Opinions - New BD Flicklock Poles

Too All:

I've been thinking about replacing my at least 7 year old BD flicklock poles
as they have been bent and straightened enough times over the years that
they are getting a bit difficult to adjust and last spring, I lost the hard
tip of one. When I went to the BD website, I saw that now these poles are a
mix of aluminum tops and carbon fiber bottoms.

Besides the BD poles which I use only for BC tele skiing, I also have an
almost 20 year old pair of kevlar wrapped fiberglass poles that I use for
traditional Nordic skiing. They seem to be holding up OK after all these
years.

Any opinions on the projected durability of the new BD flick poles with
carbon fiber bottoms?

Thanks,

Steve

I've had the older version of this for four seasons so far, which I
bought super-cheap on a closeout from some internet shop that soon
went out of business:
http://www.bdel.com/gear/backcountry/fl_carbon.php
It's held up fine, although I'm a little bit nervous about wear & tear
where the ice tip fits into the composite area below the basket. The
low swing weight is very nice, especially since I'm used to very
lightweight alpine downhill ski racing poles. But overall, lots of $
just for a ski pole.

My wife has these:
http://www.bdel.com/gear/backcountry/fl_traverse.php
I use them for my late-season ski mountaineering (when she's already
hung up the boards), since they shorten up much more than the carbon
versions. In some ways I like them better than the more expensive
carbon version, and if I had to buy another pair of poles today, it
would definitely be these.

Bob Lee wrote:
Steve wrote:

I've been thinking about replacing my at least 7 year old BD
flicklock poles as they have been bent and straightened enough times
over the years that they are getting a bit difficult to adjust and
last spring, I lost the hard tip of one. When I went to the BD
website, I saw that now these poles are a mix of aluminum tops and
carbon fiber bottoms.

Besides the BD poles which I use only for BC tele skiing, I also
have an almost 20 year old pair of kevlar wrapped fiberglass poles
that I use for traditional Nordic skiing. They seem to be holding
up OK after all these years.

Any opinions on the projected durability of the new BD flick poles
with carbon fiber bottoms?

Well, I don't want to discourage you from a fulfilling gear orgy, but
you can buy replacement lower shafts from BD - both aluminum and
carbon-fiber. IIRC, you can even buy an insert that will allow
carbon-fiber shafts to fit in your old upper.

http://www.blackdiamondequipment.com...pare_parts.php

Carbon-fiber isn't unbreakable. I'd think the reason to buy the
carbonfiber shafts would be for lower swing weight and performance
rather than durability.

Bob

Bob:

Thanks for the info. Point well taken on the spare parts link!

Steve

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In article ,
Bob Lee wrote:

Carbon-fiber isn't unbreakable. I'd think the reason to buy the
carbonfiber shafts would be for lower swing weight and performance
rather than durability.


_ I know this is a quirk in my skiing technique, but I've found
carbon fibre poles to be much much more durable than any aluminum
poles I've used. For whatever reason I tend to chomp aluminum
poles about 6 inches up from the basket with my ski edges. They
either become permanently bent or get cut and then snap. I've
never had an aluminum pole last more than a season or so.

_ My Life-Link carbon poles with one minor mode[1] have lasted 6
seasons and are still going strong. If you can keep carbon fibre
from being cut it will easily outlast aluminum. It's kind of a
"willow vs oak" thing, carbon will flex and bend under strains
that would snap an aluminum pole.

_ Booker C. Bense

[1]- I take the baskets off and put about 1 foot of vinyl shrink
tubing on the bottom of the pole above the basket. This gets
replaced every season or so.



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In article ,
Booker C. Bense
bbense+rec.skiing.backcountry.Nov.22.04@telemark. slac.stanford.edu
wrote:

_ I know this is a quirk in my skiing technique, but I've found
carbon fibre poles to be much much more durable than any aluminum
poles I've used. For whatever reason I tend to chomp aluminum
poles about 6 inches up from the basket with my ski edges. They
either become permanently bent or get cut and then snap. I've
never had an aluminum pole last more than a season or so.

_ Booker C. Bense

Ah, you're clearly not one of those types like me, who likes to whack
the sides of his boot soles vigorously with the lower end of the pole,
just above the basket, to get packed snow and ice out of the grooves in
the bottom of the sole or the slot inside the NNN/BC bar. That'll
delaminate fiber poles in a big hurry -- as I've experimentally verified
a couple of times, 'til the people in The Backcountry shop told me to
knock it off. (Sorry, unintentional pun there.)

[1]- I take the baskets off and put about 1 foot of vinyl shrink
tubing on the bottom of the pole above the basket. This gets
replaced every season or so.

Or maybe this is the secret.

