ODI Reflex grips review

ODI’s latest Reflex grips have gone through rigorous testing on the UCI Downhill World Cup and EWS circuits, keeping the hands of the world’s fastest mountain bike athletes glued to the bar. As a result, they come with a fairly complex design complete with squidge-enhancing properties that provide serious grip. But with so many quality options on the market, how do the ODI Reflex grips best MTB grips on the market?

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ODI Reflex grips – Technical details

The Reflex grips have been designed to offer top performance without sacrificing comfort. To reach that goal, they’re built with a medium durometer compound that’s proprietary to the brand and chosen for its dampening properties. With that, it’s shaped to reduce arm pump and fatigue.

Coming in with a standard straight, non-contoured or tapered shape, the grip is built up of a number of zones with a ribbed or mushroomed thumb area for impact dampening. The palm area gets loads of padding thanks to a group of very malleable pads. It’s said that this zone follows the natural curve of the hand while offering shock absorption.

2023 odi reflex grips palm.jpg, by Liam Mercer

At the bottom, there’s a waffle section which is pretty common on a range of grips. ODI has spaced and carved the waffle to match finger articulation to boost the ergonomics of the grips. Then, underneath the finger and palm zones, there’s a course diamond texture that serves as a base. Both grips are left and right specific to suit the contours of each hand.

Elsewhere, the grips use ODI’s V2.1 Lock-On System which is said to offer simple installation and slip-free performance. Basically, it’s a rounded and narrow single lock ring that results in more grip space and it looks rather lovely, too.

2023 odi reflex grips thumb.jpg, by Liam Mercer

They measure 135mm in width, weigh 109g on my scales and there are two diameters on offer, an XL with a 35.4mm diameter and a regular with 33.5mm. The latter is pictured here and all measurements are true to ODI’s claims.

ODI Reflex grips – Performance

ODI has been in the grip game for a long time and its wealth of experience rings true in the design of the Reflex. Even though on the outside, they look rather complicated and, dare I say it, overdesigned, in use its complex patterning works incredibly well.

2023 odi reflex grips end 2.jpg, by Liam Mercer

Although installing the Reflex grips didn’t come without a bit of trial and error. As each part of the grip is designed to work with specific parts of the hand, it took a little bit of faff to find their ideal roll on the bar. Though once positioned, they were absolutely locked in.

Simply placing your hand around the grip displayed how much sense ODI’s diligent design of the waffle and thumb pad makes as they matched my hands almost perfectly. And as a rider who places their hands further outboard, the palm zones are placed in the exact right spot – and I really appreciate the built-in soft ends.

When riding, each portion of the grip works in tandem to offer a very unique but very effective grip experience. The areas responsible for damping do an excellent job as the medium durometer rubber squashes to the contours of the hands and also offer a bit of give similar to that of RevGrips, where there’s a tiny bit of fatigue-reducing movement. This movement also works to dampen vibrations.

Towards the waffle, the grips thin out as ODI has clearly recognised that this isn’t the area where vibration damping is imperative. Instead, the fingers benefit from a super tactile feel but because there’s not as much rubber placed here, feel on the bars is like that of an all-over thinner grip.

2023 odi reflex grips finger].jpg, by Liam Mercer

All of this combined, results in a grip that requires far less grip strength to get the most out of it. In the long run, that reduces arm pump so the grips are ideal for big days out on the bike or sessions between the tape.

I have very few qualms with these grips but would prefer a smaller size. So if you have particularly small hands, you’ll need to look elsewhere. 

ODI Reflex grips – Verdict

At £28 pounds, the Reflex grips sit at a good mid-point in the pricing range, coming in at a few pounds cheaper than offerings from Ergon and SQlab, both of which are built towards similar intentions.

Ergon’s GFR1 will set you back £33 and it’s ideal for smaller hands. It’s designed for similarly racy scenarios with a squidgy mushroom top, and a special finger grip design. There’s also a diamond base. This is a very thin grip and didn’t suit me personally. I also found its mushroom top to wear rather quickly.

SQlab’s 70X (£30) is a grip that I’ve gelled with rather well and does a similar job to the Reflex but through the use of clever contours. The Reflex will suit a wider range of riders and it has more effective damping properties. 

ODI’s efforts in researching and developing the Reflex grips have certainly paid off as the result minimises the effort required to hold the bars while riding. On top of that, they’re comfortable and do a decent job of damping vibrations. They’re well thought out, too, as they’re well padded and the bar feel isn’t compromised. However, they won’t suit small hands all that well.

• www.odigrips.com
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