freewheel/back brake
Fixed vs. Free
I've been noticing at tournaments that a majority of the best players play on freewheels - Ex: Doug D., Ottowa's A & B teams, Madison boys... There are some exceptions, however - 2/3 of the multi-tournament winning team of Doug D., Paul and Zak ride fixed wheel bikes. I've been playing for 6 months and am doing ok on a fixed wheel with a brake, but am thinking that having a freewheel would offer a more stable shooting platform (and I would be able to attempt those ben & jonny hunter-esqe superman shots, too). What do y'all think is best suited to the game?
hey everybody! ben's funny! you're funny ben.
Doug D
Brooklyn, New York
http://www.hardcourtbikepolo.com/
I think freewheels are nice, they allow ben to do the super man shots. Also, i find the turning and reach are much improved. Come to think about it then only thing that one can do better on a fixed gear is stop better in the rain (i've taken care of this issue by using a drum brake) and go backwards, which i don't really care about. I think more and more people are switching over.
yeah lots of pros and cons:
free:
shorter turning radius
ability to position feet for maximum stability in crashes
ability to position feet for quick start-ups
ability to position feet to avoid getting chewed up by stuff
ability to position feet for best shooting
fixed:
skid action
trackstand control
limited backing ability
any other advantages / disadvantages to list? almost all of the best players in the west play with freewheels now, mostly for the above advantages.
i play freewheel with a front brake that i find gives me maximum stopping power and the most control over my speed. the faster i can stop the faster i go. i'm one of the few free / front riders out there. i'm missing the skidding game but we can stop so much faster under control that it seems to outweigh the disadvantages for my style of play.
i was ridding with a front free set up, that just had killer stops, but then my manager changed my brake to a rear and ive noticed gained a ton of control and still can stop with fast enough, if not faster if you throw a hip into it. that being said ,for you game style i would definitely suggest a front brake
Free is the way to roll in my books, i think coasting is cool...
i use a front brake as well, better stopping power which is really helpful on our long courts in madison, less useful on shorter courts because i don't need to change my speeds as much.
Also, i will probably continue using a free because i dropped fifty bucks on a drum hub and i like it in the rain. Another reason is that ben goes through around 4-6 tires a month. I go through maybe 4 a year
your brake sucks
Been playing fixed with a rear brake for my 6 months of polo, but watching all you guys in DC in Toronto doing the one-footed superman thing, I think I'm gonna try free with 2 brakes (found a lever that will pull 2 cables at once). Looking forward to having a greater reach and range of motion with the mallet.
Would like to have brake with greater stopping power than road calipers though. thinking a disk brake would be ideal, or at least a bike with bosses for cantilever or linear pull brakes.
jonny, any problems with the drum hub so far?
anybody like using a coaster brake?
It's true. Fixed riders can go through an obscene number of tires. I'm already switching out my back and it was new at Worlds. I started with a coaster but I gave it up because they were either shitty or had a throw that took far too long to engage. But I do miss coasting. If Sram or whoever decided to make a quick-engaging, rugged coaster I'd switch back in a heartbeat. I ride fixed mainly because I do use skidding to make pivot turns. I could do this with a rear brake but also I enjoy the control and stability it affords me in checking, backing up, (yes, it's limited but it's effective), and maneuvering. It seems that a team should consist of at least one fixed player and one free. The other is a toss up and more dependent on that teams particular style of play to tip the scale.
freewheel all the way
crandle has saved a many goals with his back up, and cremmin has saved even more
i just switched to freewheel after the last midwest championship and my umpteenth crash into a wall riding brakeless fixed. my thinking was i'd just add a brake at first... but since i have a brake now i may as well try rioding freewheel. havent gone back.
i agree with all le jacklle's point's. not beiong able to crank backwards was the hardest thing get over. one other major advantage is that you can run a lower gear riding freewheel so you can accelerate faster and coast at top speed without maintaining that high cadence if riding fixed.
also, i burn through way more tires and skid more riding free with rear brake. vs fixed it seems. mabey it's easier to lock up that rear wheel and skid longer or mabey cuz i can put more weight over my rear wheel to stop quicker?... idk
its the weight on the rear i think, cause i brun like matches. i dont think about my weight and on afixed ithink it helps to start the lock up if you gets some weight off the back wich is less time of ripping the shit out of that tire. so what fuck it there will always be more tires
Yeah, the goal saving is a fixed gear plus.
I have played both free and fixed and when i switche dto free this past winter in mke everyone made fun of me..I.e. joe burge cough cough. i got fed up though when my cable snapped in a game and went back to fixed but lowered by gear ratio.
disadvantage for fixed-
you have to have both hands on the bike to do hard stops or when you are going to fast which takes your mallet out of play.
advatage fixed-
the pivot 180 degree swithback spin move i have been able to use it to regain position after losing position
no dice nyc...MKE!
i noticed that braking issue. it takes more intent to stop on a fixed gear. but thats a good reason never to have to stop. let the wall do the work for you
free all the way
I started playing polo on a freewheel and eventually switched to fixed. I am now of the opinion that freewheel is the way to go. HOWEVER, I believe a player who finds themself playing more of a defensive/goalie game will benefit more from a fixie.
