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I have never had any of my kids jump on 5m poles. I don't know what pole to move to next.
For example if we have a 4.90 (14.5 flex) and I want a 5m pole that would be the equivalent to a 4.90 (14.1), what size pole would that be?
Thanks for any help

Never done 4.90 to 5m either but based on what I experience for all other lengths...

Assume grip is the same on both the 4.90 and 5m.

Guideline: 15cm/6" in pole length increase = 10lb/2.0 flex difference.
ex: 15'0" 190 = 15'6" 180 when gripping at the same spot

You are doing a 10cm/4" increase in pole so it's not going to be the same as above. I would say a 5m 16.1 would be a safe transition to be sure your athlete makes it into the pit. The pole will be small but they will not have a bad experience. You can then go up from there.

Now this could be all crap with 5m poles but it works well for me for 99% of my athletes.

Thanks CD, and yes I know poles transitions on 4.90 poles and down pretty well.
I didn't use the weight of the pole for a reason, I think it's irrelevant.
What I am wanting is to find a 5 meter pole that's going to feel about .4 bigger than a 4.90 (14.5). The problem CD is that I think 4.90 and 5.00 poles are flexed on the same scales. So your and my method for transitioning from like 4.60-4.75-4.90 poles won't hold true for 5.00 poles.

Ok, If you have the same mfg of poles from 4.90 to 5m I would call the mfg and ask. They flex the poles so they will know.

If you are going from say Pacer to UCS then it's a crapshoot. You could always flex them yourself and find out.

There is also the small problem that the transition will be easy or difficult spending on your vaulters speed, height and technique.
Not so much of a problem if they are only going to grip at the same height on the longer pole - but theres no logic in that. Moving grips up is a particular issue for athletes who take off flat.

Does anyone have any advice on the flex comparison between 4.60 and 4.75 poles. I know from 4.75 to 4.90 and 4.90 to 5.00 you pretty much just keep going down on flex for a bigger pole ( a 15.0 flex on 4.75, 4.90, and 5.00 should be about the same gripping the same).

But what is the conversion from 4.60 poles to 4.75 poles? What would a 4.60 15.0 flex be compared to a 4.75 pole? I know the number is bigger (like 19-21) but do not know exactly what it is supposed to be.

Altius, I only raise their grips when moving to stiffer pole keeping the end ex the same. So the pole isn't softer or stiffer, juts a longer lever to rotate. That's why I am trying to figure out the exact flex transition so I know how much to move their grip.

And pv2020 if we are talking about pacer poles, a 4.60 (15.0) would be equivant to a 4.75 (17.4).

KYLE ELLIS wrote:Altius, I only raise their grips when moving to stiffer pole keeping the end ex the same. So the pole isn't softer or stiffer, juts a longer lever to rotate. That's why I am trying to figure out the exact flex transition so I know how much to move their grip.

And pv2020 if we are talking about pacer poles, a 4.60 (15.0) would be equivant to a 4.75 (17.4).

Thank you for the reply Kyle, but I have a feeling that is not 'exact'. I wanted a little precise. Like how the 4.90 (15.0) is equal to the 5.00 (15.0).

For instance, in my bag of tricks (UCS) I have a 15' 180 would be a 15.6 flex but a 15' 7 190 is a 17.8 flex.

I generally say that a 15'1 180 should be relatively the same as a 15'7 175. That would be a 15.6 and a 20.9 flex. However I want the exact conversion. In this case there is a 5.3cm difference. But when I go from 15'1 155 to 15'7 150 that goes from 20.8 to 27.8 which is a 7.0cm difference. And when I go from 15' 190 to 15'7 185 I go from a 14.2 to a 18.8 which is a 4.6cm difference.

So with UCS poles in my selection, going up 6 inches and down 5 pounds has given me a 4.6, 5.3, and a 7.0 cm difference.

Most of my 15'7 poles were ordered by flex (from 180-205), but the softer ones from 150-175 as well as the 15' poles were all ordered by weight label so somewhat random.

I was always taught it is about 5 pounds per centimeter when changing flex on the same length, but I wanted to know how to change from 15' to 15'7. Should it be closer to the 4.6 or the 7.0? Or is there really no way to compair between 15'1 poles and 15'7 poles when it comes to flex at UCS?

I want to be able to answer these simple questions!

A) I have a 15' 185 (15.0flex), what is the next 15' pole in the series?

Answer: 15' 190 14.0flex

B) I have a 15' 185 (15.0flex), what would be the next pole if I switch to 15'7 poles?

Answer: ???????????????? I don't know. And I want the exact number that I would tell the manufacture when ordering by flex number.

PV020 - It depends on the manufacturer. Gill uses a different span for each length of pole. UCS measures their 13'7, 14'7 and 15'7 poles on the same spans as... umm I think 13'1, 14'1 and 15'1 poles, though I could be off by a foot there, I am sure someone else here knows.

So you can compare the flex numbers on a 13' Gill and Spirit pole, it's not perfect (flex numbers are not perfect anyway) but it will be close because they use a very similar span. But a 13'6/13'7 Gill and Spirit will have very different flex numbers.

Hope that helps a little.

Thanks Becca, that's why I said if we are talking about Pacer poles.

Pv2020, I think Ucs flexed 4.75 poles on a 4.90 span. So taking what I know from pacer poles that would make 4.60 (15.0) roughly equivelant to a 19.6- on a 4.90 scale...