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How do I cut ski poles

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enric13
Posts: 1 - Karma: 11
Removing the grip is not a problem at all, I've read that if i boil it a few minutes it comes off with quite ease but, How do I cut the poles?
Nov 29 2010 10:36AM
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hoodhugo
Posts: 988 - Karma: 33
with your teeth
Nov 29 2010 10:42AM
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Hubsta
Posts: 1279 - Karma: 156
A chainsaw.
Nov 29 2010 10:43AM
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OMGWTFBBQ
Posts: 954 - Karma: 208
with your face!!!!!!!!!



but rly put poles in a vice, grip the grips with hands pull and twist... once there off a hack saw comes in play. once thats done file aluminum soo its not sharp and then slide grips on.
Nov 29 2010 10:48AM
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freestyler540
Posts: 13042 - Karma: 18,256
go to a hardware store and ask for a small pipe cutter
it looks like this:
Click for larger image

then measure how much you wanna cut off on both pole, then cut and reassemble!
Nov 29 2010 10:54AM
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iLLbiLLy
Posts: 2865 - Karma: 2,631
https://www.newschoolers.com/ns/content/viewvideo/id/310406/

BAM!
Nov 29 2010 10:57AM
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ChadThundercock
Posts: 3070 - Karma: 785
use a hack saw
Nov 29 2010 11:03AM
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schmies
Posts: 2032 - Karma: 505
Lasers.
Nov 29 2010 11:40AM
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willy_baller
Posts: 1622 - Karma: 693
this
Nov 29 2010 11:41AM
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I_Am_Mod
Posts: 13214 - Karma: 3,753
this !!

or if you don't have a laser, use pipe cutters (as mentioned)

or a simple hack saw will do perfectly fine, just try to cut straight, and even if it's cut crooked, it's no problem since your grip will go over and cover it ....
Nov 29 2010 11:44AM
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a_pla5tic_bag
Posts: 9210 - Karma: 5,357
I can't get the grips off my poles for my life, I put them in hot water and everything. I even clamped them down and pulled and they're still on there.
Nov 29 2010 11:53AM
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Charlie_Kelly
Posts: 11953 - Karma: 12,292
a hack saw
Nov 29 2010 11:54AM
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iLLbiLLy
Posts: 2865 - Karma: 2,631
Courtesy of Newschoolers.com
Nov 29 2010 11:55AM
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beowulf
Posts: 893 - Karma: 164
try twisting.
Nov 29 2010 1:08PM
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ski-swagga
Posts: 5276 - Karma: 219
this. just measure and cut.
Nov 29 2010 1:43PM
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chugLIFE
Posts: 4714 - Karma: 1,050
i literally just cut mine with a steak knife....its not all that difficult haha
Nov 29 2010 2:30PM
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J..H
Posts: 646 - Karma: 73
how effective is the steak knife afterwards?
Nov 29 2010 2:32PM
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Blurst
Posts: 13577 - Karma: 10,168
Nov 29 2010 2:36PM
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Timotheezy.
Posts: 747 - Karma: 157
pole cutter works like a charm
Nov 29 2010 2:38PM
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DrZoidberg
Posts: 5674 - Karma: 4,227
How about those goode composite poles? I've had them for a few years, never broke or bent but they could stand to loose a few inches. Would the pipe cutter work here too? I've heard that cutting composite poles if different because they fray or something.

And anybody have a good grip idea, like what specific type of tape works? I've heard handlebar tape, but do I just walk into a bike store and ask for handlebar tape or what? My friend has a few pairs of old ski poles that I wanna cut and experiment on with different grips and such over winter break.

And I just thought of this. Cut a bike grip so it can unfold into a rectangle, then cut a portion of it out so it can be wrapped around your pole. You could use epoxy or something of that nature to adhere it to the pole. Good idea?
Nov 29 2010 2:40PM
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Gorno
Posts: 266 - Karma: 28
That pipe cutter looks a hell of a lot easier than the hack saw I used and broke... I just chopped 6 sets down. I don't have a vice or any nice tools, but straight up boiling your handles does the trick. If using the hack saw, don't bother cutting right through the whole thing... just cut halfway and avoid the binding hacksaw by kicking the rest off.
Nov 29 2010 3:55PM
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OAKES
Posts: 248 - Karma: 10
just use a hack saw and take you time
either that or break it on some racers facemask helmet when they ride by
Nov 29 2010 5:32PM
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Crispy.
Posts: 6102 - Karma: 7,626
clicky?
Nov 29 2010 8:07PM
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hokkanee
Posts: 1800 - Karma: 435
scissors
Nov 29 2010 8:10PM
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joshua
Posts: 5046 - Karma: 1,280
I just heat the grip up with a blow dryer and then pull it off. When I put it back on I put some contact cement or something like that on the pole/grip, and then hit the grip on with a hammer.
Nov 29 2010 8:10PM
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SKIU4EA
Posts: 2387 - Karma: 2,072

For people that can't get their grips off:

The space/crack in an open door where the hinges are, is just enough space for a ski pole to slide down into from the top.  The space is too narrow for the grip to pass through, so it's like  a nice make-shift vice to pull your grips off if you don't have 1.

