Superstar Components EXCEL grip review
Mainly because the colour combination I was looking for was out of stock in the more familiar Supagripa range I ordered some of the bigger Excel grips.
The Excel grips are both longer and bigger diameter as I hope you can see from the image. The extra width is almost a problem for my Carnegie bars which are “only” 685mm wide. Obviously if you using the STW massif recommended 1000mm wide bars you’ll be fine ;oP
My hands are reasonably large I guess. I certainly need XL in some of the Spesh gloves but the grips did feel on the large size to me. How comfy the are after a long ride I’ll have to come back to you in a few weeks, probably after Mountain Mayhem! What I do like is the fact they are very even unlike the Supagripa with its raised logo and detailing.
What is great about them and the whole Superstar offering on grips is the interchangeable rings and end caps in multiple colours. They even do Hot Pink Matt!
Anyway, at £11.00 (with colour matching, single piece end caps) they appear to be worth a punt. I’ll let you know how they feel after a few rides.
See the full range of Superstar Components grips here
About the author
Dave's been riding seriously since about 1997 and is one of the founding Molefathers — along with Matt and Mark — that came up with the idea of a MTB website for Mole Valley riders.
He's had several different bikes but it's now mainly 29ers in Dave's stable, apart from an Orange 5.
Current Bikes: Orange 5, Salsa Spearfish and Kona Big Unit
There are 7 comments on ‘Superstar Components EXCEL grip review’
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StevenD says:
I received some Supergrippa ones from SC only about an hour ago ! I looked at the excel grips – noticed them on your bike in flickr and they do look good 😉 , but decided that they were too long for my ‘tiny’ 685mm bars. I like the fact that both the SG and excel grips can be replaced cheaply when you wear them out, and then of course you spend a week deciding on colour combinations.
Be aware that I (the one who has always said that the only bling is black) has um, well, been taking advice from D’Andy and ordered grey grips with gold lockrings + some gold flat pedals. Oh dear… what have I done, is this the start of a slippery slope ? 🙂
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Posted on June 22, 2011 at 10:03 am
Dave says:
Oh yes! You’re on the slide!
I know a place you can get matching chain ring bolts and rotor bolts!
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Posted on June 22, 2011 at 10:36 am
StevenD says:
That IS going too far, though as parts wear out and need replacing the bling factor does try to drag you in.
My next local ride, after I fit the new parts will be fun, having had many conversations about how good SPDs are (they are, but sometimes I prefer flats) and that bling is tacky !
Back on track though, I recommend that anyone thinking about buying the Excel grips should use a ruler and check how well they fit on their bars first.
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Posted on June 22, 2011 at 1:29 pm
Matt says:
As I’ve said before, it’s not just any pink – it needs to be the nice, slightly pastel shade you get from anodising. I have white ODI grips on the singlespeed with black lockrings so the white option with pink lockrings would be perfect.
Actually I have the Supagripa style ones on my Muirwoods and while they look good I totally agree with you Dave that they’re too narrow. I must also have big hands!
Maybe some Excel replacements would sort that. I like the fact these are a regular shape across the grip too.
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Posted on June 22, 2011 at 10:19 am
Dave says:
Well, 4 laps of MM and I can’t say my hands gave me any issues at all. Given that there were a few “hold on for dear life” moments (see STW front page, about half way down for the big rutted, muddy, down) I’d say they are comfy.
They only just fit on Carnegie’s if you are using gears, have yet to try them on Mary bars.
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Posted on June 22, 2011 at 10:47 am
Amanda says:
I have had a set of these on my Ellsworth for the winter( actually it woudl have been a summer as was in the southern hemisphere but didnt want to rub that in) and they were fine on short rides and seemed comfortable and grippy and they looked great as could match the colour with the bike Bling Bling. But as you all know I do a fair amount of miles and hours in the seat and after 6 months of big hours I can say the comfort on the hands was not great as after about 5 hours hands got very sore and I have got a callus or 5 to show for it. I now use the ESI grips and find them excellent have done a 24hr in South Africa and a 12 hour race in Brighton and have had no issues with the hands in fact didnt notice any pain like I would normally experience on a long race so in my book while they may not have the bling they win hands down in comfort.
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Posted on June 25, 2011 at 8:53 pm
stevend says:
I got a set of these for my recently acquired 700mm bars and I like them. I find them a lot more comfortable than the supagripas. The larger width and diameter and the softer feel make them much more comfortable for XC, though I may still switch back to the supagripas if I want to get technical (and I use that word very liberally).
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Posted on June 22, 2012 at 8:27 am