Offensive game - freewheel
Defensive game - fixed gear
3...2...1...GO!
how can mr. fixed gear say that freewheel is the way to go.
I know. I never thought I'd say it... but there it is
3...2...1...GO!
I started free but now I am riding fixed. I think that anyone who
wants to be a full rounded player should be able to be just as good
with both mediums. With one exception of balls deep at Seattle's last
tournament name one tournament that didn't have at least one fixed gear
on it's team that won on the west coast. Sure it is mainly Irving,
Mess Man, Mason, Seabass but there are some of our best players on that
list and some of the players that started this crazy sport that we
play. Doesn't that make some of wonder! If anyone is making this
decision without ever trying Fixed just don't bother posting you don't
know so your opinion is one sided. For all you who have gone from
fixed to free or Free to Fixed and back I bet you have become a better
player because of it.
Fixed Gear enthusiast
Leon
i think you should have capitalized the e in enthusiast in your sign off. other wise i cant figure out why g in gear is capitalized. also in your last sentence i noticed that you use the term fixed to free twice, but one time its capitalized and another time its not. which way do you want it ? you can modify any changes you need to under the edit button, and that might be a good time to rethink the content of the post as well, or at least the tone.
shut the fuck up ben, really, you can be so tiresome at times. are you, of all people, here to argue about grammar? leon's "tone" is responding to what he sees as freewheel bias in the conversation. he makes great points that are underlined by the fact that he rolls both ways and plays with the best players out there, those that started the game, those that haven't been playing for two or three years, those who've been playing for eight years. leon can ride circles around you ben, he knows what he's talking about. and my god ben as if you ever read any of your posts before you send them anyway, get real. as has been stated in many forums and at many times, why don't *you* tone it down a little. so aggro, people who don't know the charitable ben don't know what to think. save your trash for the court. oh yeah, congrats on the twins. i'm a twin.
I think you miss the point here pieter, ben isn't arguing about grammar, he is making a joke. It is funny, most of the other people i know thought it was funny and if you look at the board most of the other people thought it was funny. Your respnonse is uncalled for and it escalates the situation.I thought ben's commet was actually helpful to the situation because he was bringing humour into the situation where people are arguing over which style is better then your style and having some humour is a good thing. I find your tone authoritarian and petty and your commment that "leon can ride circles around you ben" is pointless and unhelpful.
Your calling ben out when there is no reason is unhelpful to the dialoague here.
jonny
yeah, i'll just say that knowing ben, i still don't get it. if there's humour there leon didn't get it.
the joke was that i was me commenting on someone elses grammer, sorry to offend.
I'm not the smartest but I got Ben's joke(ing) and thought it was funny.
Doug D
Brooklyn, New York
thanks doug. hey sometimes when you use the internets are you joking too?
Doug also has an awful sense of humor, and STILL he got the joke.
********************************
Does not apply at Los Marcos Madness
Doug are be bad at teh internets.
In response to the thread subject. I started on fixed moved to free and now ride coaster with a rear hand brake stacked on top of it. I think it can only benefit players to try out every style extensively and then use that which they feel most comfortable on. Style means nothing if it detracts from your skill potential.
-Don't bring cake to a donut fight.-
i took my post to be more as a passive aggressive critique than agro. yours on the other hand does come off as agro. i would love to see someone from the west coast beat my team, in fact thats something we should save for the court . oh and i didnt comment on his grammar, just punctuation. also for the most part my tone is sarcastic, in the same sort of way that yours in benign. circles huh? backwards maybe, you know who else can do that dont ya?
My thought on your post Ben is that Leon is all class. You don't
know him and how he plays the game (he plays hard, fast and with skill
but one of the greatest guys on and off the court) and he doesn't know
you so the passive aggressive crtiique is thus slightly lost in
translation. However, class is something that cannot be taught,
based on your conduct on the court and on a number of forums posts, in
my opinion class is something you could improve upon.
Prove me wrong!
hmm, rory, i don't think that ben was critiquing leon's game here, it was a joke about the punctuation. Ben didn't even say anything to insult him, and yes they don't know each but it is a forum and i hope there is a room for a bit of playful jest.On most days i find that ben's comments are really the only ones that even break out of mold that is
I think it is a bit fascist to be calling ben out on the fact he doesn't have class. You didn't even play against him in the tourney, and there is this "game" that seems to be so upsetting to everyone but really no one has made any kind of arguement that even points to specific points were things were out of control. It is a bit tiresome for those involved to be criticized on this point over and over again with so little substance.
