Introduction
Several people have asked me about the new heated grips I got for my fat bike, so after my first 2 rides, here are my impressions...
First off, why heated grips? They're certainly not cheap! Click on the image below since it's linked to the set I got from AME.
My hands and fingers apparently don't get a normal amount of circulation as they are always cold, like even on a 80º day, they can be cold (don't get me started on feet/toes, that's a topic for another post). Last week when I was riding in single digits, my digits were downright painful. Keep in mind I was using pogies and the warmest/thickest riding gloves that I could find. I even put Hot Hand brand hand warmers inside the gloves - that simply wasn't enough warmth (and rarely is enough on days under 20º).
As I've been getting older, it has seemed to get worse each year. I have just been riding through the pain as the riding has been well worth it.
About 2 weeks ago, my wife asked me if there were such things as heated grips - I told her "maybe for eBikes, but nothing I've seen" and didn't even Google it. Two days later (I kid you not), Zach Chaitlan (owner of Bikers Edge) posted about his first ride with these heated grips!
The First Two Rides
Zach was kind enough to bring his bike with heated grips into his shop for me to check out and take a spin around the parking lot. Yikes, what a difference! I ordered a set from him on the spot and installed them as soon as they came in.
Two rides in, here are my impressions:
The thick winter gloves I have are too thick as the heat doesn't get through enough, so I've been riding on these heated grips with my mid-weight shoulder season gloves (which are more than adequate).
The grips have a heat setting range of 1-9. I started at 5 on a 18º morning and it was way too hot. 3 was just right. I planned on a long ride the first day and put it on 2 which still worked out well. After 3 hours I still had battery life left.
Ride number two was a little over 2 hours long and much colder (started about 5º with sun and no wind). On this ride, they stayed on setting 4 (of 9) and the battery died shortly after 2 hours.
Based on Google reviews, I expected battery life of 1.5-2 hours on a setting of 5. So my experience so far lines up well with this.
For most "normal" people, even in single digits, settings of 1-2 may be just enough to take the chill off your hands. Many people who would like to ride with summer gloves and pogies I bet could do so with this grips at settings of 1-2 even on those super cold days.
For me, even on the really cold days, if I kill the battery after 2 hours, I'll be fine. By that time, the temps will be higher and my circulation will be revving well, so I'll be able to continue with no heat on the grips.
I still used Hot Hands in my gloves to keep the blood circulating (I put them on the back of my hands). And I still use the pogies.
The grips are very grippy/tacky. Fine with me, but YMMV.
The install was easy peasy (just like any other lock on grips).
Some Negatives
The cost (over $200 retail).
There is no battery life indicator so you'll need to get to know how long it lasts based on the setting and the weather conditions.
The grips do not allow bar ends. My pogies have bar end plugs to help secure them. I can't use those plugs. These pogies don't move much without the plugs, so it's an acceptable sacrifice to make. Update: AME tech support offered a solution to modify the grips to allow bar end plugs. This was easy to do with a Dremel tool and is working out well now.
Of course lots of wires. The good news is I already have a frame bag and it had room for the battery (and plenty of wire to reach it) so I put the battery in the bag instead of strapping it onto the frame).
Bonus Point
After these first rides, I swapped handle bar from aluminum to carbon to get more battery life. Aluminum tends to suck heat away from the grips while carbon doesn't (many reviews suggested this and Zach agreed this would be expected).
Bottom Line
If cold hands are keeping you from enjoying winter rides or shoulder season rides on dirt or you don't like pogies, and you're good with investing the coin, these grips may be game changers for you. They certainly have been for me.
Hit me up if you want to check them out on my bike or if you've got any questions.
Thanks for Riding with Me / Wrap Up / Key Takeaways
AME Heated Grips: These grips significantly improve winter riding comfort by providing effective hand warmth in cold conditions.
Performance:
Effective heat output on settings 1-4 for most riders.
Battery life generally aligns with manufacturer claims and other Google Reviews I found (1.5-2 hours at higher settings).
Excellent grip and easy installation.
Considerations:
High cost.
Incompatibility with bar ends.
Experiment with different settings and gloves based on your pogie and glove choices.
Recommendations:
Consider upgrading to carbon handlebars for improved battery life.
Use in conjunction with pogies and hand warmers for maximum warmth.
Oh, and if you're looking for more tips on riding in cold weather, check out this post (a quick 6 minute read).
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About the author: Joel Zieve is a Certified PMBI Mountain Bike Skills Coach in the Ogden Utah (Northern Utah) area. He specializes in helping beginner, novice and intermediate riders ride more safely, have more fun, go a little faster and feel less fear on their bikes. He is also the host of the Podcast "Aging on Dirt". Click here for more information about his coaching programs.
Special Thanks: Thank you to Alan Wheelwright and John Pendelton for your contributions to this blog post!