Replacing goat pole grips

I would definitely email TG with this question, and please report back as I would also like to replace my grips!

Thanks Lynn. I have sent an email to TG and will report back with their response. But, I wanted to hear any one else's experience as well.

It can be done. There should be an article on this general subject within the next 6 months – which is nice to know but possibly of little use right now to you!

Slice the TiG handle down its length, *carefully*, and peel it off. *Carefully* remove the remains of adhesive.

'Carefully' => don't ding the carbon fibre.

Cheers

I really like my Ti Goat poles but I’m not a fan of the grip either. With the narrow diameter on the bottom it seems upside down to me. I’d also like to replace the grip but I’m not sure what other options are available. I wonder if GG will sell the cork grips they use on their Lightrek poles? I’ll check on that and report back. Nia / Lynn, what are you planning to use as a replacement?

Mark, gossamer gear grips are for sale. That’s what I’m going to use.

Thanks for the info Roger. As you said though I am hoping to do this before next winter. Do you use a solvent to remove the adhesive or does it peel off?

Bike shops use an air compressor with a small nozzle to push old grips off of carbon mountain bike bars. They work the nozzle under the edge of the grips and gradually apply air until the grip pops off. They use 3M spray adhesive or hairspray to secure the new grips. It seems like this would work on trekking poles since it is also a rubber/foam grip on a carbon shaft.

> Do you use a solvent to remove the adhesive or does it peel off?

I used a box cutter blade angled so the grind was parallel to the surface of the pole. That way it sliced off the lumps of adhesive without touching the carbon fibre. Caution: take your time!

Yes, the GG Korkalon grips do fit.

Cheers

Ok so I removed the grip with a box cutter. I quickly learned I was wrong about the size of the gg grips. There noticably larger. Any suggestions about what I can use to pack the space? The gap looks to about 1/8".

I am thinking tennis grip tape might work. Any thoughts?

Edit: Did some quick googling. Looks like my best bet is some heat-shrink tubing. What do you think of this plan?

When I recently made my poles (see recent thread), I used some gorilla glue. It expands to fill the space.

> The gap looks to about 1/8".
Odd. Mine were a tight fit!

Edited:
When I got them they had a hole of about 11.2 mm. It seems that the hole diameter has gone up since then. Oh.

I think the new GG grips have a larger diameter hole in them now. You could check with Grant at GG to find out for sure.
Kevin

Here's a response I received from Grant at GG regarding the hole diameter and glue recommendation:

>The diameter is about 9/16" and the depth is appx. 5 1/2"
>I recommend Gorilla glue. doesn't take much.

I ended up using 2 layers of 3/4" heat shrink wrap. This made such a tight fit with the GG grips that I'm not going to use any glue.

Unfortunately the heat shrink added about 6g per pole for a finished weight of 3.5 oz. Still I think it's an improvement.

Removing the old grips was fairly easy using a box cutter blade as Roger suggested.

Thank-you Nia & Roger for sharing your experience. I've been wanting to replace my pole grips for a while and I now feel confident I can do it.

I should be receiving the GG grips next week. One modification I'll need to make is to the hole on the GG grips which does not extend all the way through. I'll need to drill it through because I use the threaded insert at the top of the Ti Goat poles to mount the wrist strap. I'll let you know how it turns out.

The hole at the top is plugged. A quick spin with a drill there will probably melt the glue and let the whole plug come out.

Cheers

>>One modification I'll need to make is to the hole on the GG grips which does not extend all the way through. I'll need to drill it through because I use the threaded insert at the top of the Ti Goat poles to mount the wrist strap. I'll let you know how it turns out.<<

Mark, I'd love see a picture or two of this project along with some info about your straps and the overall finished weight. As a recovering XC skier, I pretty much insist on having straps for my poles. Admittedly it's a personal choice with some weight consequences to add straps, but it's a modification to the GG poles that is of great interest to me.

I received the GG grips today and I’ve attached a couple photo’s showing the process I used to mount them to my Ti Goat pole. It is not difficult. The GG grips weigh .06 oz or 17 grams each. I noticed the GG grip hole diameter is large than Grant stated in his email – it’s just shay of 11/16” and not 9/16”. I was a little concerned the glue wouldn’t bond well.

To remove the foam Goat grips I used a box cutter to slice the side and found the foam was only glued at the bottom. I was able to peel most of it off without much effort, I didn’t bother trying to remove every last bit since it was adhering well and the GG grips had plenty of room to fit over it.

The hole on the GG grips does not extend all the way through so I drilled out the top plug allowing access to the threaded insert in my Ti Goat poles for mounting the wrist strap. To mount the new GG grips I used the Gorilla glue, which according to the directions expends 3-4 times. Not much glue is needed and it seems to have filed the extra space nicely.

Prior to starting I weighed the Ti Goat poles on a digital postal scale – 3.4oz each (less basket and wrist strap). Once the old foam grip was removed they weighed 2.9 oz each. With the new GG grips installed they weigh 3.5 oz (less baskets and wrist straps. The poles have a nice feel and I’m sure I’ll be happy with the new grips.