Equipment recommendation

1. 14 bike co. (i aint shitting you, you know that's the shizzle)
   
2. Charge Plug - Strong, heavy, OTP, reliable, flexible options for set-up
   
3. Charge Scissor - Strong, heavy, reliable, flexible options for set-up, allows for larger tyres
   
4. On One Pompino - Strong, light, very flexible options for set-up including V brake bosses, allows for larger tyres, cheap, not gash. Works beautifully with Onza Tuf Guy forks.
   
5. Surly Steamroller - Strong, light, very flexible options for set-up, allows for larger tyres,
   
6. Archie Wilkinson - cheap, quick, light, very strong. Mine has taken a lot of abuse and it's fine
   
7. IRO mark V - Strong, light, very flexible options for set-up (40mm length dropouts, hangers under the top tube for brake cable), solid feeling frame. - Shinscar
   
8. Brooklyn Machine Works Gangsta - strong, great geo, not big enough tyre clearance, no rear brake mounts
   
9. Fuji track - cheap & strong
   
10. Cotic Roadrat a.k.a "The moon on a stick"
    Negatives: Flexy (Can see the BB physically swinging from side to side going up some of the Edinburgh hills); Dents easily; has badly placed braze-ons (kept catching my knee on the hose guides on the toptube and in the end filed it off meaning no resale value); Quite long, choose your size carefully if it's a dedicated polo bike you're using it for (i.e shorter than your usual ride); Needs a shorter fork to speed up the handling for polo (stock is a 400 x 45)
    Positives: Lightweight; HUGE tyre clearance (700 x 42c with a wee bit of mud clearance); Disc or V brake compatible; Singlespeed or geared compatible; MUCH more than the sum of it's parts, mines been used for geared expedition touring, Audax rides, as a courier work bike, Bike polo bike and seen 'em set up as fast-handling mountainbikes. Can wangle a discount fromt he lovely Cy if you work as a courier.
    
11. Fixie inc. -light but solid, tighter geometry, small turning circle and good balance, caliper brake drills, no v-brake thingys
    
    

Forks.

1. NS RNS - not too tall, not much rake
   
2. Onza Tuff Guy - 40cm axle to crown, 30mm rake, great geometry and £18.99.
   
3. Sunn 26" 5.99 off ebay. very short steerer 150-160mm i think. - Shinscar
   
4. Brooklyn Machine Works burly, not much rake, Expensive. U-brake mounts
   
   

Cranks.

1. Profile Race Cranks durable, beefy
   
2. Miche Youth cranks, lots of crank lengths available, annoying BCD, file the outer ring and use the 36t and you have polo cranks for ~£50
   
3. Sinz BMX cranks - Really good so far comes in lengths 115mm-180mm length square taper and is 110 bcd. And the chainrings come in polo sizes (34T bitches) - Shinscar
   
   

Bars.

1. Easton EA 30 - Cheap, light and relatively strong
   
2. Tioga R35 or R60
   
   

Hubs.

1. Goldtec available in 36 and 48, not the cheapest, but pretty damn bombproof. they look rather schexy too. goldtecs are awesome but the bolts are made of cheese and round off easy, replace with stainless 6mm!
   
2. Somax, relatively cheap but awesome hubs that can be custom ordered in 48 for £108 a pair.
   
3. 14 bike co trick hubs - 48h, upgraded goldtecs (and mine were cheaper), had 8 spokes pull out and no damage at all to the hub flange.
   
   

Rims.

1. Rigida Sputnik - strong, wide for big tyres, come in 48h and very cheap
   
2. Velocity B43 (48 hole) - no braking surface, but very strong, Hassan reckons it's one of the straightest rims he's ever built. Narrow enough for 25 (and under) c width tyres. Expensive.
   
3. Plain and simple deep Vs - Shinscar
   
4. Rigida DP18/DP22. Cheaper than Velocity..
   
5. Sun Rhyno Lite XL - 26", 32h or 36h, the strongest, but £40... cheaper pinned version only £20 on CRC, multiple crashes and mine still run true. Wider even than Chukkas
   
6. Velocity Chukkas - super wide rim, comes in 48, marginally lighter than Sputniks, deep-profile means a stronger polo wheel, some questionable build-quality on the first batches, but all seems sorted now.
   
   

Tyres.

