If this goes down then I definitely will need a new bike...I found a Takara frame...custom 120 I think. Anyone have any info on it?

Ya, its super sweet!!!! Oh, wait I am the one selling it. I have other frames that aren't listed in my cl ads btw.

how big is the "field" for bike polo

wheeler park's basketball count has embankments basically all around it, so i don't think it would be too bad

depends, for urban versions people will use a street hockey court or b-ball court from what i understand, for grass, I'm thinking a small soccer court(seeming they use size 1 soccer balls in this case)

I have a park across the street from me that could probebly handle either type, and there are also mulitple (5-6) soccer fields within a half mile that you could go to town on if you want to play on grass

my friends and I play in a parking lot short court concrete and fixed
the usa bike polo guys play at a park down the street on saturdays by traditional horse polo rules on mtb with special brakes and bars

the usa polo guys came and watched a few of our matches and we have played on the grass with them a few times they always get a little blown away when we trackstand or ride backward and they are also a little weary of the fearlessness when it comes to charging at the ball

Playing on pavement doesn't suck the fun out of it. It just changes the game.

Hockey is played on ice. Street jockey is played on pavement.
Both hurt to fall on. Both are fun as hell.

grass is not as abundant up here but there are a lot of empty courts

Having played both I can very safely say that the pain of falling on concrete is completely different from that of falling on ice. Same goes for grass.

this makes sense.

But you missed the point. It doesn't matter what you're falling on, because its still fun.

There is plenty of grass in DC. I want to play in the grass as well, but we like our little hockey rink.

A hocky rink would be fun!

Maybe I'm needed to harden the **** up but repeatedly falling on pavement makes something so much less fun for me and causes guilt if I were to make someone else do it that I would ride completely differently

Well, you don't usually fall on to the pavement that much, and usually try your best not to maliciously hurt somebody.

Kinda like street hockey.

Well, at least non-super-competitive-friendly-style-street hockey.

A hockey rink is super fun.

The more I think about it, pavement wouldn't be that bad as long as you had gloves on. Crashing wouldn't be any worse than a spill at the skate park. Most of the serious injuries I've seen playing bike polo were caused by impact with a bicycle, not the ground.

And that is a large portion of what I mean by taking the fun out. On grass there would be crashes all the time but it generally just resulted in bikes getting damaged not people so was jut a fun part of the game. On pavement you would have to play much more conservatively.

I think you are talking about different types of hockey rinks.

My injury was impact with the bike.

I agree with kemmer, a lot like a fall at the skate park.

You get a little sore, a little bruised, but its all in good fun.

As long as people don't get malicious.

We have tons of crashed. We check each other into the boards. We ride each into walls. But its all in fun and nobody is taking somebody else out.

Although, one time I did hit a guy in the forehead with the ball. He stopped because he was all confused, and I stopped because I was laughing so hard.

edit: and its not that you don't fall. You just usually catch yourself or do a tuck 'n' roll traffic ninja style.
(yes, I threw traffic ninja in there just for you)

true. most of the time you eject and run off the bike while it crashes to the ground. But right now I've got two bruised knees from colliding with other player's bike. damn, that sh*t did hurt.


hey ryan, you guys playing down there today? give my regards to daddy tink et al.

Like everyone's saying, crashing with other bikes is what hurts. If these grass guys are afraid of full contact, then it sounds like I might just fall asleep and lose interest at one of those games. I know the Chicago and Lexington crews roll on grass, but they are fearsome fellows and probably are fans of full contact. I'd like to try it, but I feel like my handling, passing, and shooting would be back to newbie status once I get on grass. Not to mention soccer balls are much heavier and probably can't be whacked as hard and as far with a mallet.

not the point was that grass encourages more contact than a paved surface.

yes, we are. i'll give him a kiss on the chin for you.

with my shoulder.

Not at all, full contact is the way it's done and bad crashes are common. Most people bring spare wheels and I don't think there's ever been a night when everyone went home wtih their bike as good as it was when they came.

first and only real wreck during polo was about a year ago my friend and I were charging the ball (on opposing teams) and neither of us wavered we ended up running headlong into each other and busting our knuckles up that was about it

bumpin dis thred what with all the polo talk, I forgot to mention this!
our friends are throwing a bike polo meet this month in NYC.


http://img247.imageshack.us/img247/273/lmmflyeruc1.jpg


come one, come all!