OneUp Components Goldstone Grips

As a pair of grips designed for and with downhill supremo Jackson Goldstone himself, it’s pretty unsurprising that OneUp Components has landed on the Goldstone Grips’ design. But for such slim grips, they’re superbly comfortable, while providing effective vibration damping without being outrageously expensive. I would like a thicker option, however, and they’re a real pain to adjust when on the bar.

OneUp Components Goldstone Grips – Technical details

Becoming the youngest ever winner of Red Bull Hardline, and with a heft of medals under his belt, Jackson Goldstone is one of the hottest prospects on the downhill scene. So it makes sense for OneUp Components to join forces with the man himself to produce a grip to his very own specification.

As far as grips go, the Goldstone Grips are pretty interesting. They feature a slim knurled main texture that’s complemented with a raised palm pad and the most interesting bit – 38mm outer flanges. These 45A rubber flanges kind of take the place of the flat bar ends, similar to those Get a Grip bar ends released by Joe Breeden, and have since been spotted on a bunch of elite riders’ downhill bikes from Wolf Tooth Components.

Elsewhere, there are very pronounced finger ramps, and the inner core has been cut out under the thumb area, which is said to improve comfort and damping. This essentially means that there’s nothing between the bar and hand, other than the super soft 20A rubber.

That profile is variable, and it measures 29mm in diameter at its narrowest, and 33mm at its thickest.

Keeping the grips in place are single locking collars, and they’re available in five colours.

OneUp Components Goldstone Grips – Performance

I’ll kick off this review by stating that I’m not the biggest fan of thin grips, but I am a fan of boosting bar feel and comfort. With that, I’ve been very impressed with what the Goldstone Grips offer.

Every little facet of these grips is super tactile. From the super deep knurled main pattern, through to the mega pronounced finger ribs, every texture can be clearly felt, and I’ve been surprised with what the large outer flanges bring to the party.

With all of that, the level of grip they provide is second to none. That’s down to the choice of the soft rubber throughout most of the grip. It’s pretty squishy, but when combined with the range of textures and patterns, there’s an abundance of traction to be had. They’re excellent without gloves, too, as the rubber itself is pretty tacky, so I’ve never felt the need to rub my hands in talcum-dirt before grabbing the bar.

The raised palm section won’t be to everyone’s tastes, but they are certainly within mine. They fill any negative space that would otherwise occur between the grip and hand, but again, because the rubber is so soft, these pads bring a tangible amount of vibration damping. They also allow the hand to rotate around the grip with front wheel impacts just a little bit.

What really surprised me was how useful the outer flanges really are. It’s no surprise that similarly shaped bar ends are finding themselves on the top-level DH race scene because they act as a small barrier that stops your hands from slipping off the end of the bar, not that it really happens. But they pose a secondary but more beneficial advantage by offering something to push and lean against when cornering. In the grand scheme of things, they’re small additions, but the extra security and performance they offer are serious benefits.

Again, these grips come with small details which, to me, make big differences. One of which is the location of the bolts on the locking collars. They face a lot more upwards than on many grips, which makes them so much more accessible. With them in the orientation that they are, you don’t need to thread an allen key through controls to get to them, nor do you have to loosen or remove anything just to get to them. Nice one, OneUp.

That said, adjusting them once on the bar isn’t easy. Because of the core cutout, there’s very soft rubber in direct contact with the bar, which creates an impressive amount of friction between the two. Installing them required a tap with a mallet to send them right home, and once in place, it’s nearly impossible to rotate the grip to the best spot. The grips can then be incredibly tough to remove. So make sure you’ve got everything lined up before you fully install them, and prepare yourself for a potential grip sacrifice if you’re looking to swap handlebars.

And as a large glove wearer, the Goldstone Grips are a smidgeon too slim for my liking. Although I have gotten on very well with them, an extra touch of thickness would simply provide a better fit for my tastes.

OneUp Components Goldstone Grips – Verdict

Coming in at £27.99 per set, the Goldstone Grips are priced really well, right on the money, in fact. Yes, there are cheaper alternatives around, but similar products are definitely spendier. A very similar competitor is Ergon’s GDH Team grips, which will set you back £34.99. They’re similar in design, but OneUp has achieved better comfort, traction and vibration damping. The GDH Team grips now come in multiple diameters, however.

Real favourites of mine are ODI’s Reflex grips, which cost £27.99. They’re fairly different in design, but they come in multiple thicknesses, so maybe OneUp should take heed here.

For thin grips, the OneUp Components Goldstone Grips do an excellent job of damping vibration while providing a hugely tactile feel. They’re rammed full of small details that really elevate their performance, and I’ve become a real fan of the outer flanges. However, they’re hard to adjust, and I would really like a thicker size available, just to fit my hands a little better.