Bike Polo in Worcester MA

My friend P.G. playing Bike Polo on B.B.'s Salsa Casseroll on an empty parking lot. (an unofficial Bike Polo rink). Unfortunately, there are no Bike Polo leagues in Worcester, MA, or for that matter anywhere near Central Massachusetts. If one were to play Bike Polo in MA, it would be in Boston, specifically in Allston. Currently Banzai Bicycle is searching for good locations for playing Bike Polo. But, it isn't easy to find a vacant flat area, preferably with surrounding walls. The dimensions of the court can vary from Basketball courts and Tennis courts, to Hockey rinks. One aspect must be though, consistently accessible on specific days, thus allowing scheduled events to occur without rain checks. Since gathering for a Bike Polo scrimmage and spending the whole time looking for a playing ground is not acceptable.

If anyone has good locations or ideas where one can play hardcourt Bike Polo, information is greatly appreciated!

Until then, this parking garage (unofficial Bike Polo rink) is great for practicing at night since almost all the cars are gone by dawn.

-Banzai Bicycle

Banzai Bicycle: Bike Polo Mallets

Banzai Bicycle: Bike Polo Mallets

Bike Polo Mallets

 

Bike Polo (also known as, Cycle Polo) is a sport similar to the traditional Polo. The mallet was constructed using equipment bought from FixCraft, an online Bike Polo good store. But the catch is, the materials are not assembled and need some modification before completion. Eventually, the goal is to buy materials from Lowes for cheap. Since this was the first attempt to make a Bike Polo mallet, a safe route was to buy materials which were specifically designed for Bike Polo. 

The shaft portion is 7075 T6 Series 4 aluminum and has a slight taper towards one end. The mallet head is a HDPE piping. Specs for the dimensions can be found here: http://www.fixcraft.net/

Using a power tool with drill bits and a hack saw, the mallet was complete with German/Japanese-like engineering. In a later post, a step-by-step instructions of making the mallet will be posted!

-Banzai Bicycle

Fuji Allegro 1985 Black

First post on Uber Bicycle! (yeah!) Upcoming posts will include progressive posts on building and refurbishing a 1985 Fuji Allegro. This was a slightly beat up black Fuji frame I obtained from Earn-A-Bike, a community service bicycle center located in Worcester, MA. The seat post sticker is red with the Fuji logo in OK condition and the head tube decal of Mt. Fuji in OK condition as well.

The ultimate goal is to make a hipstered (tricked-out/ a.k.a. hamstered) Fixed Fuji using this frame, and purchasing all other components new. And use this Fixed Fuji for playing Bike Polo.

The dirt  from the Fuji frame was removed with a wet towel, and mildly scuffed over the frame and rusty areas with S.O.S steel wool and sprinkled Sodium Bicarbonate from Arm and Hammer. The baking soda acts as a fine abrasive and also acts as a chemical buffer to help prevent further corrosion of the steel frame.

Using a can of black primer from Dupli-color Acrylic Enamel Premium Automotive Formulation, the frame was sprayed with 4 layers of coat. This nicely covered the patches of paint chips in the frame as well as providing a protective layer over the steel to hinder corrosion by limiting moisture and oxygen from reacting with the exposed steel.

Superficial rust can be found inside the bottom bracket.

Rust on the inside of the Head Tube.

Front facing Horizontal drop outs with mounts accepting a derailleur, rack, fender, and the like.

Following the black primer, the Fuji decal on the seat tube was coated with a clear coat of Dupli-color Acrylic Enamel. The clear coat was applied over the black primer and also straight onto the Fuji Decal. The goal was to preserve the original Fuji decal.

 A painted Fuji Frame along with a Bike Polo mallet. Almost ready to play Bike Polo.

Fitted a Velocity Chukker 48 spoke rear wheel onto the frame to get a taste of what the final Fuji bike would look like.

 The Velocity Chukker wheel has a flip-flop hub allowing for choices between fixed cogs or freewheel gears. Having a fixed gear would be great for playing Bike Polo as it allows for more control of the bike during pedaling and the ability to go in reverse. The bike will also have a flat handlebar providing more steer with one hand, as you dribble the ball through the defenders with the other.

The coolest shot in Bike Polo imaginable is a shot placed through your front wheel spokes. Of course, a low spoke count wheel like the Aerospoke would be necessary.

-Banzai Bicycle