Sensus Launches the Emil Johansson Signature Grip - The Em J - Mountain Bike Press Release

After two years of testing and development, we couldn’t be prouder to introduce our latest rider signature grip: The Em.J. We worked closely with Emil Johansson to create his dream grip with a focus on durability, comfort, and function. The name pays homage to the greatest basketball player of all time: Michael Jordan. MJ’s talent and progressive mindset continues to inspire people from all walks of life today. Although “Em J” started as a fun nickname for Emil, it quickly became a meaningful resemblance. Emil’s unique take on competing has made him an outlier in a field of remarkable athletes and the clear leader for the future of Slopestyle. We are ecstatic to support him throughout his coming decades of dominance.

To start, the grip needed to be comfortable enough to ride all day, while still maintaining the support required to stomp heavy landings. Watching Emil ride for hours on end, day after day, we knew we had our work cut out. After multiple iterations, we achieved this feel through inverting our Crush pattern found on our beloved Swayze. The tighter gaps and thicker waves create a more dense feel in the hand while keeping the rubber extra soft for small bump damping.

Since we believe every rider’s cockpit should be custom to them, we’ve added some dual purpose cut lines on the exterior of the grip. Riders can easily shorten their grips to match their riding style and hand placement. When left at full length, the stripes provide extra cushion for bar spins and large impacts. This makes the Em.J an ideal grip for Dirt Jumpers or Freeriders, while also providing plush support for DH riding. When trimmed to the shortest length, the Em.J then becomes our lightest grip. This is ideal for an XC rider looking to save weight and reduce small bump vibrations. They will not only outlast a foam grip through rider wear, but also withstand crashing impacts. For riders wanting an outer flange, the Em-J can easily be flipped to accommodate.

Even though these grips were born in Slopestyle, they have blown us away when applied to other disciplines of riding, such as Enduro/ All Mountain Riding. The slightly larger 32mm diameter has been the Goldilocks for our non Meaty Pawed riders. An increase in diameter coupled with the lack of inner plastic sleeve found in Lock-On’s, makes for a softer ride on the hands. We’ve found the increased rubber between your palms and the bar is unparalleled when spending hours in the saddle. The EM.J’s have quickly become a team rider favorite for all bikes and disciplines.

We took this opportunity to update our End Plugs as well. We started by doubling the width for added impact strength. We also added a chamfered edge to reduce their likelihood of catching on a rider while chucking the bars. These updates once again proved to be useful beyond the skatepark and Slopestyle course. They deflect trees much better than the OG plugs and increase in-hand comfort as the grip wears.

To combat the classic single-ply issue of rotation on the bar, we have reduced the inner diameter. This allows for a tighter fit that combats rotational torque. If you’ve seen how many bar spins Emil throws, and the long hours he spends on his bike every day, you know these grips have been put to the ultimate test!

In addition, we are also proud to announce that this is our most eco-friendly grip yet. While our entire line of grips are produced in America to reduce our transportation footprint, the Em.J’s take it one step further. They feature a 100% recycled packaging hanger and responsibly sourced header card. These are just some of our first steps as we push for a greener future for Sensus and the entire MTB industry.