Schwinn polo chop

I have here an old Schwinn mtb of my brother's. I think he had the bike from new but many years ago grew out of it. It was then sat in the garage hiding away until I found bike polo 2yrs ago. I then built it up like so and shared it with him -

It did the job that was asked of it, nothing much has changed apart from the cranks since I first built it.
Some of you may remember that I chopped the chainstays on my polo bike to make this - http://www.lfgss.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=49947&stc=1&d=1330294479
The dropouts on the Schwinn had always been a bodge, starting life as vertical dropouts I filed a slot to make it adjustable as we were riding it fixed. So recently Emyr asked me to give him some new dropouts. He was only after some simple horizontal dropouts to make it nicer to get the wheel in/out and easier to adjust the chain tension as he still rides fixed. I on the other hand had been looking at the way polo has been progressing and the direction many people are going/have already gone (freewheel, disc brake). So I decided to give him some sliding dropouts with disc brake tabs. Many, many hours later of sitting in front of a computer screen downloading diagrams and drawing up a rear triangle that I could work into his frame I have come up with this -

Excuse the colours, it makes it easier for me to differentiate between different components. The black being the original tubing, purple being a part that I will be welding in and the green being the alu sliding dropout. I like the On-One Pompetamine but I was always disappointed that the disc tabs were part of the frame not the dropout. I've gone for the IS mount as it makes it easier to make, an adapter will then be needed but that's a standard off the shelf part. The chainstays are being shortened a little but only by 35mm when the wheel is pushed right forward.

3 Attachments

but why? the wheelbase will still be too long for proper bikepolo.

Not really. Admittedly it's not going to be as short as what everyone else is going with or what I have but then you look at the bikes ridden by the winning teams. None of them are the same, they're not all super short, arse over the back wheel, perfect fork trail bikes. As yet there isn't a 'proper' polo bike. As with any other bike, some stuff works for some people, some stuff doesn't. Otherwise DH bikes wouldn't come with adjustable travel, adjustable headtube angles or adjustable rear sag height.

Basically I'm making something to order with my own touch to it. As I said the dropouts were a bodge that has worked for 2yrs. Now that I can I might as well fix that bodge with something that works.

What is the 'correct' wheelbase length for 'proper' bike polo?

On another topic, I recall someone wax lyrical about not worrying about the design, geometry, strength etc. of a polo bicycle, but concentrate on the technique more.

Reckon this is where Oz is getting at.

Exactly what I was getting at Ed, I don't have a way with words. Technique and good team play is the way to win.

Currently hunting for enough 5mm plate steel so that I can start work. I'm hoping that the design I've come up with is going to work better than my own bike. I guess for a design I've only seen on one other bike it can't be that bad. I work my drawings in real size so that I don't get muddled scaling sizes.

+1 I know Oz personally, my first team mate. Brilliant player, but pity Cardiff's scene is way too small to get regular games going on. It used to be Oz, Paul "The beast" Beasley and I on the courts rain or shine and oh ya, he does 20+ miles IIRC to get to polo, on a spinny gear.

On another topic, I recall someone wax lyrical about not worrying about the design, geometry, strength etc. of a polo bicycle, but concentrate on the technique more.

Reckon this is where Oz is getting at.