Any competition for the Gossamer Gear LT4S?

Eric-

The process was pretty straight forward.

I used some small, super sharp embroidery scissors to cut off the grips. On my pair at least, there was very little glue holding them on, and they separated from the pole easily.

Once the grips are off, you'll see that the grey plastic cap on the top that holds the straps is pinned to the top of the carbon fiber tube. I used a fine tooth hacksaw blade to cut the tube just below this pin, but above the bottom of the grey cap. The 2-3mm piece of grey plastic left behind from the cap simply slid off.

Then I lightly sanded the small amount of residual hardened glue off of the top of the tube where the grips had been with some 400 grit paper, and took a wet rag and wiped the tube clean.

Finally, I put a small amount of dish soap on the top of the poles (spread thinly and evenly across the entire section where the grip will sit) and muscled the grips on.

With my previous grip replacement job on the aluminum poles, I had used a small amount of gorilla glue as both the lubricant and the adhesive. It was quite a struggle to get them all the way on. Using dish soap was much easier, but now I'm thinking of a way to herd David 's advice above concerning the top of the poles working their way through the top of the grips. The grips have a bit of stretch to them, so I think a soft, curved shim might let me open a small gap to put a bit of gorilla glue in there, and then let them rest overnight to allow the glue to flow down the tube and set. I'll let everyone know how that goes once I come up with a suitable method.

I've swapped the GG grips on some BD Traverse poles, creating a stiff, two-section pole that is capable of supporting my Duomid at various heights with no extenders.

I did make the mistake that Dave mentioned, of not getting enough glue bonded on the pole itself. So, after a couple hundred miles, I had to buy a new set of grips and replace one of the poles.

My favorite method for making this work well is also the easiest I've found through searching the forums.

(1) Measure how far down the grips will go on your trekking pole, and then apply a very thin covering of Gorilla Glue over the entirety of this section.

(2) Since Gorilla Glue is activated by water, pour a small amount of water inside the hole in the GG grips, cover the hole with your hand, and shake to distribute the water on the inside of the hole. Quickly pour out the remaining water.

(3) Slide the GG grips onto the trekking pole, making sure to apply even pressure down their length (so that the EVA isn't compressed; if it is–it will eventually pull away as it tries to return to its natural form). They should go on fairly quickly, as the water both acts as a lubricant to the very sticky Gorilla Glue and activates it at the same time. (This method takes a few minutes of good pulling to get them on, compared to over half an hour when I applied Gorilla Glue to the inside of the grips and put water on the trekking poles.)

(4) Once the grips are fully seated, pull down slowly on the bottom of the grip to make sure it is fully stretched out and not unintentionally compressed. If you're a real nerd, you can measure before/after lengths to make sure they match up (but measure the actual grip first, as I've noticed some minor variances in length from grip to grip).

(5) Store upside down and check on them regularly for half an hour to an hour. This method doesn't use very much Gorilla Glue, but it does cause a fair bit to bubble out. Just wipe this excess off with a paper towel, and it will be a nice, clean bond.

Doing things this way solved any problems I had with a pole poking through the grip.

I recently replaced my LT4s with Ruta Locura poles. Love them.

Don Meredith