# How to remove handlebar grips



## edesros168 (Aug 21, 2007)

Hey all how do you get those handlebar grips off the standard bars. I am upgrading my Trek's bar/stem and need to remove the rubber grips without damaging anything?? Any ideas


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## kapusta (Jan 17, 2004)

edesros168 said:


> Hey all how do you get those handlebar grips off the standard bars. I am upgrading my Trek's bar/stem and need to remove the rubber grips without damaging anything?? Any ideas


I sometime squirt a little water under the grips. It takes some twisting, but eventually the water gets down in there and they slide off. Even better, if you have an air compressor you can shoot air under the grips.

I got lock-ons because I hated dealing with grips.


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## af22 (Sep 3, 2007)

i use silicon spray. works awesome! it also evaporates really fast so it doesn't leave anything lubed up. safe on rubber and metal. i use the straw extender and stick it in the grip to spray it. grips come right off.


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## jerr6822 (Sep 26, 2007)

I pull the edge back and pour alcohol down in it. Keep pulling the edges around the bar back and they'll twist and slide right off. When you put new grips on, spray the inside of them with cheap aerosol hairspray. They'll slide right on and when it dries, your grips won't budge.


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## ducktape (May 21, 2007)

Whatever you have available to lift the grip up (like a sqewer you may use in the kitchen to check if roast meat / cakes are done, just put some tape on to prevent scratching your bar) and squirt water in therey. I have used soapy water & also isopropyl alcohol in the past, and wd40 as well.

If you're running Oury grips (soft rubber) I've found that water is best particularly if you want them to stay put after you re-install them. Dual compound type grips it probably doesn't matter as much.


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## ducktape (May 21, 2007)

Sorry double post


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## SHIVER ME TIMBERS (Jan 12, 2004)

a blst of air from an air compressor gets them off fast...it is kind of like a hoovercraft style.....on and off easy


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## DM-SC (Jan 12, 2004)

jerr6822 said:


> I pull the edge back and pour alcohol down in it. Keep pulling the edges around the bar back and they'll twist and slide right off. When you put new grips on, spray the inside of them with cheap aerosol hairspray. They'll slide right on and when it dries, your grips won't budge.


I use the cheap hair spray to remove the grips IF I'm going to be reusing them. That way, I don't have to both with cleaning the inside before putting them back on. :thumbsup:


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## Duckman (Jan 12, 2004)

+1. Lift the edge of the grip..point a blow tip toward it..go pick the grip off the floor. Presto. Do the same process to replace it. Takes 10 seconds and no fluids, tools, grunting, etc needed, regardless of what grip style one uses.


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## kapusta (Jan 17, 2004)

Duckman said:


> +1. Lift the edge of the grip..point a *blow tip* toward it..go pick the grip off the floor. Presto. Do the same process to replace it. Takes 10 seconds and _*no*_ fluids, *tools*, grunting, etc needed, regardless of what grip style one uses.


Uh..............?


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## Duckman (Jan 12, 2004)

Well, no screwdrivers or razors, etc. Guess your right tho..


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## kapusta (Jan 17, 2004)

Duckman said:


> Well, no screwdrivers or razors, etc. Guess your right tho..


I got your point

If you do have a compressor is it is incredibly easy.


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## Jwind (Mar 1, 2006)

wd-40 works great... But this is kinda lat in antiquity now that almost everyone uses lockons.


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## kuksul08 (Oct 8, 2006)

Sit in a chair and put your right foot on the headtube, the other foot on the top tube.

Use both hands and put all 8 fingers around the inside of the grip and pull, it will start to fold and create an air pocket eventually popping off


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## carbuncle (Dec 9, 2005)

Razor blade: cut grips down to bar lengthwise, remove and throw in trash. Replace with lock-ons to suit your riding style and hand shape. Forever after feel the ease and simplicity of simply loosening two bolts and removing your grips when you need to shift cockpit bits around.


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## wormvine (Oct 27, 2005)

I use an air compressor too but I pressurize the handlebar from the opposite grip. 
Most grips have a small hole on the end. Put your air nozzle on the hole, squeeze off a jet of air and watch the other grip shoot off. It helps to have a second set of hands. 
To remove the other grip place the air nozzle in the bar end where you just removed the first grip. Seal the hole a bit with your hand and use the air burst to remove the 2nd grip.

To reinstall non-locking grips repeat procedure but slide grips on instead of off. No mess, no fuss! Easy to readjust.


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## Gary H (Dec 16, 2006)

Oury lock ons=152 grams.
Regular Oury's=98 grams.

And they are cheaper.


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## Too Rass Goat (Sep 16, 2005)

Wow, that 2 oz. explains why I had so much trouble getting up hills after switching to lock ons.


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## Steve Austin (Apr 10, 2005)

soapy water to get em off
wd40 to get em on and make em stick


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## Jwind (Mar 1, 2006)

Gary H said:


> Oury lock ons=152 grams.
> Regular Oury's=98 grams.
> 
> And they are cheaper.


And they move around!


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## JCturboT (Oct 18, 2007)

Duckman said:


> +1. Lift the edge of the grip..point a blow tip toward it..go pick the grip off the floor. Presto. Do the same process to replace it. Takes 10 seconds and no fluids, tools, grunting, etc needed, regardless of what grip style one uses.


