36. How To Replace Handlebar Grips
Learn how to easily remove handlebar grips and re-install them so they stay in place.
IMPORTANT: Nuts and bolts on your bike should always be tightened to the manufacturer's specifications.
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This week we’ll learn how to remove and install handlebar grips. For this job, you’ll need some replacement grips, a long, slim screwdriver or similar metal tool, a 5 or 6mm allen key to loosen your levers and shifters, some hairspray, and some WD-40 to loosen the old grips. While I don’t recommend using WD-40 as a lubricant anywhere on your bike, this is one of the few times where it works well.
Grip Removal
If you have bar-plugs you should remove these first. You’ll also likely have to loosen the brake and shift levers and slide them in toward the middle of the handlebar. This will give us room to slide our screwdriver into the end of the grip.
Once you’ve got the screwdriver inside the grip, insert the WD-40 tube and give it a squirt or two. It doesn’t take much get the grip loose enough so that you can easily wiggle it all the way off the end of the bar.
Before installing the new grips, make sure you wipe all off the bars first. If you’re reinstalling the old grips, make sure you let the grip air-dry for a few minutes first so the WD-40 you used to remove it has time to evaporate.
Grip Installation
Now spray a squirt or two of hairspray into the grip, and quickly work it onto the bar while the hairspray is still wet. It’ll dry sticky and keep your grips in place. Then move your brake and shift levers back to where they were and tighten them.
Recommended Books:
- Zinn & MTB
Mountain Bikes: Maintenance, repair, and troubleshooting. - Zinn & Road
Road Bikes: Maintenance, repair, and troubleshooting. - Sutherland's Manual
Sutherland's handbook for bicycle mechanics on CD-ROM. - Park Blue Book
Hundreds of photos and hundreds of procedures.
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25 Responses to “How To Replace Handlebar Grips”
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Great tutorial as always! I have a couple old spokes in my toolbox that I use instead of a screwdriver. Since the spoke is so thin I can slide it a long ways in on stubborn grips.
Hey, that’s a really great idea… thanks Rob!
Hairspray? Genius!
I use a spray bottle with soapy water instead of WD-40
Compressed air is another winner to get them off.
Any hints for how to get Bullhorn Handlebar grips on? I’ve used hairspray in the past on shorter grips, but there’s just too much grip to get on!
As Andreas suggested, for bullhorn bars the only effective way I’ve seen it to use compressed air. Your local bike shop might be able to help you do that if they have one, or check your closest auto repair shop.
Glass cleaner is an alternative instead of hairspray
I’m the guy who has no qualms about using WD-40 on bikes. But this is one place where it’s unnecessary. Same with hairspray.
Use rubbing alcohol for both applications. It will loosen grips. And it will allow new grips to slide on easily. It also evaporates quickly, leaving no residue behind.
I also use a spoke to slide under the grip. I just use water and I have a plastic syringe that I use to squirt the water in between the grip and bar.
To get new grips on I also use a little water. It evaporates soon and the grips are fine.
I find compressed air works really good for removing grips. Of course, this assumes you have an air compressor; if you do, you can slide the grips off the handlebars very easily by using the needle adaptor (used to inflate sport balls) to force air between the grip and the handlebar.
I wasted 15 minutes trying to get new grips onto my bike this morning (SO frustrating) before I found this site. Thank you to patstome – I didn’t have any hairspray (yes a girl with no hairspray) but used glass cleaner and it worked like a dream. Thank you!
Why are helmets so expensive? Just another excuse not to wear them.
I also use a spoke to slide under the grip.
This is awesome, I’ve always been annoyed with my right grip coming loose and almost falling off, now I have a great way to keep it on! Another great vid as expected!
Just use some shampoo or washing up liquid. Every home has some lying around. Once you lift the grip off the handle bar, just squirt some in and then gently work the grip off.
I fitted some cheap grips to a bike by leaving the new grips in hot (not boiling) water for ~5 minutes. They enlarged enough top slip on with some effort, but closed up once cooled down. Easy.
Same problem. What is the effective substance of the window cleaner that makes it work?
For those who want lots of practise, volunteer for your local Bike for Kids program. It generally refurbishes old bikes with a mix of new and slightly used parts (reclaimed from broken bikes).
I just used nippy wire cutters to cut the old ones off. If you really needed to put them back on because there was some problem with the new ones, you could wrap the old ones with tape, and then you don’t have to remove the shifters.
I tried hot water to get the new ones on, but — no luck. Hairspray was like grease – they slid right on.
One tip – the new ones are a bit stretchy, so you can get them to be the size of the old ones by stretching or compressing them. Also, check to make sure the design on them is straight and even – you only have about two minutes before the hairspray dries. Once the hairspray dries, you really aren’t going to be able to move them, so make sure the design doesn’t look all twisted before it dries.
Does anyone have any tips on removing vintage handlebar grips? They’re from a bicycle manufacture in 1973 and are made of very strong plastic. For reference, see this picture: http://www.flickr.com/photos/77448006@N00/4399013735/sizes/o/in/set-72157623328434020/
I will appreciate any help that you may offer. Thank you.
Hey Pedro,
The technique shown in the video above should work the same on those older grips… sometimes they come off even easier than softer rubber grips!
I used spit… did not work that well… but I got them on!
Thanks for you info – it help me a lot
Thanks so much – hairspray made it so easy!!
Highly recommend!