Leki Ultratrail FX.One Poles Review
Active Gear Review is supported by its audience. If you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.
For decades, Leki has brought determination, natural enthusiasm and dedication into everything they produce. They are passionate about outdoor sports and proud to offer athletes the world’s best products. The Leki Ultratrail FX.One trail running poles are no exception to those values.
After training for and competing in several 200 mile mountain ultramarathons, I learned to love and appreciate a really nice pair of trekking poles. Graduating from an inexpensive pair of aluminum poles that helped me learn how to use them, I wandered around with a few varieties of carbon poles. I hadn’t really fallen in love with any of them until now. The Leki Ultratrail FX.One is the ultimate companion for steep climbs and quickly making your way down a rugged trail.
The Leki Ultratrail FX.One is a carbon fiber pole designed for trail running. While it is not the lightest in Leki’s trail running lineup, I was advised by the representative that it will be the most durable for frequent use while training and also great for racing. She recommended the thinner Ultratrail FX.One Superlite as a race day pole, but indicated that it was not as durable for a multi-use training pole. I decided that Ultratrail FX.One was the right choice for me.
High Quality Construction
As beautiful as they are strong, the Leki Ultratrail FX.One is constructed of stiff carbon material. The lightweight strength of carbon allows for a low swing weight and a precise plant. Despite their thin, 16mm shaft, I found them to be super accurate and never “flexy” in the plant. The poles are a fixed-length, foldable pole. Inside the shaft is a plastic coated cable with no stretch which allows for quick, solid deployment with a “snap” of the spring loaded release button. The cork handles and lightweight plastics used as reinforcement and grip attachments are solid and durable, and yet this pole weighs in at a mere 6.4 ounces.
Grips and Straps on the Leki Ultratrail FX.One
The grips and straps on the Leki Ultratrail FX.One is one of the highlights of this product. The poles are equipped with the new Trail-Shark system. Designed exclusively for trail running, the Trail-Shark system features newly designed air channels reducing the grip weight by 30% as compared to their familiar Shark system. I can barely feel the head weight on these poles which is very important to me. I tend to use my poles on the climbs and hold them mid-shaft as I run down the other side of the slope.
Speaking of holding the poles, the strap system on the Leki Ultratrail FX.One is like nothing I have ever tried before. Leki employs a glove like strap that envelopes your hand and is secured in place with a hook and loop strap. The head of the pole has a slim attachment point with a push button release. Attaching and detaching the strap is a breeze. The shape of the attachment point slides the loop to the center of the pole providing exceptional transfer of power. This provides for a very stable stick without much effort. Additionally, the straps are breathable and don’t leave your palm in a sweaty mess.
The one thing that wasn’t perfect was the size of the straps. For pole lengths 105-115, the straps are size S-M-L and pole lengths 120-135, size M-L-XL. I ordered the length 130mm. Even with normal size ladies hands, I took the straps to the smallest adjustment which left a flap of material loose. I will order the S-M-L size to replace the M-L-XL size. It’s a small thing, but it would be nice if the user could order the desired strap size with the pole rather than having to replace the ones that come with it.
Tips for Every Terrain
The tip of the Leki Ultratrail FX.One is a concave carbide tip that provides excellent traction, even on solid rock. They are replaceable tips screwed into the base of a tiny basket. I am not usually a fan of baskets on poles, I found that the baskets on the Ultratrail FX.One were compact and rounded. They don’t get caught on rocks and roots as I tend to “drag” my poles rather than swing them. I found equally pleasing that the baskets were big enough to prevent the poles from sinking deep into the sand as I ran the Michigan sand dunes.
Using the Leki Ultratrail FX.One Poles While on the Move
The true test of these poles for me was the ease of deployment while on the run. As I train for the 2024 Leadville 100 Trail Run, the last thing I want to do is fumble with my poles. I found the the removable straps and slim grips make them perfect for attaching to my race vest. The straps were easily stowed in a pocket on my vest. When I was ready for my poles, I donned the straps then easily slid my poles from my back without the resistance of fat grips or tangled straps.
The poles store at 15 inches and were easy to drop open and snap into the fixed length. There was no adjustment point to fiddle with (or fail). It only took 5 seconds to open the poles and clip in the straps. Boom! Ready! It was exactly what I had been dreaming of after a frustrating experience with my previous poles during a race. Putting the poles away was equally as pleasing. I had no issue sliding them in and out of my pole quiver.