Also, criticizing someone you don't know on this outdated chiverous, sexist idea of class is a bit much, even for a forum of people who take polo way too serious.
jonny
Point taken.
I played Ben, Kevin and Lief in my first
pick up game in Toronto. The play during a pick up game was so
aggressive it felt like the finals of a tournament. Not what I was
expecting during my first pick up game after a night of drinking.
Maybe you all had been in the car too long itching to play. But my bike
suffered more damage playing Ben et al for 3/4 of a game than the rest
of the tourney.
That said maybe I am being to sensitive in Leon defence because heis just learning Ben's sense of humor on forums. ;)
i remember that game, i think it was my first pickup game too. actually i remember getting scored on by you a bunch, maybe through your own bottom bracket a few times? but i think it's easy to confuse aggressive with fast. we're used to fast play, but the thre players you mention are pretty finesse. by the sounds of it y'all in vancouver play with a lot more contact than in madison. given how slippery that court was, and the fact that we all play with front brakes, the high speed was probably not the smartest. but i don't remember a lot of contact. still, overall i think the games on friday were way too intense, and i made my teammates stop playing after a few hours. ya i think you're right, people must have been just so pumped up to finally be at the event. we had all been in the car for 15+ hours.
but i don't remember playing you in the tourney. or was that game with Ben also pick-up?
i remember it was really fast, and i went down a ton. i also remember a hard check between me and rory on the ball. i thought it was a fun match, and yea alot of excitement to be playing with people from all over. when it comes to polo i usually always put everything into it. not just at finals matches, even pickup. for the record, my comment to leon was meant to be a joke, and its nice to see all his boys come out to his defense. was he offended?
i would've been all cool with your post there ben, just the part about "adjust the tone" irked me in the end. i know you and i get most of your humour in person, but it's lost here in black and white unless i just assume that you are sarcastic 100% of the time, which you aren't. even then i don't always get it-- as you said, it's very passive-aggressive, kind of like you on and off the court. and yeah, leon is one of my best polo friends out there, a true gentleman on the court, and a great player. we here out west will stand by him.
kev, if anything the game is faster with less contact in east van. that doesn't mean it isn't aggressive, people bring it every night of the week. but it's clean aggressive, there is rarely dirty or unfair play. we take care of each other in pick-up because we know that everyone has to go to work in the morning.
and there is this "game" that seems to be so upsetting to everyone but really no one has made any kind of arguement that even points to specific points were things were out of control. It is a bit tiresome for those involved to be criticized on this point over and over again with so little substance.
i'll argue this one until the cows come home. was the game out of control when the fist fight almost started? did it look out of control when ben was screaming at the crowd to go and fuck themselves? when the paramedic came on the court? when you and new york couldn't patch it together for so long that the game was called? it was an embarrassment and i'm happy it was pouring rain so that no one saw it. again, it's not specific problems or hits, it's how you all dealt with it, which was extremely poorly in my opinion. if you think it is tiresome to hear the criticism, just imagine for a minute how tiresome it was to watch.
good ben, i'm glad it came across agro, because i meant it as such. i think we know each other well enough to tell each other to fuck off when we think it warrants it. i thought you crossed the line when you asked leon to rethink his tone, and i called you out on it. people don't get you all the time ben, especially when they have no idea who you are.
i happen to think you guys are all silly!
i was reading all the shit talking.... and totally forgot what forum catigory i was even under!
really....
if you're going to do this, than just cut to the chase and start a shit talking section! we'll call it "sassy chat"... how cute.
seriously!
Bicycle/cykel/自行車/das Fahrrad/polkupyörä/bicicletta/bicicleta/reiðhjól/fiets/يَرْكَبُ درّاجة هوائ
Like i said i have switched frOm fixed to free back to Fixed and i thiNk he for sure made me a betteR all around player wheAther or not one is prefeered over the Other
no dice nyc...MKE!
pros/cons/pros cons.
i have to say that it is "to each their own"
i started with free, and granted it was when i started, but having to handle sharps turns, quick and slow... seems to work better with fixed. but la-tee-dah... whatever works for you.. i do have to say though that fixed with a rear break is sweet! (for me anyway!)
Bicycle/cykel/自行車/das Fahrrad/polkupyörä/bicicletta/bicicleta/reiðhjól/fiets/يَرْكَبُ درّاجة هوائ
hey leon, this line " just don't bother posting you don't
know" was the tone issue i was refering too, its not big deal, but for being defended as a classy guy, it just seemed like you were shutting a bunch of people up that you dont know just because they arent into the same shit as you. but you puncuation is what really pissed me off, and that probably set the tone of my post. i just hate poor punctuation?
Normally I ride fixed bikes. But for polo, freewheel = the shit
Tried playing fixed a couple of times, and for me the cons outweighed the pros big time.
Nice Ben. Couldn't have said it better myself
3...2...1...GO!
I love my freewheel. I hate when my brake cable snaps.
