Badzilla

Spray it on, the grips slide on. Wait 20 minutes and they are stuck in place. Then use water when you want to remove them. Anybody else hear that advice? Anybody else try it? Other suggestions are okay with me.

Thanks.

katsup

I use hairspray all the time to keep grips secure. Sometimes it takes longer than 20 minutes, depending how much you use.

To remove I use dish soap, haven't tried just water.

coffeesnob

nice tip thanks

Kapusta

Heard it, and done it many times. It works really well.

As far as "other suggestions".... I mostly use lock-on grips these days.

pickettt

Compressed air

OldTryGuy

Yes if available but even more basic is blowing warm - moist breathe into grip and quickly slam-bam on. Depending on size of course.

speedevil 

Using hairspray is pretty common when installing the left grip onto the bars on motorcycles, and the right grip onto the throttle tube. I've used rubbing alcohol for installing mtb grips and it works well and is a little less messy.

You can also use double-sided tape and solvent, just like is used to install grips onto golf clubs. You have to cut them off so it's a one-time install that way. Once the solvent evaporates, they're on to stay.

Flip Flop Rider

use it, works

Paul Barnard

I have never needed anything other than rubbing alcohol. When it dries the grips are secure in place.

Vintage Schwinn

I want to add to what SPEEDEVIL said about golf grip tape (it is a double sided masking tape, you then peel away the outer covering....SQUIRT Lighter Fluid on the tape to activate-liquify-moisten the glue into the contact cement it becomes after it begins to set).
YOU CAN REMOVE GOLF GRIPS AND BICYCLE GRIPS THAT WERE INSTALLED using the golf grip tape Method , BUT IT INVOLVES INJECTING Ronson Lighter Fluid With a Syringe and Needle into/underneath the GRIP to Saturate the "contact cement" WHILE AT THE SAME TIME TWISTING AND MASSAGING the GRIP loose. YOU WILL IMMEDIATELY FEEL THE GRIP LOOSENING ITS BOND, ONCE YOU'VE INJECTED ENOUGH Lighter Fluid UNDERNEATH IT. This Method is only reasonable IF THE GRIP IS IN NEAR PERFECT CONDITION and YOU WISH TO SAVE IT AND RE-USE IT.
Grips are inexpensive, so why bother, unless its rare or you just must save it for whatever reason.
The Golf-grip tape method of affixing a handlebar grip is the most secure in my opinion. Contact/rubber cement will do about the same but it is messier than cleaning a cat's litterbox after three days away. Old school hairsprays like Aqua-net, Final-net and any of the Hurricane/Tornado proof hold hairsprays will do very well too.
For the Ancient molded grips, e.g. seen on old Schwinns like Collegiates, Sububurbans, Breeze, Speedster.....anything with the NorthRoad bars Schwinn was famous for, I'll use golf grip tape and lighter fluid IF I'VE DETERMINED WHERE I WANT THE GRIPS TO "point to" as in exact placement and then after a few hours dry time, although I generally leave it untouched at least overnight, just as I would do with a 3 wood or Driver.
Hairspray works okay but here in the hot hot South, these old chrome Schwinn handle bars get warmed up enough by the SUN to sometimes allow someone who is twisting really firmly or pulling on the grips while riding to let them change position very slightly.
You can buy a roll of 1/2 wide or 3/8 wide golf grip tape for about $8 or less from several various golf repair/equipment suppliers with Ebay listings, but you definitely do not need a roll of 40 yards of $8 golf grip tape. If you visit a place or a person who re-grips golf clubs, he/she would likely give you more than enough to do the handle bar grips on a bike for next to nothing, I would think, or perhaps free if you knew them already. Remember though, you'll need lighter fluid, or if you're living dangerously, you could use a little bit of gas from your lawnmower gas can......BUT DO IT OUTSIDE, whether lighter fluid or from lawnmower fill can, and away from pets and flames/sparks.

noglider 

I've never needed anything but water. Hairspray dries more quickly, but I don't mind waiting longer.

Dr.Lou

Another happy, long-time hair spray user! I just used it for installing the little rubber covers on my MTB brake levers. I shared the trick with a young bike mechanic here in Manila. He was surprised at how well it worked.

cyccommute 

I use it all the time and just emptied a pump spray bottle of White Rain that I bought in the 80s. I have another one that my kids will inherit.

To get the grips off, slide a spoke under the grip, pull it up wards slightly and spray water or alcohol under the grip. It slides right off. I do this dozens of times per month at my local co-op. I prefer alcohol because it evaporates a little quicker.

Flip Flop Rider

those things might be frozen on up there

wolfchild

I use lock-on grips on all my bikes and would never use anything else. IME slide on grips eventually loosen up and start moving around... Lock-on grips stay tight no matter what.

Stormsedge

Hair spray...yup, and I use it to help secure the turbo boots on my pickup.

Darth Lefty 

This is much easier with grips than tape

insideimoutside

Hairspray or WD40 will work. I used to put all my BMX/DJ grips on this way when I was a kid. Works great.

MikeyMK

Same, but they can be quite challenging for those using drop bars.

Ogsarg

I've used it on motorcycles but never felt the need on a bike as I've never had a problem with grips being loose. I actually used dish washing liquid to put some new grips on a bike I was fixing up for someone. Loose as heck for a couple of days till it dried up but you couldn't budge them now.

Badzilla

Tried it recently, seems to be working well.
I suppose dousing it with water allows easy removal, too.

rogerm3d

Everyone always mentioned hairspray but I never tried it (why would I have hairspray in the shop). WD40 doesn't sound like something would work. Windex was always my go to; spray it in the grips and slide them on, slide a spoke in and spray some in and slide the old grips off.

Melvang

I have been doing the same since the late 1990's.

Dr.Lou

Another fan of hairspray for that and similar tasks. It has never failed to work. Never had to look for alternatives.

ted_major

To put grips on with, of course. 😎

We used White Rain in the shop where I used to work, and that’s what I still use. Compared to the amount necessary to keep a beehive hairdo in place, grips use almost nothing, so a can lasts practically forever.