Truvativ Descendant mountain bike grips review

Truvativ’s Descendant grips are well-damped and consistently grippy in all weather.

While the horizontal mushroom pattern gives a cushy feel to the grips, some riders won’t like how this can move beneath the hand, causing rotational movement.

The ridge pattern spans the length of the grip, with the top section starting with straight lines that slowly evolve into a mountain range when your fingers make contact.

A relatively thin single clamp features on the inside of the grip which is used to secure the grip to the handlebar.

The Descendant features a tapered design that nestles up to the single clamp and remains a consistent diameter of 32mm to the end of the bar.

A hard plastic cap is incorporated into the end of the grip.

The Truvativ Descendant mountain bike grips measure 133mm and weigh 102g on our scales.

Truvativ Descendant Grip performance

The Descendant grips are easy to install, with the single inside clamp bolt positioned out of the way of brake levers and gear shifters.

A 2.5mm Allen key is used to tighten the bolt, which allows the clamp to be smaller than other grip clamps that use 3mm Allen keys.

This smaller grip clamp was perfectly secure, with no movement detected even in wet weather.

Smaller bolts can sometimes be easier to round out when swapping the grips over, but I found no issues attaching and removing the Descendants.

I also found it shortened the reach from the rubberised part of the grip to my gear shifter and dropper lever which may be handy for smaller riders.

The horizontal mushroom design is very grippy, crumpling under the hand as you grip tightly and giving you plenty to hold onto.

One characteristic of this design is hand rotation. The mushroom ribbing isn't that solid which leads to the individual ribs folding over, allowing some (and we’re talking about a small amount, here) rotational hand moving.

While I was initially wary of this, I soon found it quite comfortable with the movement being minimal and predictable when barehanded. But the added layer of a mountain bike glove did accentuate the rotation further.

The structure does a good job of damping the trail below, and the mountain range portion of the grip provides plenty of traction at your fingertips.

I like the straight boxy end of the Descendant grips, as they allow you to overhang your hand without interference.

Truvative Descendant Grip bottom line

The Truvative Descendant Grip provides high levels of grip even in the bleakest conditions.

While the horizontal mushroom grip pattern won’t suit everyone, if you embrace the small amount of hand rotation it provides good cushioning and feedback through the bars.