Product Review: Portland Design Works- Speed Metal Grips

Ok,  some time ago I mentioned that I had picked up a sweet pair of grips from this new company: Portland Design Works.  Well the verdict is in.  Speed Metal Grips Win!  On a scale of 1 to 4 these get all 4 devil horns!!!  Not only do they look super sexy on the whip they feel great and make me want to keep riding.  Some of the key features here are: locking metal cups (allen keys are supplied), replaceable rubber inserts, they come in a variety of colors (we know how important fashion is these days) and  probably my favorite feature… they are slightly larger than any other grip I have seen on the market.  While this might not be the best thing for those of you with hands like a little girl, you and your tiny little dick skinners can probably barley control your bars as is!

So, you may be asking how do they ride?  Well, I have put on a few miles with these grips in a couple of races over the last month or so and I love them.  One of the initial concerns brought up by Curved was whether or not the metal groove for the thumb and trigger finger would be comfortable.  I can tell you that it is.  When you’re screaming down hill and slamming into a turn, wrapping your fingers around the groove provides extra control and a comfortable point to add the pressure necessary to dodge trees and pop over roots and rocks.  The rubber inserts provide an ample about of cushion and a surprising amount of tackiness.  While I can never commit to wearing gloves all the time, the tack on these grips makes me never regret leaving the gloves in the car.  Even after wiping a handful of sweat off my face the rubber responded with good tack and the knobs made things dry up pretty quickly.  As I mentioned before, the size is slightly lager than other grips.  Making for a more comfortable ride by dampening trail impact and providing a larger surface area for your hand to wrap around.

So if your in the market for a new pair of grips and got $40 laying around snatch up a pair.  I know some of you might be saying $40 is a bit much, but the rubber inserts are replaceable and only cost $10.  You are going to get a life time of use out of the ALU lock rings. So STFU and buy some… Speed Metal Grips