Trekking Pole Troubles: How to fix poles that don’t tighten
September 13, 2010 by Jayah Faye Paley
Filed under DVD Updates, Gear, Pole Tips, Poles, Poles for Balance & Mobility, Poles for Hiking, Poles for Nordic Walking
The 2 most common problems people have with their poles are:
- “I’m unable (or afraid) to take my poles apart.”
- “My poles won’t tighten.”
This post deals with #2.
There are different kinds of mechanisms that hold the poles together and tight. ALL are a SIMPLE FIX if you know how. Many poles come with instructions. Please learn how BEFORE you head out on your hike 
LEKI SpeedLock: Turn the round, clear dial with your finger or a dime to tighten.
LEKI Twist Style Poles: 2 types – single expander and double expander. Both can fail if you over-loosen the poles. If that happens, the section will twist and not tighten. Easy (but different) fixes:
- Single (Standard) expander (usually orange): push the section that won’t tighten all the way in. Push and twist at the same time – many times – until the expander “catches.” Then adjust as usual.
- Double expander (Super Lock system): A little trickier, but also easy when you know how. This fix can be done with the poles apart or even where the expander meets the sleeve. Here’s a fix it from LEKI that shows how to do this fix.
Black Diamond FlickLock: Use a Phillips screwdriver to tighten just enough to hold, but not so tight it’s difficult to use. Since all our adjusting on the trail is in the middle section, tighten the bottom tighter for your BASELINE length. Finesse so that the middle (adjusting) section is tight enough to hold on steep downhill, but loose enough to easily adjust. Note: when closing the FlickLock, make sure it’s completely closed. People often leave it just a little open. This mechanism is either open or closed. Not completely closed is OPEN.
Bottom Line: Before you leave the store with your new poles, learn TWO things:
- How to take apart and put your poles together.
- How to troubleshoot your poles (how to fix them if they fail to tighten).
Everything else you need to know is on the video. We also show good technique and etiquette for taking poles apart and putting them together on the video.
Addendum: Here’s a YouTube post that shows fixing the LEKI expander.
My comment on this post: Nicely done! Failure to tighten is a problem!
It’s the Orange “rocket” that’s the culprit. When people over-LOOSEN the poles, the rocket gets STUCK on the bottom of the screw. What you’re doing by capturing the blue expander at the sleeve is affixing the blue so you can move the orange piece up the screw just a bit to release it. Knowing this is ESSENTIAL.
Please PRACTICE this! When it’s EASY, it’s right. Don’t force it.
I have Lexi tour triple spring system poles and unable to tighten one pole. Should I be tightening the screw on top of the spring?
Push section in and twist until the section “catches” back onto the expander. The expander is in there, but by overloosening, the section has become detached from the expander.
Good poles. Great adjusting system. Fast!
Enjoy! Let me know how this goes!
I have leki trekking poles! They are much better than a cane for posture and balance as I don’t have to lean to the side & down @ all, however, if they need readjusting, and just won’t “catch” it is a problem. I’ve asked other people -even men whom seem to be able to “just do it” to no avail.
I keep them because it doesn’t happen often that they need adjusted, and I know it is just a matter of “catching it”. However, I’m not sure that I would buy another pair.
Functionally with shock absorbers, they would have been a big help when I climbed Mt. McClaughen the year before I was diagnosed.
This happens because you loosen them a bit too much. Practice at home so you’re more confident.
For the truly failed expander, you can GENTLY stretch it, then put it back together. A wise man at LEKI showed me this trick
Thanks for your comment
hi, i have just over-pulled/ overloosen the pole as I failed to read the word “STOP” which indicates the maximum length that i should pull. I can now see something like string in the middle of the pole.
May I know what should I do in order to fix it? Thank You very much in advance!
I suggest you get really comfortable with taking apart and putting together your poles. Practice this.
If you pull out almost all the way and it gets stuck, gently loosen until you can push it back in.
All of this kind of thing should be EASY. If easy, then it’s right. Don’t muscle this because, although unlikely, you could break the expander.
I’m not sure what you mean by a string, unless it’s one of those new attached poles. What model do you have?
jayah