Servicing your trekking poles

Even though your CarbonLite poles are made from carbon fibre there are some internal components that will require your occasional attention. 5 minutes at the end of a big day out will ensure that your poles remain operational for a long time.

Drying and cleaning your poles
Water and grit get every where and your poles are no exception. It is therefore good practice to occasionally pull your poles apart and give them a quick clean with a dry cloth. Don’t worry it is not even a one spanner job so no excuses right!

The first thing to do is to loosen the pole sections and then pull the shafts apart. Run a cloth along the length of the pole to remove moisture. Now run your cloth around the plastic widget and make sure it twists smoothly on the metal thread. You will see how the plastic widget expands as you twist it. Make sure to dry the thread, maybe with a hairdryer or just leave it overnight somewhere warm. If you think they need it put a small blob of grease on the thread, but make sure you do not get any on the plastic widget or else they will not lock very well.

The insides of the shafts may also be damp so make sure to dry them out as well.

Examining your tips
Your pole tips will take a beating during the day so giving them the once over before storing them is prudent practice. If the metal tip has worked itself loose or the plastic tip section is damaged it may be time to replace it, read this article. Never store your poles with the protective rubber tip on.

Jammed pole sections
During the course of a day your pole sections may become tighter. They may get so tight that even you with your awesome strength cannot get enough purchase on the shafts to loosen them. If this is the case the only way to free them up is with the help of a vice. You need to be careful here as excessive tightening may break your poles. If you have any doubts about this process it is probably better that you return your poles to us for a service.

Created: Dec 16, 2010
Category: Products

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