Thickly padded riding gloves are a given for winter riding. But the issue is that more glove material means less lever dexterity and trail feedback through the grips.

For mountain bikers who wish to retain the feel of minimalist riding gloves, without freezing their digits, the solution would be warmer grips.

The issue with most heated grips is that they aren’t shaped to specific rider preferences. Grips are a very personal preference for mountain bikers and a new invention could help you match your favourites with warm riding hands.

Read more: mountain bike grips

Brandon Lentz is a keen rider with an original take on the heated grip problem. His solution has been to develop two cylindrical modules, which insert into either end of your handlebars.

A lithium-ion battery resides in each of the modules and provides the electric heating element, which then conductively warms your grips. This clever bit is that you can ride whichever grips you like.

The individual modules heat to 100-105º C (212-221º F) inside the handlebar’s structure, converting to 40º C (104º F) at the grips within only 15 minutes. A simple button triggers and disables the system.

They won’t melt your bars

It all sounds great but what about controlling the temperature gradient and risk of overheating? Brandon has integrated an adequate arrangement of sensors into his design, which modulate the temperature.

The claim is that both aluminium and carbon-fibre handlebars will not be structurally influenced by the heating and cooling in winter conditions.

Brandon’s Polar Plug system charges to full power via USB in two hours and has five hours of endurance when riding.

A Kickstarter campaign has been launched to provide funding for further Polar Plug development and production. The pre-order pledge amount is $99, with retail pricing predicted to be between $150-200.