Best way to cut down ski poles?

[NoScoped]

Going to be acquiring some composite ski poles for cheap that are just a few inches too long. Going to try cut them down. Is it as straight forward as I'd imagine? Pull grip off, cut, put grip back on? What's the best way to get the grip off? Do you glue the grip when you're putting it back on?

 

[KingGrump]

Best tool for the job.

 

[KingGrump]

Seriously.

Put the handle in boiling water for 5 to 15 minute. Handle should come off fairly easily.
Tape the cut line. Cut with 32 TPI hackksaw. Smooth and chamfer cut ends with fine sand paper.
Reassemble pole and handle with hot melt glue.
Go skiing.

 

[graham418]

A dremel works well on carbon fibre. No splintering. I use hairspray for the grips, same as on the mountain bike

 

[Don in Morrison]

Use a pipe cutter like the ones plumbers use to cut copper pipe. It makes a clean straight cut. Just slip it over the pole, tighten it down and spin it around the pole, tightening as you go, until it cuts clear through. You can get it at any hardware store.

 

[John O]

Use a pipe cutter like the ones plumbers use to cut copper pipe. It makes a clean straight cut. Just slip it over the pole, tighten it down and spin it around the pole, tightening as you go, until it cuts clear through. You can get it at any hardware store.

That works very well for aluminum poles, I've done it multiple times. But I had been under the impression that it's not the right tool to use for CF. Am I wrong on that one?

 

[Don in Morrison]

That works very well for aluminum poles, I've done it multiple times. But I had been under the impression that it's not the right tool to use for CF. Am I wrong on that one?

Never tried it on CF. I think it still might work. I'd be game to try it on my own poles, but not on someone else's until I knew it works on mine.

 

[Philpug]

Depends on the composite pole, some you will pull the basket assembly off and cut the shaft from the bottom.

 

[KingGrump]

A tubing cutter will work only if the cutting wheel is very thin and very sharp. The CF composite will also dull the wheel.

 

[James]

A fine hacksaw will work just fine on carbon fiber. Good chance if you take it to a shop they'll use that.

Anyone have experience getting Swix carbon fiber pole grips off?

 

[KingGrump]

Anyone have experience getting Swix carbon fiber pole grips off?

Boiled a pair in a large stock pot for 20 minutes. No luck. Went out and bought a new pair.

 

[raytseng]

Pulling in my experience is not always as easy as just boiling.

Before giving up, should try to setup a pulling setup that you can fully pull against the grip (while it's hot).

If you don't already have something thought up or a dedicated pulling setup, here's my approach:

My DIY suggestion is to use a sturdy full size folding ladder . Lay ladder flat on ground, and close the ladder legs onto the pole shaft, so the grip is fully on other side of the ladder legs.

Now you sit down on the ground, hold the pole in your hands with arms extended and pole pointed between your legs, basically like a rowing machine. In this setup, you can legpress against the ladder which will press out the grip. This will allow you to exert as much as you can legpress, or as much as your arms can hold.

If you want you can also throw your whole body into it and sacrifice a slipped disc for your too long poles. (You have all of summer to recover).

Other method say you can accomplish same setup using the gap in a door hinge if you can get your basket off, but that seems you will likely dent and damage your door.

You can probably easily create some similar pulling setup , but keep with the general idea to get it somehow pincered and use a big enough setup where you can think about utilizing your leg muscles to press it out rather than going with arms.

(heating still necessary and recommended).

As far as poles labelled Composite vs pure carbon, if they aren't advertising pure carbon, I would just assume it to be as plastic, yea just use any fine hacksaw, even the $2 small disposable one in the bargain bin from homedepot.

 

[Wilhelmson]

Going with the hack saw. For the grips it helps to get some lubricant, even just water or dish soap in there somehow.

 

[Prosper]

Other method say you can accomplish same setup using the gap in a door hinge if you can get your basket off, but that seems you will likely dent and damage your door..

I’ve done the door method. It’s more of a top of the door method than door hinge. Lay a towel over the top of the door to protect from scratching or denting. Boil the handle. Put the bottom edge of the handle on the top edge of the door and pull down. I didn’t need to take the basket off. Worked like a charm for me.

 

[zircon]

Are they carbon or plastic composite? If carbon, hacksaw with a carbon appropriate blade. Look up how bike guys trim their carbon steerers. Carbon is particularly fragile to sharp compressive forces, so pipe cutters would not be my first choice, although ski poles are lower consequence than steerer tubes. If plastic, any fine enough hacksaw blade should do. To get the handle off, warm water and elbow grease. To get the handle back on, hairspray will likely do it and also hold it in place.

 

[Tom K.]

Once you have the grips off -- and best of luck to you there! -- I tape around the pole as a guide, and use a fine tooth hacksaw blade. I keep rotating the pole so the cut is "gentle" on the carbon fibers. Probably doesn't matter, but if you just cut straight through, I don't like the feel when the saw is going completely perpendicular to the pole shaft. Feels kind of grabby/snaggy even with a fine toothed blade.

Note: This technique works great on bike fork steerer tubes, too!

 

[James]

Door and ladder method are basically pushing the handle off. Not pulling, which stretches and tightens the grip at the trailing edge.

Boiled a pair in a large stock pot for 20 minutes. No luck. Went out and bought a new pair.

Uuggh. That's what I hear. I've heard the boiling needed can ruin the grips. What about like squirting acetone to try to loosen the epoxy?

One time skiing Aspen Highlands we were coming up the Temerity lift. There's another lift that comes in at a right angle up top. If you get off that and want to go back, you have to walk uphill a bit.
So we see this ski instructor pulling this woman up the slope with poles. She's extremely fashionably dressed, tall. Classic Aspen. They're making progress up. All of a sudden, the grips come off and they both go flying. When we got up, he was putting the grips back on.
So, be wary of pulling people uphill. Use a Swix carbon pole.

 

[Philpug]

Dremel/Foredom around the cut when done too.

 

[ScotsSkier]

I have cut mine twice and they are still too short ....

 

[Eleeski]

Short poles rock!

I've shortened Goode poles twice. The first time, I couldn't get the grips off. I loosened all the screws and boiled them. No joy. So I clamped them in a vise to try to wedge them off and ended up crushing the composite. This made the poles end up shorter than I planned. I was replacing the grips with saber grips so the poles worked fine after I epoxied the new grips on. Actually I used a pencil to take up the difference in diameter to get the epoxy to squarely fill the gap. It's lasted for several years. And I really like the ridiculously short poles as they force me to bend my knees.

The second pair was the fancy style that was adjustable. Loosening the hardware let the grips come off easily. But there was an insert bonded into the top of the pole. Lots of heat and wedging removed the insert. I did have to be a bit careful cutting the pole to keep it square and a touch in the hole with a dremel burr to get the insert started. Some slow cure epoxy and some heat let the insert tap in easily and securely. Reused the fancy Goode grips (with break away straps!) and they have held up well for my son for a couple years.

Cut the pole with whatever tool is close by. It's not magic and carbon cuts easily. I probably have a grinder with a cutoff blade on the workbench because that's my favorite tool. A fine tooth saw will be fine. Maybe the only thing that won't work is the tubing cutter because the composite pole is quite thick and not as malleable as the metals it was designed for. Just cut it and sand any sharp edges or chips off.

Eric