Which poles are right for me?<\/u><\/strong><\/h1>\nHaving your own pair of Nordic walking poles is liberating.\u00a0 It enables you to go out any time you want, not just when there\u2019s an organised walk on.\u00a0 You can use them when and where you like and you know that you have exactly the right sort of pole for you.\u00a0 I am always happy to lend poles till you decide Nordic Walking is for you!<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/strong>So which poles are right for me?<\/strong><\/p>\nThe top manufacturers<\/strong><\/p>\nMany companies make Nordic walking poles but sadly our choice in the UK is limited.\u00a0 Reputations change but currently the general view is:<\/p>\n
\n- Leki<\/strong>\u2013 The largest manufacturer of trekking and Nordic walking poles with a huge range to choose from.\u00a0 They offer quality poles from budget to innovative top end designs.\u00a0 You\u2019ll rarely go wrong with a Leki pole.<\/li>\n
- Exel<\/strong>\u2013 The original Nordic walking pole brand from a high quality Finnish company.\u00a0 If you like trivia you may like to know that the company was formed in 1960 when three chemists started to produce electronic detonators to explosives.\u00a0 The name EXEL is derived from Explosive Eletronics.\u00a0 Their fixed Nordic walking poles and All Terrain tip system are excellent.\u00a0 They are the only manufacturer to sell a curved Nordic walking pole.<\/li>\n
- Gabel<\/strong>\u2013\u00a0They used to have problems with the quality of their straps (on the first pair that I bought both straps failed on my first outing).\u00a0 The quality has since improved and they are now a popular budget adjustable pole.<\/li>\n
- Fizan<\/strong>\u2013 An Italian manufacturer.\u00a0 Very few poles available in this country.\u00a0 The adjustable poles still use the old spin lock adjustment system.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Why does the carbon content of a pole matter?<\/strong><\/p>\nIt\u2019s all to do with the amount of vibration you feel up the pole shaft when you punch the pole into the ground.\u00a0 The 100% carbon poles absorb the vibration better which is why they are so nice to use.\u00a0 If you\u2019re a regular Nordic walker, walk on pavements or have neck\/shoulder issues you should always use a 100% carbon pole.\u00a0 They are more expensive but worth it.<\/p>\n
Should I go for fixed length or telescopic\/adjustable?<\/strong><\/p>\nIt used to be that the adjustable Nordic waking poles were heavier and had more vibration than their fixed length counterparts, but that is no longer true. Good quality adjustable poles like the\u00a0Leki Micro Flash<\/strong>\u00a0are solid and extremely lightweight, although there is always the possibility of something going wrong if you are regularly putting the pole up and down. It is personal choice but I prefer Exel fixed length poles for reduced vibration.\u00a0 Telescopic poles do give you the ability to lengthen your pole if you find that Nordic walking has improved your posture and you are walking taller.<\/p>\n\u00a0<\/strong>What about the straps \u2013 do I have a choice of sizes?<\/strong><\/p>\nEach brand of pole manufacturer have their own strap system and they\u2019re not interchangeable.\u00a0 However they all have straps to suit different hand sizes and most offer integrated strap gloves which give you greater control and power.\u00a0 When you buy new poles ask the seller if they will change your strap to a different size for free (most poles come with medium size straps suited more to mens hands).\u00a0 If they won\u2019t you can always buy the straps separately, although they cost around \u00a320 a pair.<\/p>\n
Can I take my travel poles in hand luggage?<\/strong><\/p>\nYou\u2019ll need to contact your airline to find out as some allow poles in hand luggage and some don\u2019t.<\/p>\n
Where can I buy poles from?<\/strong><\/p>\nA search on the internet should give you a variety of buying options, including Amazon or Decathlon for budget poles, if you would like to purchase Exel or Leki I can help with this purchase.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Spare parts.<\/p>\n
I keep a selection of Leki and Exel spare parts in stock.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
