Trail One Hell's Gate Grips: Rider Review

Before I dive too deeply into this review, I fully recognize that mountain bike grips are totally a personal preference. But maybe you have bigger hands like me, so you can relate to the up and down grip experiences I’ve had in the past.

I’ll come right out and say up front that I really like the Hell’s Gate grips from Trail One Components. Like I said, my hands are on the bigger side. They aren’t monstrosities, but I usually buy XL sized gloves, for context. The reason my biggish hands and the Hell’s Gate grips get along so well is that these grips have an ever so slightly thicker diameter than most of the grips I have used in the past. This isn’t to say that other grips are uncomfortable, but after putting some mileage on the Trail One Hell’s Gates Grips and then trying a different grip, I realized just how much more comfortable the slightly thicker grips are. Of course, the diameter isn’t the only thing that helps make these more comfy.

A good technical grip, in my opinion, doesn’t need to have wild feats of engineering in order to provide comfort and grip. The Hell’s Gates have a handful (pun intended) of key features that contribute to its comfort and stickiness. First of all, there are ridges that run parallel to the bottom side of the grip so that the ends of your fingers have a little extra traction to grab on to. If you’ve ever tried something like the ODI Elite Pros, you’ll know the feeling of having the ridges that your finger tips can hook on to. It’s awesome for that extra little bit of confidence. 

The next two features that I really like on these grips are the palm pads and both ends with the extra rubber. The palm pads are a nice little cushion that take away just a little bit of harshness or vibration when the trail gets rough. They don’t seem like much, but they are just noticeable enough to like them. The extra rubber at both ends of the grips serve a couple of purposes. On the outside end, there is a raised cushion that indicates to you where the end of the grip is and it does a great job of keeping your hand from sliding off the end. The inside end of the grip has a really interesting pattern of raised rubber that kind of swirls around the circumference of the grip. It’s very soft and squishy under your hand. Not only does it let you know where your hand sits, it’s also very comfortable to hold on to, especially on those soul-crushing climbs that require just a little extra pulling on your bars.

Those are the features of the Trail One Hell’s Gate grips that I like the most, but there are a few other things that round them out. They have a single locking clamp with the name laser engraved as a nice touch. They also have a tapered core which, along with the single clamp, helps them stay put. Despite repeated efforts of unskilled mountain biking and hard landings, I haven’t been able to get these things to twist. The overall pattern of the grip is a classic knurled pattern that provides great traction. And as far as durability goes, I would classify the Hell’s Gates as more than enough to feel like you’re getting your money’s worth. They aren’t the longest lasting grips I’ve ever used, but they’re infinitely more grippy than ones that never wear down. For the amount of time I’ve put on these, they’ve held up very well.

Overall, I absolutely love the Hell’s Gate grips by Trail One Components. They provide great traction, are more comfortable for my slightly larger hands thanks to the larger diameter, and best of all, they support a great cause. Every purchase means that $1 goes to the Hell’s Gate National Park in Kenya. I’ve never been there before, but it’s still always awesome to help trails anywhere in the world.