Looking for some opinions, pros/cons of each. Did you have one and wish you had the other? It only gets to the 20s/30s off and on about a month or two out of the year here but my fingers are sure cold when I get to work in the morning sometimes.

I don't have experience with eitherm but I'd probably go with grips. That way, they work with any pair of gloves.

They also would probably serve to heat up the bars some, so you aren't grabbing cold metal.

Heated grips can only warm the inside of the hands, while it's the outside (knuckles etc.) that are in the wind. so gloves are a better solution. Plus, you can use the gloves on any bike you have with a simple wiring harness while the grips are more or less permanent on one machine. The only advantage grips have over gloves is that gloves are a bit bulky and may make control a bit vague.

I have the Gerbings G3 gloves that hook into the Gerbings jacket liner. Also have pant liners, but use them less. Two rheostat controls on the back of the tank bra with velcro so I can remove them and their wires in nice weather. One knob controls the jacket liner and the other controls the extremities (gloves, pantliner, insoles if you have them.)

Went for a 2 1/2 hr. ride at 2:30 this afternoon. It was 48F when I left and 38F when I got home. Started out with no heat and had both controls on full blast when I got home. Completely warm and comfortable the whole time.

* Last updated by: Danno on 1/20/2014 @ 5:02 PM *

Mate this is my 4th bike with heated grip's. I use Oxfords and found them to be spot on. One point to remember, what happen's if you lose a clover? It is pretty hard to lose a heated grip!
TTFN, Dutchy

I had both heated grips and Gerbing gloves that I used on my Goldwing. Grips work up to a certain wind chill but then the heated gloves take over, they provide warmth to the bottom ,side, and top of fingers. Danno is correct in the fact that grips do nothing for the top of you're hands/fingers that are exposed. Of course a good set of winter gloves/grips can put off the inevitable but IMO if it's that cold there's no substitute for gloves. Only downfall is I believe you gotta have the jacket to plug gloves into.

I've had both:

Grips are a LOT cheaper, so if money is a big concern go with them, they'll help quite a bit in the cold, even more if paired with a decent set of insulated gloves. You can get grips with the heating elements built in, or just the element that gets stuck to the bars and slip the grips overtop, either work about as well as the other (more or less).

Gloves: As Danno stated earlier, grips do well warming the bottom of your hand, but the top stays cold, I've ridden in situations where my hands were burning and freezing at the same time due to this difference. Gloves do a WAY better job of keeping you warm, sure they're more bulky, but if its cold you'll be wearing insulated gloves already so they're no worse than standard insulated gloves. The major downside, price, I've got Gerbings as well, $200 for the gloves, $250 for the jacket, $150 for the thermostat = a big bill... BUT they extended my riding season by another 3 months up here, coldest ride has been -5C, keep in mind that as the temp drops, there's a chance of ice on the roads.

Another option, although not aesthetically pleasing are elephant ears (covers over the bars that you stick your hands inside), never used them, but I'd assume they're pretty cheap and I've heard they work really well.

"Only downfall is I believe you gotta have the jacket to plug gloves into"....nope...you can get a separate harness to run down both arms and connect to the temp controller.I had some...gave em to a friend.I have a set now...Gerbing's...Gloves...jacket liner,pants...AWESOME....feels like an electric blanket over my hands and all.I love it!Works fine all the way down to below zero(wind chill that is).You really can't turn the controller all the way up....just too hot actually.

The gloves are extremely pliable leather.VERY comfortable for hand controls.Can be used for mid cooler temps as well...without the heating.VERY nice.

* Last updated by: Grn14 on 1/20/2014 @ 10:32 PM *

My buddy just bought a set of BILT heated gear from Cycle Gear and is very happy. Quite a bit cheaper than Gerbings if price is a concern.

Hey Grn14, that's great info about running gloves without jacket. I guess all I've ever known was Gerbing jacket and glove combo. I also used my Gerbings as winter gloves until it got to cold, then turn on the heat. I had the pants but rarely used heat, and the socks never got used.

I can turn the controller down all the way for the jacket and pants...yet fire up the gloves by themselves.Two circuits on the controller I have.But gloves and jacket have to be connected(at the controller circuit)...pants...optional.I think any quality 'glove' harness would be okay.If you just wanted to plug those in.

* Last updated by: Grn14 on 1/21/2014 @ 11:13 AM *

If you are only going to get (or can only afford) one component, the gloves should be your first purchase. You can hunker down and keep your chest out of the wind blast, but your hands are stuck out there holding onto the bars.

Thanks for all the help everybody. I think for my needs the heated glove liners and heated jacket liner with a dual controller will allow me the greatest coverage and flexibility. The weather is crazy here, 38 on the way to work and 70 on the ride home Monday, 50's all day today then back to 20's in the morning.