with them for a little bit to get things sorted out – but I don’t mind to tinker with bike setup…

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I mostly ride glove-less because I prefer the feeling of my skin right on the grip. When testing these grips with my go-to glove, the Outdoor Research Freewheel, they’ve remained delightful to grab onto, but I still prefer the feeling without a glove between me and the grip.

The Issues

In full-disclosure, I’m already a huge fan of the OneUp Components Thin grips, and I’ve been running them on almost every bike I own for as long as I can remember, and until now, I haven’t found a reason to switch. The new Goldstone grips are affordable and absurdly comfortable – if you like a thin grip. But they won’t fit everyone’s needs because of the lack of thickness, and riders who want a chunkier grip will likely find them a little too narrow.

Most riders with big hands tend to like grabbing a thicker grip, but that’s not a blanket statement – I have pretty large hands, and I prefer a skinnier grip. I also don’t always ride with gloves, and when I do, I’m kind of a diva when it comes to what I slip over my hands. I’ve found that these grips work best with a thin glove with minimal palm padding, as it lets the natural contour of the hand interact with the grip’s ridges and topography. If you like a glove with a lot of padding, you might not love these grips as much as I do.

Pros & Cons

Pros: Affordable, dual-density rubber, durable & tacky, comfortable with and without gloves, relatively thin, lots of color options.

Cons: Not ideal for use with padded gloves, relatively thin, requires precision and some fiddling to get set up perfectly.