Bit parky outside? Get the hot grips on!

Morning morning!

Did you ride into work today? Well done you (in the UK anyway, you Oz and Cali riders can do one). Today is what we call 'fecking Baltic, taps-on' weather in Glasgow, and we'd not cast aspersions were you to retire to your centrally-heated Nissan Qashqai this morning, and enact various Colin McRae fantasies on your way to work.

But, of course, one of the best (best!) ways to carry on riding in the cold is to keep yer bits warm. And of all the bits to keep warm, none are as useful as your hands. I mean, you could possibly ride with no hands, but you'd likely not get too far unless you've got some extensive mods on there.

We digress. So: keep your pinkies warm is our recommendation, and the easiest way is to have heated grips on your bike. Now, when I was a lad, this sort of thing was unheard of, outside the world of mad BMW tourers. And considering the quality of 1980s electrics, that’s probably a good thing. But the rise of Chinese manufacturing means we can all now have cheap, effective, reliable electrically heated grips – either fitted as standard on loads of bikes now, or as an aftermarket add-on. So whether you're a fan of Chairman Mao or not, he probably played his part in keeping you comfy en route to work on your bike, ha.

If you've got stock hot grips – well done, carry on! But if not, and you're looking for some to fit, we've got a few recommends. First up is Oxford Products – they reckon they were first to bring out an aftermarket kit, back in the 1980s, and offer a massive range, with different grip sizes, styles and even chrome switches for you cruiser folks.

Our top recommend though is R&G's heated grips. Now, the Hampshire outfit is best known for its crash protection of course – and their bungs are brilliant too. But their hot grips are very well priced, and we've used them on a load of bikes over the past decade or so. Fitting is easy, they're easy to use and have been really reliable, and they put out plenty of heat.

Check the R&G and Oxford selection via Google (other search engines are available), and get them fitted toot-sweet is our recommendation for the day!