We know its really muddy out there and your poles are likely to be subjected to wet weather, snow and even road salt soon – here are our tips for giving your poles a little TLC to make sure they keep working perfectly throughout the winter months.

To make sure your poles don’t let you down you should:

• Always clean your poles after use
• Remove the paws after each walk so they do not get stuck on too tight
• Loosen your height adjustment regularly rather than keep it tightly at the selected height
• Not over tighten your adjustment mechanism
• Store your poles in a dry environment

If you are having trouble with tightening or adjusting your poles our team of experts are on hand to show you how – see videos and explanations for common problems below.

Pole adjustment does not tighten up

This is a common problem on brand new poles and is very quick to fix.  Simply watch this video for a full explanation

http://vimeo.com/374154032

To explain this further, the poles are adjusted by tightening an expandable plug to grip inside the pole, which can spin around and not tighten.  By gripping the blue plastic plug in the adjustment collar, this can begin to tighten the adjustment when back in the pole.

Pole Adjustment does not loosen

It is possible to ‘over tighten’ the adjustment mechanism, making it stick.  Also, if the poles have been stored dirty and wet from walks, moisture and dirt can creep up inside the adjustment making damaging the mechanism.  Try heating the outer section of the pole with hot water (be careful) and then with a tight grip and a bit of muscle, unscrew the mechanism.  Sometimes lubricating the join with washing up liquid can also help.

Poles are bent

Sometimes, aluminium poles are bent when you accidentally trip over them or catch them in a hole or drain.  Cheaper models can also bend when excessive force is put through them when used to support your full body weight for example.  However, the most common reason by far is in the storage of the poles – when they are bundled in the back of the car and your shopping piled on top!

Both Carbon and Aluminium poles are very strong but a padded bag can really help protect them in transit. We have a range of pole bags to suit all types and sizes so check out the bag section of our Nordic Walking STORE   

If you have any other questions the Retail team at Nordic Walking UK can help – call them on low cost number 0333 1234 540 at any time.