Leatt ReaFlex 6.0 Grips

120g Regular 33/31mm (Pair) Black £25.99

The Leatt ReaFlex 6.0 Grips are rubber grips for your flat bars. Ideally suited to off-roading, with enhanced damping and grip. They have been a joy to use on mixed surface rides of any kind. Prime audience might well be MTB speedsters into technical riding, but there’s a lot to be said for investing in your hands and wrists whatever kind of riding you enjoy.

Pros: strong damping, excellent grip, easy to fit, secure.

Cons: not compatible with ski bar ends.

Specification

Available in four colours and two diameters (regular 33/31mm, thin 31/29mm), the core of the grips is made up of a layer of “non-newtonian” material. Blimey! What this actually means that their gel ReaFlex material reacts to increased pressure by becoming increasingly resistance: the more you stress it the more of the force is absorbed - I think that is it - this promises excellent damping.

The outer is a TPU covering which aims to provide a comfortable and tactile feel when gripping the grips. To enhance this further there are several ‘zones’. There’s the “central bump pad” for palm comfort and extra protection on big bumps. There are ribs in the thumb and fore-finger zone, and, a “half-waffle and triangular block” patterned zone, for added traction. Refinements do not stop there. The thickness of the material is greater toward the outside edge, tapering toward the inside edge.

The bar ends are reinforced, protecting against contact with whatever your bar ends may come into contact with. Fans of ski bar ends – and I understand that that is both personal and probably less likely to bother the core MTB fraternity – can look elsewhere or have a go at mutilation which may be easier said than done and I would not recommend.

Security of tenure comes courtesy of a 3mm Allen head bolt and a lock-ring or collar situated on the inside edge.

Contexts

Although the Leatt ReaFlex 6.0 Grips are ideal for serious, or even frivolous, MTB stuff, there’s a lot to be said for investing in good quality contact points full-stop. Most of my riding is mixed surface, but sometimes there are predominantly gravel and rough stuff days. Likewise, age seems to be provoking a greater incidence of numb thumb and unwanted wrist pain when hitting bigger bumps. That’s just me, but I won’t be alone, and you’ll understand that there are circumstances where grips like these may be more enticing than less refined ones. Thus, I stuck them on my son’s go-anywhere Pinnacle – currently in storage at my place – and headed for the forest tracks.

Fitting 4/5

Well, start off by selecting the best size, regular or thin. I don’t have particularly big hands and the regular suited me perfectly. I do not imagine that the thin size perform particularly differently to the regular.

Give the bars a clean, removing tacky grime left by previous inhabitants. The grips should slide on easily. If not, remember those time-honoured tips taught to you by your grandparents. Once on, secure the collar/lock-ring. 3Nm is the ideal torque, if you have a torque wrench. The grips are labelled L and R. Sticking to this makes installation a little easier.

Care and durability 3.5/5

Having reduced rubber grips to the point where the bars are nearly visible, new grips always feel good. How long these will last I have no idea. As ever it will depend on the mileage that you put in. Given my age and the reduced amount of moderate mountain biking I do these days they should see me out. Having said that, with moderate care – the odd wipe over and avoiding shredding the ends against masonry – they should last even the endurance rider many a mile. Well-made as they are, there’s no sign of splitting or fraying.

I have used a variety of bike cleaners on them, including Blub Bike Cleaner, GTechniq Bike Wash, and Rock ‘n’ Roll Miracle Red. No ill-effects from those, and none either from a wipe with a cloth soaked in the washing up liquid from the bowl before washing the dishes.

Grip and control 4/5

This has proven to be top-notch, with or without mitts, over forest tracks with added occasional tree-roots. Rattling over bumps and making sudden steering adjustments to avoid bigger ruts taken very much in the stride. I did a little experimentation with the grip patterns, just to see if the most obvious position – with the large flat pad uppermost – was actually the grippiest. Well, it was. Thumb and fingers were well catered for by the various other patterns. Now, I’ve never been the most technical of MTB riders, but taking these over some trails I’ve felt reassured by how firmly they are anchored to the bars and how strong the grip is. All those little adjustments in hand position and grip when cornering or switching weight have felt very secure. Of course, many good quality grips do this, and ultimately people will have personal preferences to profiles, grip patterns. Point is, in my case, these are a very good upgrade to more generic models that often find themselves onto that lovely looking machine in the shop.

Although effective in aiding the damping down the shock of hitting rough trail surfaces, these grips do not feel overly chunky, adding to the feeling of secure control. Morever, you do not need hands the size of baseball mitts to encompass them. Heavy showers did nothing to change that. In fact, rain or shine, the TPU covering had great ‘stickability’ – at least, for my hands and mitts.

Damping and vibration 4.25/5

With the caveat that shock absorbance and damping are not solely the function of grips or bar tape, performance in this area has been very good, too. Seven miles commuting along a canal towpath brings you into all sorts surfaces, but mine commute now has added drops and rough sections caused by on-going repair work. Perfect opportunity to distress my ulnars with an unusually fast ride to work. Things felt really good, and it is worth pointing out that I do tend towards the numb thumb and forefinger along that section. Heading out for longer, gravel-based trips has continued the theme of good-handling and happy hands. Of course, after forty miles or so, with lots of rough stuff, my hands started to feel a little tired, but the Leatt ReafFex 6 grips seems to delay that. You young folk may well find your hands feel happier for even longer. Even my son, home for a long weekend and cajoled into a mixed surface blast to a pub noticed the difference from the generic grips they’d replaced. He felt it was a distinct improvement all round – although, as a fan of ski bar ends he’ll probably cut the ends off, if he gets a chance.

Value 3.5/5

We can all find chap-as-chips grips, but you’ll not find the sophistication of the Leatt ReaFlex 6.0 without splashing a little cash. £25.99 dos not seem at all unreasonable. With some of the same features, the DMR Deathgrip isa bit cheaper and has a wider range of colours. Acquaintances feel it is not as tactile as the Leatt.

Gusset’s S2 Extra Soft bear a distinct visual similarity to our Leatt and are cheaper. However, I am told that their damping is not as good. Moreover, they only come in one size.

Around the same price are the Ergon GE1 EVO, and the ODI Reflex, both of which area tad pricier. The Ergon offer a lot of adaptability in terms of hand position and the ODI Reflex have enhanced damping. The latter is largely achieved by chunkiness, which may be great or a distinct disadvantage for those who do not have large hands.

All can be found discounted online, and that includes the Leatt ReaFlex 6.0.

Summary

Great grip patterns and material, cleverly designed to keep great damping with an easy hand hold, and easy to fit, there’s little not to like about the Leatt ReaFlex 6.0. No doubt great on he trails, but with relevance to anyone who rides mixed surfaces and wants a quality grip that combines comfort and functionality.

Verdict: 4/5 Impressive, with plenty to offer the general flat-bar bike rider.

Steve Dyster

https://leatt.com/int/

PUBLISHED JULY 2025

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