I have Been playing bike polo for around 4 years and in that time things have changed a lot. Originally bike polo started as way for bike messengers to let of steam and have some fun after work, starting in Seattle around seven or eight years ago, the sport grew fast developing a solid following in the U.S with new scenes and players popping up all over the place.
After a few Europeans visited New York and saw the sport being played there, they brought it back over with a Enthusiasm to get it going and get people playing. People started playing in London around five or six years ago and the rest of the uk soon followed. Since then there has been 7 World Championships held all over the world, there are countries from all over the world playing from as far as Japan to South America. The great thing about bike polo is it is a global community, with rules and changes to the game being decided by the entire community and not just by an individual.
The Bikes have changed over the years as well, changing a developing due to the changes in the game…most people started on fixed gear bikes, sometimes with a front brake and sometimes without. People soon found that a bike with a freewheel enabled you more control when shooting and dribbling the ball, then braking became the issue…rear brake only meant lots of skids, so people started running both front a rear brakes off one brake lever, this was done by modifying a v-brake lever using parts designed for BMX bikes…
After while Paul Components found that there was a gap in the market and started to produce the Duplex Lever, which was greatly appreciated by polo players globally. The duplex lever really was the start of products being produced specifically for bike polo, the Velocity Chukker was the next to follow, a rim strong enough to stand up to a battering and the abuse that polo asks of rims. Now Blb and many other companies produce bike polo products and you can pretty much now build a whole bike using just bike polo specific products, from the chain set right down to the hubs you can buy it all.
The Image above is the latest bike polo bike produced by Milwaukee bicycle co, front disc brake only, cassette 120mm hub so you can have an option of gear ratios for the court and commuting and of course 48 hole wheels for strength and durability.
We have built up many polo bikes and have most things in stock to build you up a strong long lasting bike.
For more information on bike polo check out the Hardcourt Bike Polo blog and to find out about your local club or if you want to come play in cambridge, get involved in the London Fixed-gear and Single-speed forums.
3 … 2 … 1 … Polo!