I was thinking that when I switch back to freewheel I would use a flip flop hub with a fixed cog the same size as my freewheel cog. That way if my brake cable snaps, or my brake lever gets damaged beyond use, I can continue without relying on someone else's equipment
3...2...1...GO!
i did that too after swithching to freewheel (won't go back to fixed. f/w improved my game) and even though if something broke (my brake) and i swapped to the fixed gear... even playing clipless fixed would still be better than riding someone else's bike. i just can't play on anyone elses bike but my own.
i love you purple univega gran sprint! xoxo
I haven't ever tried playing freewheel, but I'd like to give it a shot. I play a more defensive game usually, so fixed really helps me there, but I still want to try it. I have to ask though, what do you think about coaster brakes? Grass polo bikes use em, I think its a good idea to have your hands free all the time, and you can still skid with them for quick 180s.
Brake lever sidenote: On friendly games, a guy who plays with us is a tricky bastard, and if an opponent is running a brake, he has a tendency to reach over and pull the other guy's brake lever when they're on a side-by-side break for the ball. It should be a DQ in tourney play, but for friendlies, its the funniest shit ever.
I know a few guys that swear by coaster brakes.
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Moooooo!
if someone grabed my brake lever durring a game i'd punch him in the fucking face no joke
i just got really pissed reading that
nooo man, all friendly play. as in, people who have known each other for years just fucking around. relaaaaaax. Its never so hard the guy endos over the bars, just shakes him up a little and everybody has a good laugh. All friends, no fights ever.
one of my pet peeves is when someone grabs my bars/arm. if someone grabed my brake i would FLIP OUT... probably.
also, i know of a guy in milwaukee who recently did it to some girl on a drunken bike ride home. she flipped over the bars, busted up her grill and cracked a tooth in half!
it's just senseless i tell you. would someone PLEASE think about the children
I still have the right brake lever attached to my bars and I can't laugh hard enough when people try and grab it thinking my brakes have been switched (cuz i'm right handed) and try and make me endo. Jokes on them. usually it's people that don't play all that often and are bad at life.
-Don't bring cake to a donut fight.-
Perhaps we can all take a deep breath and chill the fuck out. EVERYONE
3...2...1...GO!
I think it's group hug time!
I rode fixed for a while but never played much polo on one. I imagine that giving it a try would probably help my game but I'm hesitant to switch cause I like my setup the way it is - free and back break. I think that to be able to play on fixed well one has to be a pretty good fixed rider, which I guess I'm not, and I'm ok with that. Also, being able to position your pedals to free your five-hole shot, or block someone elses, is helpful. And I love skidding. It's fun, good for quick turns, ... and its fun. Sometimes it startles people a bit too and you can take the ball from them without even touching them. Though i do go through quite a few tires, and it loses its precision in the rain. WhenI did have front brakes for polo they always sent me over the bars on hard stops, something I want to avoid if possible, but there may be somethings I don't know about adjusting front brakes for polo. I tried coaster brakes for a bit but couldn't get the hang of them in-game either. It messed with my balance, but that's cool that so many people seem to like them. Maybe I'll set up some new bikes and try out a few new combinations.
Regardless, fixed or free, front, back, or coaster, pros and cons, its all for fun so do whatever feels right I think. As long as people can stop without crashing into each other I don't really care which is 'better.'
"it's just a game"? oh nick...
The League Of Bike Polo
for people who take bike polo way too seriously
ok... maybe not when I'm playing against you martin.
you take this thing way too seriously...
tee hee
OK when I posted that comment I was pretty trashed and i had just
played polo till 2am so I may have gotten a little excited with the
shift key. Can we just all be friends and try to keep posts to
what ever there title is. I appreciate all my friends backing me up
but I don't condone this banter back and forth. I purposely did not
respond to the post because I didn't want to lower myself to that
level.
For the record I never have been able to get sarcasm when I read it.
Everyone's friend
Leon
P.S. I really like playing on both Fixed and Free
"For the record I never have been able to get sarcasm when I read it."
Is that sarcasm? I'm so confused
3...2...1...GO!
Yahoo for playing polo until 2 am!
holy fucking shit uys check this. i dont know where else to put it, but here on the fixed vs free seemed as good as any place.so unbuleevablle ummm i dont think my spell check is working, whatever
wow awesome vid, thanks for the post
There it is. Fixed. It's settled.
chicagobikepolo.com
holy fucking shit uys check this. i dont know where else to put it, but here on the fixed vs free seemed as good as any place.so unbuleevablle ummm i dont think my spell check is working, whatever
I wanted to see her eat it so bad....but alas, she was that good.
"hey lady, what stem are you riding?..wanna ride mine?"
__________________________________________________________________
Thanks Ben! Along a similar line, have you all heard of cycleball?
