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The snow here in Flagville, USA is almost all gone, though I haven’t ventured far into the woods to see what the trails look like. I’m planning to ride this weekend in Sedona, but I’ve got a Grade A cough that says otherwise. After spending the last week in Snowbird, Utah, I must say I’m excited to get back on the bike.
But let’s talk ski for a moment.
Snowbird’s got some pretty killer skiing. I definitely found myself in over my head a few times, and ass over teakettle more than once. This here’s Mineral Basin, which was ass-deep powder later in the week. Best turns I’ve ever made, if you don’t consider how piss poor of a skier I am.
Some friends and I managed to score a slopeside condo for the week, thanks to some old friends of the D2 family. The apres ski activities were good. The hot tub was crucial. The 3.2 Utah beer was piss weak. I think even Caveman would drink a Fat Tire over that stuff.
The downside to such a trip is the rude awakening: after four solid days of skiing terrain well above my ability level, it dawned on me what kind of shape I’m really in. This does not bode well for the 24 Hours in the Old Pueblo race coming up next month. My legs felt like a bag of smashed assholes by the end of the week, and my body rejected the proposal of a fifth day of skiing by contracting a sweet virus. I cough like that dude’s mom from “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia”, or as I like to call it, “The Least Amusing Pile of Crap on Television.”
Luckily, I got these puppies to help me through the long nights and blistering days in the Tucson desert:
I used these for a few laps last year and was pretty impressed… but I’m hoping to get more riding in with them to see if they can outduel my favorite grips, ESI:
These have been my go-to grips for a few years now, and I can say I’ve never used any better. Can Ergon take ’em down? We’ll have to wait and see.
Has anyone ridden both grips? Which grips ended up victorious after the battle royale?
Rumor has it that Judi is heading this way. Perhaps a shred is in order…
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d2, my ergron grips are CARBON!!! they are freaking RAD!!!
I was a oury user before I went to the ergons and wont go back.. My bar bike has some ourys and it feels weird. Drying out in flagtown may have to bring my MTB
tops on the snow shreddz, but i’m also hyped to know that not every one is bonerspit over it’s always sunny in phucklodumpia.
I find I always have to wear gloves with my ESI’s so my hands dont slip when sweaty but still prefer them over ergons.
I feel bad for you folks out west skiing in all that crappy fresh powder. Too bad you can’t enjoy the glare ice and boilerplate we have back east in New England. The burrs on my metal edges are razor sharp from all the “frozen granular”. Guess it’s time to tune up my skis.
“My legs felt like a bag of smashed assholes by the end of the week”
Don’t forget to lean your shins into the front of your boots to ease up on the quad burn. Once I learned this trick, I was able to ski all day without too much pain. It’s like hammering a big gear at the front of a paceline. Sooner or later you have to ease up and sit in for a few turns.
Hammer, recover, hammer again, and then recover while drinking beer. Skiing is like cycling.
I’ve been using Ergon’s for a few years. Best. Grips. Ever. I don’t think I could rock the white. I’m of the belief that grips should only be black.
The white is a new thing for me. I got ’em because my cranks are white (also a new thing for me) and I tried to be stylin’. Not sure how I feel about all this whiteness, but I’m going to roll with it.
I like the white but Size 2 prefers black.
Ergon for long races. Nothing wrong with ESI, though. Small size Ergons unless you have HUGE mitts. I wear large gloves, and still use the small grips.
Ergon grips make already poor descenders even worse. Great for climbing though especially with the bar ends.
ESI are pretty good. I still love my ODI lock ons.
Snowbird is good stuff. Next time try Solitude also, it is super fun there and doesn’t get tracked out as quickly as Snowbird.
No on the Ergons for me…yes to the ODI lock-ons.
The wave of jealousy I feel towards those that are getting downhill turns on one board or two is overwhelming. I go to Tahoe in March…and I cannot wait.
Ergon only.
that’s an apples to oranges comparison. do you like em firm and complex (for a grip at least) or supple and simple. I go supple and simple unless maybe i was doing a marathon.
Esi’s are great, ergons are better. I didn’t like the race version of the ergons though, the GP1 Leicthbau-small is where its at!!
I went from Oury to Ergon to ESI. ESI are my favorite so far. If I positioned the Ergons rolled up they were good for climbing, but sucked for going down and vice versa if I rolled them down. I never found the sweet spot. I have pretty big hands and the Ergons still felt too big to get a solid wrap on. I have really liked the ESI grips. For reference, I am riding a rigid, 29er singlespeed in CO.
I’m somewhat associated with the action of silicon. that being the case, I’ve got the same grips that D2 has – but with the bar ends. I’m going to run them for my solo jaunt at the 24 and I am uncertain but hopefull that their thin & rigid form will not bust my hands atop my rigid steed.
My new Ergons lay on the floor next to my singlespeed, just waiting for a chance to shine. What’s on the bike right now? A pair of ESI grips.
We’re all on the same page. What are the odds?
DH,
You’ll like the Ergons at Old Pueblo. I take mine off and on depending on the course but on mega long downhills (Monarch, Firecracker 50, etc) they feel bad and make doing tabletops really uncomfortable. :)