What does Nordic walking do for you? Walking is great for losing a few pounds, increased fitness, supports your heart health, increases bone density, good for the joints and of course being outside promotes your wellbeing and mindfulness.\u00a0 Nordic walking increases all these benefits.\u00a0 By adding poles to your walk you are adding a fully […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"ocean_post_layout":"","ocean_both_sidebars_style":"","ocean_both_sidebars_content_width":0,"ocean_both_sidebars_sidebars_width":0,"ocean_sidebar":"0","ocean_second_sidebar":"0","ocean_disable_margins":"enable","ocean_add_body_class":"","ocean_shortcode_before_top_bar":"","ocean_shortcode_after_top_bar":"","ocean_shortcode_before_header":"","ocean_shortcode_after_header":"","ocean_has_shortcode":"","ocean_shortcode_after_title":"","ocean_shortcode_before_footer_widgets":"","ocean_shortcode_after_footer_widgets":"","ocean_shortcode_before_footer_bottom":"","ocean_shortcode_after_footer_bottom":"","ocean_display_top_bar":"on","ocean_display_header":"on","ocean_header_style":"","ocean_center_header_left_menu":"0","ocean_custom_header_template":"0","ocean_custom_logo":0,"ocean_custom_retina_logo":0,"ocean_custom_logo_max_width":0,"ocean_custom_logo_tablet_max_width":0,"ocean_custom_logo_mobile_max_width":0,"ocean_custom_logo_max_height":0,"ocean_custom_logo_tablet_max_height":0,"ocean_custom_logo_mobile_max_height":0,"ocean_header_custom_menu":"0","ocean_menu_typo_font_family":"0","ocean_menu_typo_font_subset":"","ocean_menu_typo_font_size":0,"ocean_menu_typo_font_size_tablet":0,"ocean_menu_typo_font_size_mobile":0,"ocean_menu_typo_font_size_unit":"px","ocean_menu_typo_font_weight":"","ocean_menu_typo_font_weight_tablet":"","ocean_menu_typo_font_weight_mobile":"","ocean_menu_typo_transform":"","ocean_menu_typo_transform_tablet":"","ocean_menu_typo_transform_mobile":"","ocean_menu_typo_line_height":0,"ocean_menu_typo_line_height_tablet":0,"ocean_menu_typo_line_height_mobile":0,"ocean_menu_typo_line_height_unit":"","ocean_menu_typo_spacing":0,"ocean_menu_typo_spacing_tablet":0,"ocean_menu_typo_spacing_mobile":0,"ocean_menu_typo_spacing_unit":"","ocean_menu_link_color":"","ocean_menu_link_color_hover":"","ocean_menu_link_color_active":"","ocean_menu_link_background":"","ocean_menu_link_hover_background":"","ocean_menu_link_active_background":"","ocean_menu_social_links_bg":"","ocean_menu_social_hover_links_bg":"","ocean_menu_social_links_color":"","ocean_menu_social_hover_links_color":"","ocean_disable_title":"default","ocean_disable_heading":"default","ocean_post_title":"","ocean_post_subheading":"","ocean_post_title_style":"","ocean_post_title_background_color":"","ocean_post_title_background":0,"ocean_post_title_bg_image_position":"","ocean_post_title_bg_image_attachment":"","ocean_post_title_bg_image_repeat":"","ocean_post_title_bg_image_size":"","ocean_post_title_height":0,"ocean_post_title_bg_overlay":0.5,"ocean_post_title_bg_overlay_color":"","ocean_disable_breadcrumbs":"default","ocean_breadcrumbs_color":"","ocean_breadcrumbs_separator_color":"","ocean_breadcrumbs_links_color":"","ocean_breadcrumbs_links_hover_color":"","ocean_display_footer_widgets":"default","ocean_display_footer_bottom":"default","ocean_custom_footer_template":"0","footnotes":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/valenordicwalking.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2260"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/valenordicwalking.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/valenordicwalking.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/valenordicwalking.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/valenordicwalking.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2260"}],"version-history":[{"count":18,"href":"https:\/\/valenordicwalking.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2260\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2281,"href":"https:\/\/valenordicwalking.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2260\/revisions\/2281"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/valenordicwalking.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2260"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}