Posted by P.V.Junkie on April 30, 2001 at 16:05:58:
In Reply to: Re: Pole Flex posted by Tom on April 29, 2001 at 23:30:59:
Lots of good info here......but some corrections. First of all, Best flex is in not affiliated with Bruce. Best flex is a scientifically based method of determining the relative stiffness of a pole (the max. allowable weight). It has nothing to do with someones experience or opinion. It takes into account the stresses applied (potential and actual) by a vaulter and then takes the stresses that the fibers can handle (the glass or glass + carbon) to determine at what point the end product will fail (when the possible forces exceed the maximum strength). The flex # tells the maker what weight to mark the pole. This removes almost all the GUESS work. It also provides a smooth transition from pole to pole. If you have a pole flexed in inches you can roughly convert it by multiplying the inches by 2.54 and that would be the approximate flex # in CM. Most of the makers of poles have someone you can call to help you make sense of all of this. Give them a call and ask for the person who can help!!!!
Thats it in laymans terms (kinda)
later, P.V. Junkie a.k.a. Bryan Carrel
(technical rep with one of the pole co.)