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...I've never once thought I needed a bicycle polo bike.
Today, casually bouncing around the Banana Industries site, but brain revealed that I absolutely do need one to fill no apparent gap in my fleet!
I would buy one of those if it were tweaked to be more town-bike friendly. Like a modern day Pompino type thing as my old Specialized SS is probably way past retirement age now and I've not built a new bike in over 6 months.
If had the skillZ to play bike polo, maybe... but it's way out of my league. And I'd get hurt 🤣
That's some refreshingly honest marketing on their home page!
You know how track bikes are brilliant on a velodrome when everyone is riding the same thing, but they're terrifying and impractical anywhere else?
Well polo bikes are brilliant on a bike polo field when everyone is riding the same thing. I can imagine they'd fit the same terrifying and impractical everywhere else niche as well.
(I've played a couple of times on Herne Hill Velodrome, they used to use the infield for bicycle polo back in the day and often had little tryout sessions. I was never any good nor really tempted to try and improve!)
You know how track bikes are brilliant on a velodrome when everyone is riding the same thing, but they're terrifying and impractical anywhere else?
Tell that to the man (me) that rides around 4,000 miles a year on the road using one and has done for the last 25 years.
I used to have a bike polo bike.
Donated by the local bike recycling project (Recycke-a-Bike, Stirling) before it opened shop.
Cheap Mtb-alike, swapped to a fixie, with cut-down bars.
Cycling into practice via the local roundabouts was terrifying.
Bunch of riders used to come across from Johnstone for games and we even had a visitor from Arkansas. Bike polo has taken off again locally if anyone's interested.
Well polo bikes are brilliant on a bike polo field when everyone is riding the same thing. I can imagine they'd fit the same terrifying and impractical everywhere else niche as well.
This, so much this.
They are twitch as anything. Great fun game though, on any bike.
I gave away a bent-frame, (road accident) Genesis DayOne to a lad who was trying out bike polo once. Apparently the post-crash geometry was spot on, but I did make him promise never to ride it on the road!
I turned up 2 weeks ago for a session - definitely moved on since those days 'battling' against @StirlingCrispin - mallets are longer and have a designed head.
Was great fun but a long wheelbase doesn't work as well as a polo bike.
I'm off to look at that link and see if I can talk myself into committing to it regularly.
For those who might be interested, there is a tournament tomorrow - 09.00-18.00 at the basketball court in Keir Street, Bridge of Allan (very close to Graham's Dairies).
back in the mid 90's my commute about london was a 531 74 parallel road bike, which must've been a 80's build of campag record and shimano dura ace ax. That was somewhat 'responsive' but perfect for nipping around traffic. However it did have 700c wheels. with 26" wheels, I suspect it'd be stupidly twitchy.
I do hope bananaindustries remake a steel 26" wheeled rigid singlespeed MTB for cheapness...
Reading more, that sounds like it could be ideal for bike polo on grass...the stuff that seems to be done now is on a hard court like a basketball court. They seem to be 700c wheels (probably track bikes)...
I see a potential cycle speedway bike. Cool bars and drifts n skids on old 26" tyres - a dangerous sort of pub bike.
Steep head angles in all these bikes, but not much fork offset. Just a short wheelbase that corners easily.
360mm bridgeless chainstays? I almost feel like that could squeak a 700x32c tyre for silly SS-CX shenanigans (?) Brakes would be the challenge though wouldn’t it. Or a 26er flip-flop fixed/free thing, I happen to have a 26er Aluminium rigid fork spare, and at least one 26” rim, and some hubs… Bastards! I don’t need another bike, I already have as SS/fixie thing… No! I am resisting… for now
I did a few off seasons of road training on a track bike and it was pointless and awful (then got a fixed roadie, which was less bad). I'm glad i didn't pay for either of them.Tell that to the man (me) that rides around 4,000 miles a year on the road using one and has done for the last 25 years.
All the stuff about purity of motion and connection to the bike and silent running. Pfffft.
Track bikes for the track, fixed roadies for a quick commute (which is what i used mine for until i sold it).
Brakes would be the challenge though wouldn’t it
You could probably use an a-z disc adapter on plate dropouts.
https://www.bikeparts.co.uk/products/a2z-mountain-bike-disc-brake-frame-adaptor-dmuni
