thought i would update for any newbs…
bike polo is on EVERY sunday at musgrave park in west end, in the tennis court at the top of the park next to the pool 
from around 3pm onwards
all are welcome!
On the way home the other day I remembered an unused, abandoned, whatever tennis court next to Musgrave park (West End) just near the old croquet club.
It is a bit weedy and will need a little bit of a clean-up before use. It is out of the way and there is noway anyone would kick us off if we used it.
If the time and place are right I am in.
i actually walked past the ralph lauren or polo store (… ergh whatever it is i don’t know designer brands) on edward in the city this morning and saw they had a polo stick in the window and it reminded me about bike polo.
it would be hard to get going but seems like there are more people out the riding that i thought
I reckon make our own polo mallets (although i don’t have any tools or a workbench) because polo racquets/mallets/sticks, whatever you wanna call em, would be expensive and probably really long for people that do horse polo? they’re probably hard to find too.
i like the idea of west end… somewhere close to the city would be good.
should we do some scoping this arvo nath?
nah, i was pretty keen to hit up these netball courts, monday night is the only week night we usually get to get on there( untill about 630/7pm)
i think a court will be one of the easier things to sort out,
what about broom sticks… cut to size, with maybe some sort of end on them?? maybe that small-ish cylinder type wood usually used for garden edges etc??
or some PVC pipe with the ends closed off?? might be kinder to our legs/bikes?? and would be pretty cheap to make
forgot to add, lochy, if you wanna go for a roll at round 4 we could roll in and check out this place near musgrave park?? but i dont wanna miss out on too much time on those courts, they are HUGE and really great for working on tricks on 
The only advantage I thought of with the tennis courts were there is a net around them, so the ball won’t go too far if smacked hard.
But there are few open areas in the net - one big enough to ride through.
Urban Velo had an article on making Bike Polo mallets in one of the issues.
Melb Bike Polo unauthorised representative chiming in with 20c worth of solicited opinion
Don’t underestimate the convenience of a court that is at least guttered on all sides, and fenced on as many. It’s a pain having to fetch balls out from under cars or off of roads etcetera - and the fewer barriers (temporary kerb/gutter) you have to cobble together from broken pallets the better.
Making mallets - the backyard blitz / better homes and gardens of bike polo! Thrill to the prospect of purchasing your first cordless drill! Pontificate on web forums about which grade of plastic shatters under high stress! Hex bolts versus speed screws! And so on.
http://www.bikepolo.com.au for discussions and http://www.urbanbicyclist.org for other polo links on mallet construction, rules etc … oh and http://flickr.com/groups/melbournebikepolo/ for inspiration! x
http://www.hardcourtbikepolo.com/?page_id=6
there we go
i have all the tools needed, i guess we would need to get an idea of numbers/ people interested prior to going out and getting the stuff?
b0rken, do you guys get approval from whoever owns the venue to hold your games there??
Hi another melb polo player giving advice(/opinion?),
For numbers of people, we got 6-7 ppl interested before our first game, met up beforehand then wandered down to the venue to play.
We didn’t get any permission/approval for the venue, we just started playing there. (It’s easier to beg for forgiveness than ask for permission…). If you’re worried about being kicked out before you get a game going (loitering people don’t look as good as a polo game), meet at a local cafe/pub and wait until you have numbers before moving on for a game.
yeh i was thinking the same with regards to permission, as i recken most places wouldnt be too happy with it, thanks for the tips guys
how do you guys tell the teams apart??
hey nathan i’ll get all my fishing buddies to bring the nets off their ships and we’ll hang them to form a court and just play in brisbane square… no-one gets kicked out of brisbane square right??
that would b pretty sweet, hahaha.
i recken we def need to check out this place near musgrave park…
i think we should be able to get least 6 ppl for a go??
mallets wont be a problem,
just a venue i guess…
Don’t fuss about nets just yet - you don’t need that much gear to get a match going. For the most part the ball will be staying fairly close to the ground so the most you’ll need is a court with a gutter around each edge. These can be harder to find than you think. Otherwise you may have to resort to constructing timber edging - discarded freight pallets are perfect for this, and fun to break up - and then work out if you want to stash them at your court or take them home every time you play.
It’s not that much of a hassle playing on an open concrete area - but like indoor soccer it’s just easier to play in an enclosed space. Play moves a bit quicker and you don’t have to frig around with throw-in rules and ‘if you guys hit it out then we get to start with it rite?’ arguments.
enjoy!
Hey fellas - new to the forum, rediscovering riding fixed after a few years. I’ve been keen to play bike polo for a while, but didn’t know where to start. Would be keen to join in if you are willing to forget what your mum told you and talk to strangers.
Hey Guys, I’m down on the Gold Coast but I’d love to play bike polo if I can get there.
Anything happening?
well there seems to be enough interest for me to justify going out and purchasing the stuff needed to make the mallets!
its on its way, i shall keep you guys posted…
p.s. i wouldnt mind maybe a couple of hands to help make said mallets 
When we get set for a time and place I will rush out a mallet. I will have a look over at reverse garbage in West End on the weekend - they have all sorts of crap if I see anything good for mallets I will buy in bulk.
I have some field hockey balls we could use too. They are probably too big and will smash out your spokes if they hit a wheel, but they should do until a better option can be found.
What sort of gear ratio do the ‘pros’ normally run? I would guess the lower the better for those bursts of speed.
yeah looks like theres enough interest round… Nate, will help making these mallets if you want
user: SuperMaxPower, what about squash balls? probably too small?
user: locmonster, I was also thinking about those bigger blue balls (I think they are for racket ball) but they would be way too bouncy.
What are the boys in Melbourne using?
We’re using street hockey ball (imported from canada by the good mr urbanbicyclist, but I believe he’s working on an australian source). Send me an email at melbourne.bicycle.polo.club@gmail.com and I’ll post a few up.
My bike is fixed with a gear of 36x19, fantastic for polo, horrible for riding 10-15km into polo (I need a freewheel on the other side of the hub…)
I swear you guys read my mind? I just moved from Melbourne to Brisbane and have been thinking of trying to start some Polo here! Played a game with the Melbourne crew so I’m no expert but I do know the basics.
Gear: I’ve already got 5 golf clubs from the salvos that I’m converting to mallets so only need one more for 3 on 3 action. I noted that someone has hockey balls so it sounds like we’re sorted. I can arrange something for goals (just need traffic cones or similar).
You don’t need a fixie to play, any bike will do, just watch those expensive Velocities with stray mallets!
I’m in H/Hill so West End works for me. If we get a game on I suggest we meet up at a cafe in West End beforehand.
Sunday arvo is a good time for a game, how about 4pm? meet at a cafe beforehand around 3:15 then onto the court. Suggestions for cafe?
Can people give me a nod as to whether they can play on Sunday 5th October?