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"Spirgrips+" Promises to do Away with Wrist and Back Fatigue in Bikers

Personally, I feel biking is one of the best alternatives to inner-city travel. Both for its emissions-free functionality, but also for its health benefits. But that’s not to say there are no risks.
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Photo: Spirgrips
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Aside from the usual cars and other heavy traffic, biking does pose some problems for the human body. From possible ligament damage, to the usual sore butt, and even enflamed extremities, biking can cause a decent amount of damage if done improperly. Sadly enough, most of us do bike incorrectly.

If you’ve ever ridden a bike for more than 20 miles (32k) in one day, you know what happens. Aside from a sore butt, a few other things will definitely ache. One of the most affected areas on the body while taking long rides, be it on a professional level or just a Saturday cruise, are the wrists.

Most of us just hold onto those handlebars in any position possible. If you often downhill it, then you’ve probably gotten to the bottom and couldn’t get your hands off the bars. That has a lot to do with your tendons. That is a happy case of wrist damage.

Imagine, however, that you’re a professional bicyclist. You ride and ride and ride. No suspension means that your arms take all the dips, bumps, and vibrations your journey throws at you. You know damn well the fatigue and bruising your wrists take after riding for 100K or 62 miles, especially when there is a lack in front suspension.

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Photo: Spirgrips
This fatigue is simply due to incorrect positioning of your hands on the handlebars. Not because we’re incompetent or anything like that, but because bicycle design simply doesn’t offer the necessary support to alleviate wrist damage. A couple handlebar styles do allow for less strain on the wrists, but those types of bars are reserved for long-distance biking and very often inaccessible to us layman.

Now, if you’ve had a look at the cover photo, you probably didn’t notice much of anything in the shot. That’s because most of the component is covered by the rider's hands. But don’t worry there’s a way for you to see what we’re talking about here, just have a look at the gallery and the video below, and then just get out your credit card as I did.

Folks what we’re talking about here is simply a solution to wrist strain while riding a bicycle, no matter the level of riding you practice. Those little grey and black handles the models are holding are the key to this lack of pain and inflammation.

They’re called the Spirgrips+ and are just a couple of add-on handles you place on your already existing handlebars. But why would I spend near $60 (50 euro) on a piece of plastic, pardon me, polymer? Because this piece of plastic has been developed and designed over the past 11 years. And it’s the kind of design that didn’t just happen in somebody’s basement. No. It’s one that has been developed using specially designed labs to test the strains on a bicycle rider’s body.

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Photo: Spirgrips
So what do they do? Well, they just position your hands in such a way as to keep your wrist straight and your elbow in the perfectly flexed position. Most riders are often seen with a downward bending wrist while riding, which puts a strain on the carpal tunnel and bones, leading to enflamed and even locked tendons, similar to the damage done while typing incorrectly or playing a musical instrument with bad posture, but on a higher level.

Listen, or rather read, I'm not gonna sit here and tell you why these little miracle workers are the next best thing to hit bicycling since ever, especially at this price, so have a look at the video and gallery, if you haven’t already, and just go for it.

And, oh yeah, there’s a carbon fiber model for you too, just a tad more expensive though. But the Earlybird is going on right now on IndieGoGo, and you can grab a pair of the carbon Spirgrips+ for a bit over $75  (65 Euro).
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About the author: Cristian Curmei
Cristian Curmei profile photo

A bit of a nomad at heart (being born in Europe and raised in several places in the USA), Cristian is enamored with travel trailers, campers and bikes. He also tests and writes about urban means of transportation like scooters, mopeds and e-bikes (when he's not busy hosting our video stories and guides).
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