- Time of past OR future Camino
- Via Gebennensis (2018)
Via Podiensis (2018)
Voie Nive Bidassoa (2018)
Camino Del Norte (2018)
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Not likely.1) if we write to Black Diamond, are they likely to do anything while we are still walking?
You are correct in having legitimate expectations of a longer useful life. (My Pacer Poles have 10 years on them.)2) we would be expecting more 'mileage' out of these poles. Is that correct?
Not likely.
2. Disassemble the joints as best you are able
We were in Ribadesella, and wanted to see the cave. They had lockers large enough to put a backpack, but we needed to fold our Black Diamond hiking poles to put them in the lockers.
That's when I found out about problems with the poles.
I could fold my wife's poles, but the joints didn't look healthy at all.
I could fold one of mine, but with difficulty as the lower join wouldn't release, and in a similar, once I managed, the joints don't look good.
I couldn't fold my second pole at all: I can click on the release button, but I can't push that into the top part of the shaft.
I remembered that @peregrina2000 and @Kanga had problems, and looked up the post. @t2andreo has been very helpful with his comments, but applying some of the advice hasn't helped.
Obviously, we are going to have a problem when getting the poles on a plane to come back home.
We have walked over 1760km since 9 June with these poles, so we have the following questions:
1) if we write to Black Diamond, are they likely to do anything while we are still walking? We still have 25 days before we get to SdC.
2) we would be expecting more 'mileage' out of these poles. Is that correct? We bought them in Finland while visiting our son there, and from memory, we paid about €100 per pair, and we don't think it's trivial to just throw them away.
3) is there anywhere on the Camino del Norte, or even in SdC, where we could get these poles fixed?
Thank you!
I should think you'd be wanting to slide part B out of, rather than in to, Part A.@Kitsambler, precisely one of the issues I have: I can't disassemble one of the poles. The bottom part will not slide into the top part. I can press the release button down, but nothing budges.
Any suggestions?
Definitely not - you will then have cement.Maybe some lube spray like w-40
I noticed that after a long time fully extended folding up of my Z poles is not easy. The rubber at each joint doesn’t retract up. After my 1075 km Camino in 2017 I took my poles back to the Canadian store MEC where I bought them (1.5 years earlier) and they gave me a new pair without any questions or original invoice (they looked up my purchase in their system by the payment card I used). So YES they should last even longer and 2. Send them home and get a free replacement pair as Diamond guarantees they’re for life.We were in Ribadesella, and wanted to see the cave. They had lockers large enough to put a backpack, but we needed to fold our Black Diamond hiking poles to put them in the lockers.
That's when I found out about problems with the poles.
I could fold my wife's poles, but the joints didn't look healthy at all.
I could fold one of mine, but with difficulty as the lower join wouldn't release, and in a similar, once I managed, the joints don't look good.
I couldn't fold my second pole at all: I can click on the release button, but I can't push that into the top part of the shaft.
I remembered that @peregrina2000 and @Kanga had problems, and looked up the post. @t2andreo has been very helpful with his comments, but applying some of the advice hasn't helped.
Obviously, we are going to have a problem when getting the poles on a plane to come back home.
We have walked over 1760km since 9 June with these poles, so we have the following questions:
1) if we write to Black Diamond, are they likely to do anything while we are still walking? We still have 25 days before we get to SdC.
2) we would be expecting more 'mileage' out of these poles. Is that correct? We bought them in Finland while visiting our son there, and from memory, we paid about €100 per pair, and we don't think it's trivial to just throw them away.
3) is there anywhere on the Camino del Norte, or even in SdC, where we could get these poles fixed?
Thank you!
WD 40 will attack rubber , silicon spray will degrade rubber over time even though it is sometimes recommended for such applications , acetone will degrade resin if left in contact with it and it will definitely degrade rubber and some silicons . As suggested good old dish washing detergent and warm water are probably the best solutions for cleaning , stinking hot water over the frozen joint will expand the outer a fraction , perhaps enough to allow you to free it , failing this try a hair dryer . If this doesn't work try the opposite and place the stick in a freezer [ if there is one big enough ] for an hour or two then try to twist it free . Rubber gloves , the dish washing type will help you grip it firmly .
If successful lubricate the joint with a candle , beeswax or sterene it really doesn't matter , it will allow the joint to slip as it should and won't attract dust and grit like a fluid lubricant would .
Kanga, I had the exact problem at the end of August while descending a section of Wainwright's Coast to Coast. I was not happy as I was literally only halfway - at least 95 miles to go! That evening I met an amiable English hiker - a handyman by trade. After a pint or two, he managed to pull the joint piece back into place with the corkscrew of a Swiss Army knife. Then he applied a tiny bit of "nappy paste"- the only lubricant on hand- to all the pole joints. The pole was fixed and I completed the rest of the hike a few days later. When I returned home, I looked at Black Diamond's website but found nothing helpful about preventing a recurrence. I did not see anything about a lifetime warranty either. I love these poles but, like you, I am worried this could happen again.I'm starting to believe mine have a personality all their own.
Last weekend one suddenly collapsed while I was bushwalking. One of the joints fell apart. It was still held to the rest of the pole by a long piece of something that looked like string, and I could not see the rubber tube thing that usually shows when the poles are folded. I thought it was going to be a replacement job.
One knowledgeable bushwalker with a multifunction tool fiddled a bit and found that the joint had worked its way up inside the next section. He managed to extract it and behold - fixed!
They are working perfectly again but I am a bit nervous. I start my Portuguese walk next week.
Although unlikely to be easy to find on the Camino, Contact Cleaner will penetrate and then evaporate leaving behind no dirt magnets like silicon or wd - 40Maybe some lube spray like w-40
Thanks a million for that advice @Charles Zammit , I hadn't thought about dishwashing liquid.
I do try the hot water, but it might not have been hot enough. I'll try the hair dryer, too!
Soaking in a solution of Dawn (or similar) and water should begin to loosen dust and then it is only a matter of continuing to "work it free".
I don’t know how I missed this post, but would have been no help anyway. AJ, I hope you have found a way to make it to Santiago with these poles. I found that when I sent a picture to the customer service email, the response was rapid. New poles sent very quickly. So, save your pictures and make sure to contact them, though that is not very much help for right now.
I think that it is possible that leaving the poles in the locked position for such a long time might not be a good thing. Based on what t2 has advised, it seems like locking may allow a little moisture to get in and not get out. Since I had virtually no rain on my walk this year, I am not sure how much moisture could have gotten in, but I think that next year I am going to collapse the poles more often.
Your post reminded me to go check your polarsteps blog and lapse into a fit of jealousy as I see how these coastal options are going for you. Hope you are well AJ, buen camino to you and your wife, Laurie
I think expensive poles are generally not worth the money (except maybe Pacers which are a specialised product). I have Decathlon ones (£11.99 each) with Leki rubber tips on. They are really light and have been strapped to the outside of my pack when checked in on flights a couple of times and emerged perfectly fine.
I bought my Kilimanjaro walking poles some 15 years ago for like 14,99€ and they are still my trusty companions. But sometimes they just don't want to collapse. I know it's the dust in the joints. I'm not really weak with my hands but one hand twisting the upper part in one direction and the other one the lower part in the opposite sometimes wasn't enough....Rubber gloves , the dish washing type will help you grip it firmly .
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