STAR THERMOPLASTIC ALLOYS & RUBBERS, INC.
2635 South Wabash Avenue • Chicago, Illinois 60616
Tel: 312-225-7800 • Fax: 312-225-7810
E-mail: sales@starthermoplastics.com

CYCLISTS, MOTOR SPORTS ENTHUSIASTS DEMAND COMFORTABLE AND
CONSISTENT BAR GRIP FROM LEADING MANUFACTURER

Having a comfortable grip that absorbs shock and keeps your hands in place is something that most recreational 2-wheeled sports enthusiasts take for granted. But it's a different story when a professional grip sold under the name Rogue or Ruffian fails a BMX, dirt, mountain biker or motocross racer. The consequences could be quite serious to the rider, and devastating to the manufacturer's reputation, too.

That's why ODI Power Sport Grip Systems of Riverside, CA, a longtime leader in the bicycle industry grip business and a strong contender in the power sports market, has literally "grabbed on" to a single material choice for all their molded grips for the past 10 years. This manufacturer has exclusively used thermoplastic elastomers (TPEs) and specifically just the Overmold brand of TPEs sold by the STAR Thermoplastic Division of STAR Thermoplastic Rubbers & Alloys, Inc., headquartered in Chicago, IL. Interestingly, STAR's own roots go back to transportation, what with the huge, 4-story building where the firm manufactures their materials and compounds was once the home of a now defunct-automobile manufacturer.

Keeping a Handle on Things

By way of edification, ODI earned their reputation as one of the premier grip manufacturers in the country based on products that are always consistent, and offer state-of-the-art design (for non-slip hand grip, and adhering to handlebars without twisting or torqueing on the bars after installation). Plus, notes ODI's president, the rave industry reviews by leading enthusiast magazines "never hurt."

Continues David Grimes, the President of ODI, "One of the reason our firm's full line of grips gets rave reviews by the industry press is that we not only know how to incorporate special designs and "wear and tear" plus non-slip characteristics into our products, but we also know how to mold and manufacture them."

"After all, we started as custom molders and to this day custom mold all our own products (60% of them proprietary, 40% of them for other firms, with nearly 60% of our grip sales to firms outside the U.S.). And, since day one," notes Grimes, "we've remained with the same TPE producer - STAR in Chicago."

Why? Well, according to Grimes, an early issue that the company had with their grips was the problem of maintaining a consistent end product. Company officials recall that the TPE suppliers they were using could not supply a consistent quality material from order to order that offered the processability as well as the consistent feel and softness and tackiness needed to keep both the hands comfortable and the grips from rotating on the bars.

ODI personnel are quick to note that these features are what sells grips, because users are looking for a balance of soft, comfortable, slightly sticky yet easy-to-mount handlebar grips. his technical specification proved to be tough to meet, mostly due to imprecise TPE base materials. That is, until the company began exclusively using STAR TPEs, which process well because all the TPE grips are molded under the same roof with strict batch-to-batch materials specifications.

From Plastics Custom Molding to Grip Manufacturing and Sales

So how does a custom molding firm get into the highly competitive bike grip field? According to Grimes, the opportunity to buy ODI during the early 1990's when one of his other firms - Edge Plastics - had been molding products for ODI.

Enter Grimes and Edge, who purchased ODI and took with them a long and mutually beneficial relationship with Chicago-based STAR Thermoplastics. "Until we found STAR, our experience with thermoplastic elastomers, particularly in overmold applications, wasn't all that favorable - specs and molding problems were all over the place," recalls Grimes. "But that's not been the situation since and their product, and subsequently ours, have risen up and up the charts over the years. The 'feel' of the grips to bikers is paramount, and that's what we've built our reputation upon - the tackiness of the grip is something we strive for, and the 'feel' has become universal among riders everywhere."

Specifically, to manufacture the grips (ODI produces dozens of different types, sizes and colors), the firm buys the 12 Shore A Overflex TPE compounds in natural pellets by the gaylord, does its own coloring and then either molds the materials, or overmolds the TPE over glass-filled polypropylene. Edge Plastics, the parent company that does the actual molding, uses any number of their fifteen, 50 to 500 ton injection molding machines for this purpose. With new designs and colors paramount to keeping the ODI product line "fresh" and end-quality the key to the firm's success, extreme efforts are geared toward new and improved grip designs and careful in-house mold designs and construction. The company president notes that ODI is one of the only grip manufacturers whose grips don't require adhesives or welding either during the production process or for the grips to be safely installed on handlebars.

So, as ODI-sponsored racing teams, laden with their popular grips span the globe to participate in races, the popularity of the products continues. And loyalty of the industry to ODI grips continues, much as the grip manufacturer's loyalty to their suppliers.

STAR Thermoplastic Elastomers supplies TPEs to the appliance, automotive, construction, electrical, hardware, housewares, industrial, medical, packaging, sporting goods and manufacturing industries among others. STAR currently offers diverse product lines including specialty TPEs for medical and high clarity applications, fire retardant TPEs, high performance, super soft, and overmolding applications. The firm has extensive warehouse capabilities, and offers stock and JIT programs.