If not, check this out:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mlby6qNG8SU
ben's shit never gets tired.
fixed is funner. i used play on a freewheel and i switched to fixed. both have their merits. the main reason i like fixed is because all the control is in the feet, and I can use my full left hand to grip the handlbar. i feel like i had worse bike control when i had to have two fingers off alwasy gripping for the front brake.
maybe a freewheel with a coaster brake, but i like feel of hte fixed, with skidding and the abiliy to track stand and back up.
matt was a much better player before he switched to fixed.
We all switched the left brake to the rear.
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Moooooo!
I'm with Matt on this one. I used to play with a freewheel mtb and switched last year before espi2007 so it's been a little over a year now. I like the stable feel that the fixed gives. I do like a big fat tire on the front of the mtb for grip. My dream polo bike is owned by Brad from Trackstar. A bianchi cuss single speed mtb with a level hub fixed wheel. I got to borrow it last winter when I was in NYC. (thanks Brad) The bike felt almost indestructable. Mountain bike wheels are definitley tougher. The big advantage with the freewheel is being able to come in really fast. With the fixed (and no hand brake) you have to think about braking sooner.
I'm always wishing for more reach when I'm playing on my fixed, i want to kick my leg out, madison style, but i can't...
we have a patent on that move so if you do use it then please send royalities to madbikepolo
i dunno, i've seen martin pull this off for an awfully long time now. is it that he is actually from the midwest or that you guys are actually from vancouver? man, the litigation is going to be horrific. good thing jagermeister has deep pockets...
Our leg off patent is more to the side.
yeah, but that's grass shit. i play hardcourt - leg straight up for that kissing-pavement-counter-balance lean. piet, who took that pic of me? i love it!!
somehow i remember that team playing on grass right there pretty much handling your team at worlds this year. Grass just made us stronger for the hard court.
"handling" is a little strong jonnyboy. the game was 5-3 and could have gone either way.
5-3 with a gimme goal on a mistake from kevin. But, no it was actually the most fun i had playing that tournament.
"gimme goal"? cummon! we made you work for everyone of your goals and we worked for every one of ours. we could definitely take you guys. i think our two teams are fairly evenly matched (in fact, i think we are better ball handlers on the whole). yup, just can't let that one go my brother. hopefully we can have a rematch at some point! when are you coming out west?
oh my god martin, are you for real?! the better ball handlers tend to, in fact, put the ball in the goal five times before the other team does, period. i'm wondering just who exactly "just can't let that one go"...
to win that game i bounced the ball off a back tire, caught it in air and lifted it over the back tire let it bounce once, and with a hard knock to the right side, swung my bike right, dove shot scored. ball handle that
the gimme goal was when i stubbornly kept trying to bank the ball off the post on the wall, and it twice bounced back to me, after hitting the post. The third time (i figured third was the charm) it bounced out, right in front of our undefended net. more of a freak goal than a gimme goal. i was taking chances cause i knew we were going to win :-)
oh they handled you martin, i'll have to go with jonny on this one. nobody remembers the loser, doesn't it feel wrong deep down inside to trash-talk some grass players that beat you? it could have gone either way but didn't, not today, come again (you know the standard apu court voice). it's not as though they were unbeatable my friend, with magic powers, you just had to throw your elbow into it a bit more...
"magic powers"? gimme a break pieter! i'd have to say that, individually, i'm a pretty good player. i'd also say that the vanguard was a pretty good team. yes, we COULD have taken them even if we didn't. we weren't ready for the "elbow factor" - something about which you can read in other posts if you want to know my stance on it. i'd say we tried to play a more finess game and rely on our skills whereas they used overly physical play. our mistake? we didn't beat the shit out of them. and you of all people telling me to throw my elbow into it a little more is laughable...
i'd totally play a rematch against these fine boys. that's what i said in my previous post. i wouldn't have offered the challenge if i didn't think adam, james and myself couldn't take them. word.
didn't mean to start this as some kind of rekindling of a game back in toronto. I think you have our team all wrong, ben's style is nuts but kev and i are all finesse.
it's called sarcasm martin, and it was referring to the new york elbow laid on jonny in the following game, which appeared to also be a 'winning' strategy. certainly got them off their game. and don't worry martin, i know well your stance on violence in the game, we play each other every week and i have the facial scarring to show for it. no, what i'm talking about here is the incessant mewling. shoulda, woulda, coulda. close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades my friend.
grass also makes us stronger on the hard court...
kenny, kenny the master of all took that shot. it's in the east van photo pool which you can readily look at by clicking here...
