I had a pair of poles that I liked the graphics and colors, but they were too long for my liking. I wanted to shorten them and put bike grips on them, so I scoured the interwebz looking for a guide to help me on my quest... but alas, I found none. So I decide to do it myself and learn, and share what I had found with you.
^ Pretty sweet, eh?
What you'll need:
BMX grips. Mine are Stolen Money grips. Find them here > http://http://www.amazon.com/Stolen-Money-Grips/dp/B003UWFHSA
Drill, with appropriate size bit(the diameter of your screw excluding threads)
2: 1 1/4" self tapping hex head screws
Epoxy
Wood dowel (I had to make one myself)
Hockey tape
Razor knife
Paper towels
Nut driver for hex head screw
How to do it:
Start by making a 2in dowel to fit in the inside of the top of your ski pole. (Assuming that it's to the length you want, otherwise just cut it with a hacksaw) Epoxy the dowel flush with the top of the pole. Wait for the epoxy to dry then drill through the dowel in the center. (this will be used for your end cap later)
Cut your end cap to fit the pole and drill through the center of the end cap. Now test fit the grip to the pole. Odds are that it fits very loosely on the pole. Wrap hockey tape around the pole to fill in the gap. Then slather the tape in epoxy (to seal the grip so the tape doesn't get wet) and slide the grip on. At this point your fit and grip orientation on your pole should be ready to go. Then take the screw and coat the end with epoxy and screw the end cap into the dowel. Repeat as necessary.
If you want to have straps like mine, all you have to do is cut a little bit of your grip so that the strap can sit without pushing up the end cap. Then just send the screw through the end cap and the strap into the dowel. Repeat as necessary.
?????????????
Profit =)
Sorry I didn't take more pictures of the process itself, but once I started I couldn't stop.