Works great!

I tried it this past week on a friends new bike and had two grips removed and installed in less than a minute.

Thanks for the tip.

Jeff


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## Random Drivel (Oct 20, 2006)

Hacksaw?


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## ducktape (May 21, 2007)

Used Ourys (regular) do make quite a good chainstay protector though...


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## tedstriker (Jul 26, 2007)

wormvine said:


> I use an air compressor too but I pressurize the handlebar from the opposite grip.
> Most grips have a small hole on the end. Put your air nozzle on the hole, squeeze off a jet of air and watch the other grip shoot off. It helps to have a second set of hands.
> To remove the other grip place the air nozzle in the bar end where you just removed the first grip. Seal the hole a bit with your hand and use the air burst to remove the 2nd grip.
> 
> To reinstall non-locking grips repeat procedure but slide grips on instead of off. No mess, no fuss! Easy to readjust.


I agree. This is the best way.


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## CrAzYbIkEr on a jack2 (Sep 26, 2007)

scissors:thumbsup:


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## ryball (May 14, 2007)

Okay, if you don't have a compressor, here is the absolute best method:

Get four medium sized zip ties and slip them between the grip and the bar on the in-board side of the grip evenly spaced - 12, 3, 6, and 9 o'clock. They only need to go about halfway down the grip. Twist the grip like a throttle while pushing it out-board and they should come off very easily. Should only take a couple of seconds per side, and no mess to clean up.


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## DavidBR (Jun 22, 2011)

ryball said:


> Okay, if you don't have a compressor, here is the absolute best method:
> 
> Get four medium sized zip ties and slip them between the grip and the bar on the in-board side of the grip evenly spaced - 12, 3, 6, and 9 o'clock. They only need to go about halfway down the grip. Twist the grip like a throttle while pushing it out-board and they should come off very easily. Should only take a couple of seconds per side, and no mess to clean up.


 :thumbsup:

I literally just reg for this forum to say THANKS! It worked!!! :thumbsup:
I will add my two cents lol,
1. The wider, the more rigid the zip ties, the better...
2. When the pushing gets tight, use a pair of vice grips, locking on at about 3/8 inch away from the grip and advancing, releasing, repeating.
Because of the use of the vice grips, I choose to do it from the outward side to avoid any vice grip/ shifter interaction. Once I managed to get the grip an inch or so away from the shifter, I put two more ties in from the inward side without needing to use the vice grips and tada, done!

I am pretty particular, not a scratch from this process!


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## Gary H (Dec 16, 2006)

I hope the OP got his off after 4 years.


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## HillCountryRider (Jun 11, 2011)

Old m/c trick in putting grips on is seay the inside w hairspray. Grips slide right on and when the hairspray dries they stay put. I always cut off old grips.


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## vvv850 (Jun 23, 2011)

I used a seringe with a needle and some soapy water.


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## Dion (Oct 22, 2009)

vvv850 said:


> I used a seringe with a needle and some soapy water.


This method is called "Grip Botox".


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## The_Mick (Jul 10, 2011)

I've only been cycling as an adult since May and just put new Ergon GP1's on my bike Friday, so I'm no expert but this method I found on the internet worked ok:
1) loosen whatever brake/shifter stuff is up against the grips and slide them toward the middle of the handlebar to get them out of the way.
2) carefully slid a long, thin, flat screwdriver under the grip for most of the grip's length the (better done from the handlebar end if the grip has removable plugs).
3) Spray or drip any kind of oil (cooking, WD-40, 3-in-1, etc.) or rubbing alcohol or hairspray along the screwdriver and begin to twist the grip back and forth until you feel it begin to give. If it doesn't, use more oil and/or more the screwdriver deeper into the grip.
4) When the grip begins to give, remove the screwdriver and twist the grip off.
5) Use a cleaner to get the oil or alcohol or hairspray off the handlebar and from inside the removed grips.
6) If the new grips are self-clinging, preferably spray hairspray on the handlebar as the hairspray will become sticky and hold the new grips in place.

In my hands, I scraped the handlebar under the grips with the screwdriver a little bit, but since it's covered by the new grips it's no big deal.


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## satisfied (Apr 3, 2012)

*Brilliant*



wormvine said:


> I use an air compressor too but I pressurize the handlebar from the opposite grip.
> Most grips have a small hole on the end. Put your air nozzle on the hole, squeeze off a jet of air and watch the other grip shoot off. It helps to have a second set of hands.
> To remove the other grip place the air nozzle in the bar end where you just removed the first grip. Seal the hole a bit with your hand and use the air burst to remove the 2nd grip


Thanks, posting so others will know that the mechanical procedures are not that good but this pneumatic approach is unbelievable!!!

I have an alternate approach for removing second grip. Slid the first grip (the one that is now on the floor) back on the bar about an inch or two, then use it to seal the bar.

I just used a battery powered low pressure compressor and it removed the grips in less than 5 seconds each. Thank you!!!

Hg


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## Blurr (Dec 7, 2009)

SHIVER ME TIMBERS said:


> a blst of air from an air compressor gets them off fast...it is kind of like a hoovercraft style.....on and off easy


^^ This, mind blowing easy actually.


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