I’m obsessed with trying new mountain bike grips. No matter how many reviews or grip roundups I’ve written, there’s always another set that grabs my attention. The Trail One Hell’s Gate grips are on my trail bike at the moment, and it feels like they’re a mash-up of my all-time favorites.
Trail One Hell’s Gate grips key specs
- Single lock-on grip with 32mm outer diameter
- Weight: 128.3g (pair)
- Price: $27
- Buy from Trail One Components
Starting with installation, the Hell’s Gate grips use a single lock ring to attach to the bar, and there’s no end cap. I prefer this style of single lock-on grip for simplicity’s sake, and I’ve yet to have a grip twist or get loose. Trail One says their grips feature a tapered core that’s slightly narrower at the capped end for a bit of extra insurance. As a result, I needed to bang the grips with my fist to slide them along the last inch and into place. On the trail I found they didn’t twist at all.
It’s important to orient the Hell’s Gate grips properly to get the most out of them, and I found this step confusing. Initially, I set my grips according to the photos provided on the Trail One website, and they felt awkward. I ultimately found a much better hand fit and feel with the grips rotated forward by about 70° as you can see in the photo above, right.
The Trail One Hell’s Gate grips feature a partial flange that disappears at the thumb, allowing for easy access to shifter and dropper controls. Personally, I never understood fully flanged mountain bike grips; the flange feels like it’s in the way every time I shift or drop my post. Now that I’ve seen the Trail One grips and the similarly flanged ODI Elite Pros, I’m going to trim all my full-flange grips down to size.
Adjacent to the flange there’s a section of mushroom-cap grip that feels good on the dorsal interosseous muscle AKA purlicue. (TIL that’s what the spot between your thumb and index finger is called.)
Next, the grip transitions into a diamond-patterned section punctuated with raised palm pads on the top and finger bars on the bottom, similar to DMR Deathgrips. The palm pads remind me of my beloved chunky Oury grips, and the Hell’s Gate grips soak up trail vibrations similarly.
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I prefer to ride without gloves whenever possible and overall, the Trail One Hell’s Gate grips have proven to work well when riding gloveless. The thicker, 32mm diameter provides an extra bit of surface area and the rubber compound is decently sticky with sweaty hands. The rubber isn’t quite as sticky as my Oury grips, but it’s better than most I’ve tested. The diamond pattern can feel a little prickly without gloves, though the raised palm pads and finger bars provide some relief.
For riders with smaller hands, or those who prefer to ride with gloves, the Trail One Farlow Gap grip offers a similar feature set with a smaller outer diameter, and minus the flange and mushroom cap pattern.
Trail One Components promises to donate $1 from every pair of Hell’s Gate grips sold to Kijabe Mountain Biking in Kenya. The grips are available in eight colors, including the orange version shown here.
Pros and cons of Trail One Hell’s Gate grips
Pros
- Single-clamp grip is easy to install
- Sticky rubber and high-friction pattern performs well
- Comfortably absorbs trail chatter and feels good even without gloves
Cons
- Can be tricky to balance the right orientation for your controls, hand size, and ride stance
- Heavier than the average lock-on grip
Bottom line
The Trail One Hell’s Gate grips combine many of the best mountain bike grip features into a comfortable and easy-to-install package that works well with or without gloves.
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