Yeah, I was starting to think that I also might owe you guys some money as well, but you'll have to come to victoria to get it! (though if you do make it all the way to vancouver - aug 23 = terrible two's!!! - I guess I could meet you there).
piet, shut the fuck up...you didn't see the game. they beat us, no question about that, but they pulled some of the cheapest-ass shit that i've seen this side of the wisconsin border. i wouldn't have come away from that game feeling good about the way i played, but they got schooled against nyc, so whatevs. the east vanguard is dead anyway, so it's a moot point. but i should stop now, or else i'll get another email from kev scolding me...
i didnt know there were such hard feeling. but for sure you guys played well. i had two plays that i thought were unfair, but also unintentional. you guys have hard feelings about those? (mallet under front wheels)
the past is dust. lookin' forward to playing ya'll again, but it costs an aweful lot to fly around the continent from our little hamlet...none of us are rich like piet...fucking pot dealers have all the fun...why did i make that career change?
Sounds like sour grapes. Go smoke some more weed
3...2...1...GO!
maybe that's why adam smokes so much weed. i only smoke weed so i can get my face punched in at the local parks with adam. epic night adam, i will not forget that one for a long long time. the police finally showed up this morning, about fucking time.
piet, you're a clown...hope the reparations went well. are you any better looking? did you get the david hassledorf nose?
actually it was sweet lemons...i just smoked a bong full of sour grapes...no wait, that was weed, i think...tasted funny anyway...
i've missed you adam, here and elsewhere. yes, the reparations went extremely well. i got a week off work, came second with the broken nose at the nspi to the world champions 4-3 in the final, and spent the remainder basking in the familial love in london before being operated on by the best plastic surgeon in the province. i look ten times better than stupid hasselhoff. in whistler for crankworx, bacck in town tonight, ready to break some balls in east van tomorrow night. (oh my god you missed the most hilarious debate about the rules for the terrible two's tourney, a fucking circus.) peace out brother.
In London 95% of the players play on fixed, because:
- we're fashion victims and fixed gear bikes are the hot shit
- we don't know better
- the British are attached to traditions. Bike Polo was played in the 1908 London olympics on fixed, so for the next few centuries Brits are gonna cling to that heritage
In Paris 100% of players play on fixed brakeless (apart from Kev) because:
- They are all graphic designers.
- only about 12 people play so far
I personally think fixed levels the field, and filters out people without enough bike control. I also like the fact that it's close to "proper" grass bike polo.
But then I haven't even tried on a freewheel.
Yorgo
LONDON: http://bricklanebikepolo.wordpress.com/
PARIS: http://panambikepolo.blogspot.com/
in the birthplace of hard court, the pacific north-west (seattle, portland, vancouver), i would say that at least half of the top-level players ride free. and precisely 100% of them couldn't care less about grass polo. i think that as far as they are concerned the two sports aren't even related.
Actually my grandfather played hardcourt bike polo in the 1930s. Ok they didn't have the "business end" rule that i'm assuming comes from Seattle late 90s, but i think it's ridiculous to call this current (and, in my opinion, the best) version of polo unrelated to all previous versions. it's like calling ice hockey and shinny unrelated and citing the lack of goalie or boards (on ponds anyway), or the idea that you're not allowed to raise the puck, as a rationale. a couple grass teams showed up at the London Shoreditch and were warmly welcomed, and one of them made it to the quarter-finals despite having very limited experience with hardcourt. obviously i prefer playing hardcourt w/ small ball, but i don't relate to the whole superiority complex.
i think you should read the post kev. nobody is saying one doesn't come from the other or that there's a superiority complex, they just don't care.
i like how you have to validate the PNW opinions based off of tradition and honor vs how well they can play. god this is when you can be a idiot piet.
yeah, imagine me thinking they actually knew something about polo out there, i feel like such an idiot.
for sure they know a shit ton, its just the constant were better cause we started it crap. new york practically owns the sport. the midwest is packed full of teams, and the list of clubs is a mile long. no one gives a shit about what was happening 10 years ago, at least not a big shit, maybe a watery food borne disease shit. the game has evolved way beyond the PNW, so i dont think your an idiot, but its just tiring to hear you sometimes valid points being prefecaded by some hierarchical bullshit
honestly though ben, the best of the east coast has never really played the best of the west coast in my opinion. you east coasters and midwesterners have yet to play full teams consisting of any combination of soren, the ringer, ken kinichi, leon, messman, irving, mason, rory, lucky, myself, etc etc etc. the game between east van and new york at the worlds was a fantastic display of two fairly evenly matched teams but i would argue that unless there is some representation from either seattle or portland players you're missing out on the world's best. when will a game like this ever happen? keep working on the sponsorships - most westcoasters are too poor to travel the country time and time again and i would suspect the same is true for you folks...
TOP CENTER 4-EVA
Right on! Let the grass heads have their game. We've got weed and cement. Beautiful beautiful cement.
Fixed or free don't matter, as long as you put the ball between the cones
3...2...1...GO!
Mallets Of Mayhem
I talked to an older gent about bike polo and he said he'd played many decades ago on grass as training for horse polo. Apparently all the horse players had to bike it first.
Be thankful that we only need one bike to play, since competitive polo players will own upwards of 4 horses which they rotate throughout the course of a game. Their field dimensions are something like 200x600 yards.
legitbikepolo.com
just to let you all know we are playing the nacccs on grass
I'll bring the asphalt truck. who's got a steamroller?