Nov 29 2010 8:29PM
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Heart
Posts: 6156 - Karma: 3,462
Dammit, I tried putting my grips in boiling water, then tried the doorframe trick, but my grips still wouldn't budge. any tips?
Dec 3 2010 9:43PM
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MPetrin*
Posts: 3 - Karma: 11
it's simple, you don't.
Dec 3 2010 9:43PM
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Jpurd
Posts: 3196 - Karma: 3,554
bring em to a shop hahaa
Dec 3 2010 9:55PM
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BEARS.
Posts: 5380 - Karma: 696
hacksaws work the best for me.
Dec 3 2010 10:03PM
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Moo
Posts: 608 - Karma: 19
i used my diving knife, hacksaws are better..
Dec 3 2010 10:11PM
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Maximumsushi
Posts: 7837 - Karma: 3,347
The tribulations of today's youth!!!
Dec 3 2010 10:15PM
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simon44
Posts: 1183 - Karma: 1,185
a hacksaw will do the trick, and then maybe a file to smooth out the metal
Dec 3 2010 10:24PM
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Shlogan
Posts: 4942 - Karma: 430
i bought armada's black and white poles that are made to be cut (have a releasble grip instead of being glued and only come in one size). i had them cut at the shop and they were still way to long so i cut them again last night, super easy. not the cleanest job but a hacksaw did the trick.
Dec 3 2010 10:24PM
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Malcolm
Posts: 15949 - Karma: 9,428
i used box cutters to cut mine. it took so damn long and i found out after that we actually had pipe cutters.
Dec 3 2010 10:39PM
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chardi
Posts: 5040 - Karma: 59
do you have the Miracle Blade III?
Dec 3 2010 10:40PM
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joshua
Posts: 5046 - Karma: 1,280
Blow dryer mabeye? What kind of poles are they? Plastic grips are a pain to get off.
Dec 3 2010 10:47PM
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chardi
Posts: 5040 - Karma: 59
also, if your not, use wrenches on both the grip and the pole.
Dec 3 2010 10:49PM
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s.miller
Posts: 268 - Karma: 95
ginsu knife
Dec 3 2010 10:50PM
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steezmoe*
Posts: 357 - Karma: 13
i cut mine with my skis one day at the mountian
Dec 3 2010 10:54PM
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joshua
Posts: 5046 - Karma: 1,280
Gonna have to call pics or it no happen on this one haha. Thats seriously impressive though if you did.
Dec 3 2010 10:56PM
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.nasty
Posts: 10581 - Karma: 11,090
psh miracle blade is the past. it's all about the cutco knives now. you can cut a penny in half with their brand scissors. shit's insane
Dec 3 2010 11:00PM
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Travapple.
Posts: 6787 - Karma: 88
i had plastic grips on mine. i just used a pair of vise-grips one on the grip itself, and one on the pole just below the grip, then i twisted and pulled at the same time, worked great.

then i just used a hacksaw and ground down the edges with a table grinder afterwards so they would go on nicely. pretty simple process.
Dec 4 2010 12:12AM
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HeartBeatFaster
Posts: 723 - Karma: 26
Pipe cutter will work on composite poles too. I use athletic/hockey stick tape and make my own grips usually.

Also, a heat gun works wonders for getting grips off. Usually found for around $20-25 or borrow one if possible
Dec 4 2010 1:50AM
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cwillygood
Posts: 6831 - Karma: 1,829
this
Dec 4 2010 3:44PM
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Heart
Posts: 6156 - Karma: 3,462
yeah today i tried again, boiled them for five minutes then stuck them in a vice and pulled super hard, with zero success.
Dec 4 2010 5:38PM
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No_Dub
Posts: 3357 - Karma: 294
a magnet
Dec 4 2010 5:40PM
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Heart
Posts: 6156 - Karma: 3,462
well today i tried again, boiling the grips for 5 minutes then putting the grips in a vice and pulling super hard, with no success. i think ill just take the to my shop
Dec 4 2010 5:42PM
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ButteredToast.
Posts: 6459 - Karma: 2,570
Did exactly this. I couldn't get them off for shit. I tried hot water and that didn't help, but the door thing is awesome because you can put ALL your weight into it and it comes off
Dec 4 2010 6:02PM
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Dirac
Posts: 1304 - Karma: 335
Metal poles- you can use any kind of saw, hell you could use a butter knife if you have enough patience.

Composite poles- you are going to have to be more careful. Use a hacksaw with very narrow teeth. If they are hollow be careful you do not crush them in the vice when cutting or even pulling off the grips. What I do is wrap where I want to cut with a couple layers of duct tape. This is not 100% neccesary, the poles will probably not split if you use a fine enough saw. I just do it to be safe, and it serves a double purpose because it compensates for the poles taper to allow a good fit back into the grip.

Grips-If you warmed up your grips in boiling water and can't get them off, you just need to try harder. The softer ones that are more like bike grips are tougher, but seriously it just takes strength and make sure you twist as you pull.

If you are putting them back on and have shimmed the pole, but it's pretty tight, again put them in boiling soapy water. Once they slide on and dry out they will not slip.

Also for anyone doing it the first time there are three (surprisingly common) mistakes I have seen which are mostly just common sense but I mean we are skiers here, not brain surgeons haha.

1. Remember that the length of the pole is including almost all of the grip. Don't hold the pole and mark below your hand. Your pole will be a grip-length short.

2. Don't cut the pole before you take the grips off. If you do, good luck trying to get the grips off. Even if you are using other grips you might as well take the old ones off for extras.

3. Remember that the basket is a bit up, and that you will be higher up clicked into your skis. I usually add a bit for that, add less if you live in the east ; ).

I have seen my friend make mistake 1 and 3 with brand new poles which led them to be like 6 inches too short for him. Luckily he was 6'2" and I scored a new set of poles!

Dec 4 2010 6:13PM
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Dirac
Posts: 1304 - Karma: 335
wow I can't believe I just typed that much up on cutting down poles...


Dec 4 2010 6:16PM
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