1. Schwalbe Marathon Plus - strong,a bit expensive, go for price match ♡♡♡♡♡ (5 heart rating) - Shinscar
   
2. Vittoria Randonneur - cheap, pretty thick and come in large sizes, a very good front tyre, grippy and tough
   
3. Thin tires. I've actually been pretty happy with the Gatorskins. Lean and quick.
   
4. Schwalbe CX Comp - Grippy as fuck on the front
   
5. Schwalbe Marathon Dureme HS 410 okay I haven't actually used them but they are basically an upgrade on the Marathon Plus. 5/5 on grip, protection and durability, light for the size, and available in 26x2.0, 700x35 and 700x40
   
6. Vittoria Zaffiro Pro Road Tyres- grippy tyre, that works in all conditions outdoors. Not really suitable if you like to burn rubber. Nice strong side-wall which makes it a bit more suitable than the Conti Dura Skin range. Nice range of colours, too.
   
7. Panaracer RibMo - DOES NOT feature the same ultra-resistant strip as Marathon Plus (as many believe), a nice rounded tyre allowing for more speed in the corners... the tyre of choice for polo outside of Europe, wears like any other tyre (not so good) with hard skidding.
   
8. Tioga Skidrow - great tyre for 26ers. Nice and fat and really grippy in all weather especially on turns - Chain Reaction
   http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=22341
   http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=22341
   http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=22341
   http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=22341
   Chain Reaction
   http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=22341
   http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=22341
   http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=22341
   http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=22341
   
9. Fyxation - really nice and grippy in dry, wide, 700, not so good in rain though but still better than thin tyres, bombproof
   
10. Schwalbe Big Apple - 26" fat and hard wearing, run super low pressure for extra grip on wet courts
    
    

Brakes.

1. DNA V Brake mount, big, expensive but lets you run a v brake!
   
2. TT Tektro quartz r725 brake. - great, doesn't work with sputnik as the brake isn't wide enough - Shinscar
   
3. Fixed wheel
   
4. ProblemSolvers cable doubler allows two brakes on one lever
   
5. Shadow Conspiracy Linear Brake Cable - coated cable for easy cutting and super slidyness
   
6. Oval Aero front brake - mounts on the fork backwards - meaning that the caliper won't get bent everytime the front wheel turns back on the frame. Expensive, a little fussy to set-up, but works very well. Not suitable for tyres over 25c width.
   
7. Odyssey M2 dual-cable lever. (Strong, easy to use, many lever styles, file your cable ends down to stack two in the lever without any fussing.)
   
   

Brake pads.

1. KoolStop BMX Brake pads - These have phenomenal stopping power and are durable. Compatible with majority of braking systems. Nine pounds from Chainreaction. ("I would have bought v-brake mounts for my bike if i had ne'er known Kool Stop" -truth)
   
2. Fibrax cartridge V blocks are a good performance/cost/durability tradeoff. (Chainreaction: 7 quid for holders + 2 pairs of pads.) - Prav
   
3. Aztec refills seem fine - Using them at the moment and will see how long they last. - Prav
   
   

Pedals.

1. Eastern Bikes, CFRP - Just got them, they feel really grippy and a nice concave, deeper than Odyssey but not too deep. Not sure how they would work with straps though with their round holes. - Mike
   
2. Abike Co Hamilton Plastic pedals - Just got these too! Easy to get your foot into and nice platform in which to stand. Massive holes on either side to allow for straps. Grip is good! Available from Evans (easy peasy) - Shinscar
   
   

Shoes.

1. Vans chukka mid. suede - solid flat, slight ankle protection, flexible, - Shinscar
   
2. Reebok BB4600 Hi Tops - excellent ankle and toe protection, warm and waterproof if slightly chunky
   
   

Alcohol.

1. Kronenbourg 1664 (50cl can) - widely available, usually with offers on the price, price/taste/alcoholic content is good for the price.
   
2. Fireball as recommended by ROBBIE BOARDZ
   
3. Anything with a percentage higher than 5.5
   
4. 6 for 5 Carlsberg Export
   
5. Whiskey (good for polo olympics and cold weather)
   
6. A can of whatever you bought. Actually, I'll have another, if you got one.
   
7. Whisky, again. Good anytime anywhere.
   
   

Flame.

1. BIC - More durable than Clipper, better for opening bottles.
   
2. Lynx
   
3. Waterproof Matches
   
4. Dan's ice melting flamethrower
   
   

Brooms.

All have failed (try Ti?)
Ford 120 or 145 with sweeping attachment and plow (for winter)

Ski Poles for Mallets:
MKE bikes mallet shafts. Well balanced weight with a light head.
NOT Decathlon homebrand (£8)-bend at the slightest mention of contact

Mallet transportation:

BELK mallet sheath
Shoe lace (heard Em raving about them).
Thing they put round your arm for a Blood Test - swiped a few during my last vist and they're awesome.