Struggling with DISTEL DMM SPURS Advice Needed

[Jamie Jones]

DISTEL DMM SPURS Advice and Help needed..
I have upgraded my budget Treehog Spurs for a set of 'DISTEL DMM SPURS WITH CLICK BUCKLES'...
I like the Distel DMM Spurs for the comfort, padding, and most of all the quickness to getting them on and off.
But I am really struggling with them when climbing. They came with the short gaffs and although they look ok. I am finding that I am gaffing out all the time. Especially when I am on a stem and going through the motion of flipping the flip line up the stem. Which means that I have been loosing confidence in them.
To try and remedy this I ordered a set of long gaffs. This has solved the 'Gaffing Out' issue. But I feel the long gaffs are too long. As I feel like I am always on the points and don't get the use of my feet balancing on the side of the tree's stem. Plus with my weight I often find that the spurs have buried so deep into the trunk that they stems to stick in and I have to wrestle them out which is getting annoying.
I have since going back to the short spurs only to find that I was continuously gaffing out again.
Ideally I feel that a set of intermediates length spikes would be best to have the right balance between the long and the short gaffs. But they don't do any.
Apart from the discomfort of the Treehog spike I am thinking of going back to them as I was far more confident in climbing with them.

Question:
1) Has anyone else had this issue with the DISTEL SPURS or the DISTEL DMM SPURS? If so how did your get resolve this problem?
2) I have spoken to the dealers and they say that they don't do an intermediate length spur... Does anyone know who the manufacture or importers are for them? As I would like to see if they will do me a set of medium/intermediate length..

I have looked on the DMM website and they do not even list them, so I'm not sure what the DMM connection is with them.

[Steve Bullman]

Short spikes are better. What spurs did you have before? A slight different angle can really throw off your muscle memory but you WILL adjust. How long have you been persevering?

[Will C]

They could be to sharp, knock the points back a touch with a file and you won’t gaff out as much, I find if there to sharp they peel the bark causing the gaff out. 
 

Other thought is have you got the height set right? I find 2-3 fingers below the knee works for me, try adjusting it a hole if you can, it can change the angle of the spike enough to make it bite (or not)

[Jamie Jones]

24 minutes ago, Steve Bullman said:

Short spikes are better. What spurs did you have before? A slight different angle can really throw off your muscle memory but you WILL adjust. How long have you been persevering?

My previous set of spikes were the treehog spike. Didn't have an issue with the gaffs, but they were so uncomfortable it was unreal..

With the Distel DMM about a weeks work on the short gaffs, and a couple of weeks on the long gaffs.
Just tried the short gaffs again and it was just a nightmare, gaffing out while flipping the flipping and sliding down the stem. Gaffing out when trying to work around the tree. It was dam dangerous on the short gaffs. Total loss of confidence.

Ideally I need the manufacture to do me a set of gaff midway between the short and the long to try and get a working balance.

Edited November 2, 2023 by Jamie Jones

[Jamie Jones]

3 minutes ago, Will C said:

They could be to sharp, knock the points back a touch with a file and you won’t gaff out as much, I find if there to sharp they peel the bark causing the gaff out. 
 

Other thought is have you got the height set right? I find 2-3 fingers below the knee works for me, try adjusting it a hole if you can, it can change the angle of the spike enough to make it bite (or not)

I have the height bang on and they are very comfortable..

[paddyvero]

Are you on pole gaffs or those weird euro gaffs Distel make? Id say stick with the long tree gaffs, wont be long before you get used to them. I switched 9yrs ago and never went back to pole gaffs. Or file your long gaffs down until they are 'medium'. 

[Steve Bullman]

26 minutes ago, paddyvero said:

Are you on pole gaffs or those weird euro gaffs Distel make? Id say stick with the long tree gaffs, wont be long before you get used to them. I switched 9yrs ago and never went back to pole gaffs. Or file your long gaffs down until they are 'medium'. 

My first pair had the euro gaffs, horrendous things! Tried and tried to get used to them but gave up and bought the short gaffs.

 

Can't see any reason for them to gaff out other than muscle memory. Perhaps you just need to learn to angle your legs slightly differently.

[gand]

They do a short, euro and long gaff for Distel spikes. I don't know if the euro would fit as it's not classed as an option for those ones. I'm guessing they might be something in the middle 

[gand]

Or maybe I'm wrong looking at Steve's reply 

[Steve Bullman]

3 minutes ago, gand said:

They do a short, euro and long gaff for Distel spikes. I don't know if the euro would fit as it's not classed as an option for those ones. I'm guessing they might be something in the middle 

When they first came out the euro gaffs were pretty much default, had to special order regular gaffs.