Doug D
Brooklyn, New York
http://www.hardcourtbikepolo.com/
sure thing, we'll use our mallets to smooth it out and if jackle shows we can have all his hot air dry it faster.
Doug D
Brooklyn, New York
http://www.hardcourtbikepolo.com/
perfect then we will be on hard court with one tap out bam
hey Ben go look at the Video thread. right now.
Doug D
Brooklyn, New York
http://www.hardcourtbikepolo.com/
doug i hear you only goina play on one side of the court, when you loose that way it still counts as a full loss
Messmann
seattlebikepolo
since 1998
I love the 20ft skids on my free wheel, but I like the control of the ball with my fixed.
Messmann
seattlebikepolo
since 1998
I prefer fixed to ride the 6 or 7 mi. to the actual match. So it turns out that I ride a fixed at the match. No brakes.
It's also relaxing to ride 'no-handed' home after the match on a fixed gear, when the landscape is flat and the roads are quiet after 10pm like it is in Pcola. These are factors I take into account when choosing fixed over free. Plus, riding free requires extra parts that I can't afford as a broke-ass college student.
Whatever you ride, just play.
_______________________________________________________________________
I have switched back into my winter freewheel experiment, (those in mke remember i rode free last winter a bit as well)
hero squad is all now on freewheels.
i may put a fixed cog ont he other side though so if i snap a cable i can still play the day out.
no dice nyc...MKE!
Freewheel! Freewheel! Freewheel! Freewheel! Freewheel! Freewheel! Freewheel! Freewheel! Freewheel! Freewheel! Freewheel! Freewheel! Freewheel! Freewheel! Freewheel! Freewheel! Freewheel! Freewheel! Freewheel! Freewheel! Freewheel! Freewheel! Freewheel! Freewheel! Freewheel! Freewheel! Freewheel! Freewheel! Freewheel! Freewheel! Freewheel! Freewheel! Freewheel! Freewheel! Freewheel! Freewheel! Freewheel! Freewheel! Freewheel! Freewheel! Freewheel! Freewheel! Freewheel! Freewheel! Freewheel! Freewheel! Freewheel! Freewheel! Freewheel! Freewheel! Freewheel! Freewheel! Freewheel! Freewheel! Freewheel! Freewheel! Freewheel! Freewheel! Freewheel! Freewheel! Freewheel! Freewheel! Freewheel! Freewheel! Freewheel! Freewheel! Freewheel! Freewheel! Freewheel! Freewheel! Freewheel! Freewheel! Freewheel! Freewheel! Freewheel! Freewheel! Freewheel! Freewheel! Freewheel! Freewheel! Freewheel! Freewheel! Freewheel! Freewheel! Freewheel! Freewheel! Freewheel! Freewheel! Freewheel! Freewheel! Freewheel! Freewheel! Freewheel! Freewheel! Freewheel! Freewheel! Freewheel! Freewheel! Freewheel!
BOOM!
i could hear that all the way back hear in mke zack. Like one of those cheesy scenes in a movie where someone yells and they zoom out really fast and you hear it in space or on another planet.
shhhhhhhhhhhh.
www.mkebikepolo.com
gotta resurrect this thread as there have been a stupid number of people posting their brakeless fixies in the bikes section. get yerselves some fucking brakes and a freewheel. all y'all hippie-hippie-hipsters can't develop yer "a" game on fixies. drew, come on. i know how much better you are when that freewheel is flying. save the fixie for the street or the track. nerds.
TOP CENTER 4-EVA
I second that Martin! I have ridden both and my game has definately improved once I put a front brake and freewheel on my bike. I have learned alot from you dam Canadians. Martin hope you come down when LA plans another tourny.
martin give me one example of when you saw me play free wheel i just started playing free wheel about 5 months ago when i got back from chicago i think but you will see my new bike soon and i have played fixed no brakes for 4 years now i have game.
www.polohaus.blogspot.com
AXLES OF EVIL
yer right drew i haven't seen you play free. what i meant was i know you can be so much better. i'll concede the point that you got game. you also have herpes. nerd.
TOP CENTER 4-EVA
by the way, how is the 1x1 working out for you? chris nyc, kenny and myself are all looking into it for our next bike.
TOP CENTER 4-EVA
HEY if ya put 52t up front and a 17t rear and smoke a lot of pot drink a lot of beer maybe ya can get one two games with out falling does that make any cents free free free free free frre free free free freee freeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee freeeeeeeeeeeee freeeeeeeeeee freeeeeeeeeee wheel useing my fists again just think about people who crash into ya for fun and this guy rids a fix fuck he gets me mad its like putting bamboo under ya fingernails AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA DIE
resurrect the fixed gear, go fixed!
running catastrophe
The answer is Mountain Bike. Even if I'm the only one in all of LA's area codes that plays on one. Fixies and goalies go together quite nice too. Oh wait Efram has a Mountain bike sometimes.
