ODI has several models under its F-1 Grip Series line including ODI F-1 Dread Lock, a signature model developed with the aid of Tinker Juarez.

>>> Best mountain bike grips 2019

If you don’t know who this is he’s one of the legends of the sport, an XC World Cup and Marathon racer with a penchant for dreadlocks, hence the name.

The Drealock V2.1 uses ODI’s new A.I.R.E compound which is basically a foam compound. It’s light obviously but ODI claims it’s slightly hardwearing that normal foam so you won’t bust through it after just one ride. The foam is bonded to a plastic core and it’s secured by a single low-profile collar. The grip material is also offset, which means there’s more material on the face up side where you palm rests and there’s also some cut-aways directly under the palm, meaning there’s more padding in this area. A contoured surface also improves comfort on longer rides and ergonomic finger cut-outs underneath apparently increase traction in testing conditions. The grip is a closed design and features soft TPE moulded ends caps.

At 32mm in diameter the Dreadlock feels a little bulky but ODO says the foam compresses more than regular rubber so it actual feels thinner when you’re riding. The problem with than is you don’t actually gripping hard all the time, in fact most skills coaches will tell you to ride with loose hands because that reduces upper body tension. The grip has a slightly taper and it felt really big in the hand if I rode with my hands over the ends of the grip.

The Dread Lock is top quality grip but for me it just doesn’t feel like a high-performance grip and that’s really down to the size. It is comfortable, so I can imagine it would be a great for long distance rides where you rest your hands on the grip rather than death-gripping them but for trail riding there are much better grips in the ODI range.