AES/newspost wrote:
Ah, you're clearly not one of those types like me, who likes to whack
the sides of his boot soles vigorously with the lower end of the pole,
just above the basket, to get packed snow and ice out of the grooves
in the bottom of the sole or the slot inside the NNN/BC bar. That'll
delaminate fiber poles in a big hurry -- as I've experimentally
verified a couple of times, 'til the people in The Backcountry shop
told me to knock it off. (Sorry, unintentional pun there.)

[1]- I take the baskets off and put about 1 foot of vinyl shrink
tubing on the bottom of the pole above the basket. This gets
replaced every season or so.

Or maybe this is the secret.

AES:

I use the handle of my pole to whack the snow off my boots. That my be why
my almost 20 year old glass poles have lasted as long as they have.

Steve

Jonathan Shefftz schrieb:

I've had the older version of this for four seasons so far, which I
bought super-cheap on a closeout from some internet shop that soon
went out of business:
http://www.bdel.com/gear/backcountry/fl_carbon.php
It's held up fine, although I'm a little bit nervous about wear & tear
where the ice tip fits into the composite area below the basket. The
low swing weight is very nice, especially since I'm used to very
lightweight alpine downhill ski racing poles. But overall, lots of $
just for a ski pole.

My wife has these:
http://www.bdel.com/gear/backcountry/fl_traverse.php
I use them for my late-season ski mountaineering (when she's already
hung up the boards), since they shorten up much more than the carbon
versions. In some ways I like them better than the more expensive
carbon version, and if I had to buy another pair of poles today, it
would definitely be these.

What i not like in both is the grip. For ski randonee, for my tastes its
to short. Better are this:

http://www.komperdell.com/touring/st...49_2313_10.htm

(for example)

Greetings,

Ulrich

Carbon-fiber isn't unbreakable. I'd think the reason to buy the
carbonfiber shafts would be for lower swing weight and performance
rather than durability.

Better swing weight I would say. When I looked last year the Carbon
poles were NOT lighter than the aluminum ones.

I have worn out my Chouinard Equipment (from before Black Diamond) probe
poles (all aluminum) and would welcome opinions: I am considering the BD
carbon flicklok vs the Traverse (below) vs the Lifelink Variant Probe
(http://www.backcountry.com/store/LIF...ant-Probe-Pole
..html). My focus is whether the all metal LL pole is ultimately more
reliable for extended backcountry touring, as my naive impression is that
carbon is stronger/lighter but breaks instead of bending when it reaches the
critical stress, whereas metal will deform but still get one thru the tour.
Any comments on this issue?

thanks,

Keith


"Uli Hausmann" wrote in message
...
Jonathan Shefftz schrieb:

I've had the older version of this for four seasons so far, which I
bought super-cheap on a closeout from some internet shop that soon
went out of business:
http://www.bdel.com/gear/backcountry/fl_carbon.php
It's held up fine, although I'm a little bit nervous about wear & tear
where the ice tip fits into the composite area below the basket. The
low swing weight is very nice, especially since I'm used to very
lightweight alpine downhill ski racing poles. But overall, lots of $
just for a ski pole.

My wife has these:
http://www.bdel.com/gear/backcountry/fl_traverse.php
I use them for my late-season ski mountaineering (when she's already
hung up the boards), since they shorten up much more than the carbon
versions. In some ways I like them better than the more expensive
carbon version, and if I had to buy another pair of poles today, it
would definitely be these.

What i not like in both is the grip. For ski randonee, for my tastes its
to short. Better are this:

http://www.komperdell.com/touring/st...49_2313_10.htm

(for example)

Greetings,

Ulrich

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In article . net,
Keith Beck wrote:
I have worn out my Chouinard Equipment (from before Black Diamond) probe
poles (all aluminum) and would welcome opinions: I am considering the BD
carbon flicklok vs the Traverse (below) vs the Lifelink Variant Probe
(http://www.backcountry.com/store/LIF...ant-Probe-Pole
.html). My focus is whether the all metal LL pole is ultimately more
reliable for extended backcountry touring, as my naive impression is that
carbon is stronger/lighter but breaks instead of bending when it reaches the
critical stress, whereas metal will deform but still get one thru the tour.
Any comments on this issue?

_ First, probe poles are useless when it really counts, carry a
real probe. In my experience carbon poles do not break until they
get cut. Intact carbon shafts are nearly indestructible. Of
course, they are right next to those sharp steel edges. I put a
foot of vinyl heat shrink tubing on the base of mine and they
have lasted longer than any pair of poles I've ever had, 6
seasons so far. I've never had a pair of aluminum poles last a
single season.

_ Aluminum poles will break shortly after they get bent,
and they bend and break much easier than carbon.

_ The Life-Link Variants have a STEEL bottom section, so they
are effectively indestructible, if relatively heavy.

_ I tour with carbon poles. IMHO, I'm much more worried about
the durablity of the adjustment mechanism, than of the carbon
shaft.

_ Booker C. Bense

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