Learned on a freewheel, switched to fixed. It is a personal thing really - I have more fun riding fixed than free... polo aside, something about riding bikes got a little boring and fixed gave the spice back. That said, I'd give free a try again... ain't nothing boring about riding any sort of bike while playing polo!
Sasha
brakeless, fixed, 39x22, what.
some kids have amazing fixed gear skills. I don't. so I switched to a freewheel & my game improved IMMENSELY. but obviously, it remains personal preference. personally, my mouth waters when I play folks with street geared fixies.
YA BUT ya dont fall on yer ass like those fixies do
RIGHT MARTIN
i can't translate this last one, robbieb. is it you are implying martin does indeed fall on his ass, liek the fixie riders do, or that the fixie riders don't actually fall on their asses? and martin does? or doesn't?
too many options.
Anyhow, i can hardly ride a fixed gear bike so i definitely do not use one for polo. I am impressed by those of you polo players who do use one,as i recognize you must have a lot of skill, however I can honestly say I have no desire to ever play on a fixed gear. I imagine if you ride fixed all the time anyhow it makes more sense to ride that way for polo. But i like freewheeldom.
I tryed one to go get some beer [i was really drunk] on a fixie one time where you go get beer after hours its down hill. SO the guy i was with said said lets RACE. So you know me cant turn down a bike race i was going SO fuckin FAST that i forgot i as on a fixie and tryed to spot FUCK NO HAND brakes. so i tryed to back peddle i just crashed bang boom up side of cars thats ws the end i ending up walking much safeer when you are DRUNK!
Fixed for me. I started on fixed, tried free, then went back to fixed. I get a little out of control playing free. I crash a lot more, and mainly into other people, so for everyone's safety I went back to fixed.
my girlfriend and i were playing around on out bikes the other night and got to thinking, it seems that the fixed/free debate ,for us, really comes down to the position you play and the size of the court.on smaller courts for defense and (for lack of a better term) mid court it seems that fixed really works well, gives you a lot of control and helps tend goal, where i found free wheel gives you a greater advantage on offense, costing and leaning over, reaching and shooting. it reminds me sort of lacrosse and the differing length sticks.
my worthless two cents.
not to mention 2 years late.
not to mention 2 years late.
hey fucker. 1 year. the last post was one year. re arranging the stuff made it seem for recent. last excuse, the site isn't sidekick friendly, so i can't even see the dates half the time.
I think he meant you're 2 years too late to be playing fixed.
started:
20 inch freestyle-ed freewheel
found polo:
transitioned from 26free to 700fixed
after 10k miles around the us :
700 freewheel. dual brakes.
thinking about going back to 20 inch but fixed!!
for now 700free
Fixed. Never really tried on freewheel, the few tests wasn't cool at all.
Play polo fixed if you like or can ride backward or/and like to play defensive. My objective is that, using the fixed wheel to improve some skills that freewheeler can't even try.
Skills that the freewheeler can't even try? which ones??
The only one I can think of are the riding backwards thing that mike and seabass do really well, I love seeing fixies throw backwards picks and forcing turnovers As far as all the other skills, a freewheel is capable of doing similar to fixed if not excelling it. 180 back wheel pivots, wheelies, etc. Freewheels can still back up and to make another point, freewheels with the front brake can do 180 front wheel pivots (like jared or chris do).
From where I started, I rode fixed for a while and now I am in the freewheel world. I've gone from 700c fixed to 26'' free. I definitely feel like a better player even though it took me longer to get adjusted to the freewheel than fixed... (I actually thought I was worse off with freewheel because the first few weeks I was playing so bad on it...)
The main thing I notice being different is ball control, where before I may have to just pedal through a situation I couldn't really get into because of momentum on fixed gear, now I can lock the brakes, control the ball/juke defenders and take a shot with a foot off the bike the whole time. I think having the ability to pull your foot off of the pedal is a unique attribute that fixie riders often don't have the benefit to trying (although I know Miguel of ATX will pull his foot out while riding fixed... he's a great/brave player for doing that).
I also rock 26x2.5'' tires and they are incredibly bouncy tires that I don't think a 700c tire can imitate (in terms of bounciness).
You're right, the only trick who can be on fixed is ride and drive ball backward. Some freewheelers can ride realy quick backward but they need to use their mallet for doing it. So my idea is to play backward to defend or to drive the ball.
so x2, my sentence was shitty.
I want to try 26'' fixed too, with big tires. I play now with a huge 26'' tire at front and shitty 700x28c at the back. I love to jump and a bigger back tire can be a great stuff.
double post.
ps.
The sentence shoulde be:
I want to handle some skills who are harder to make on freewheel.
i like the free wheel cause i can get my foot off the pedal and kick the ball