Madison’s hospitality and food has always been top-notch. The Brothers Hunter and all of the Madison polo crew have time and again given the polo community a royal welcome.

Their new restaurant, The Underground Kitchen, embodies this idea. Great beers on tap, meats cured and made in-house, seasonal vegetables,and the whole place was built out using reclaimed wood and found objects (mason-jar light fixtures), long communal tables and the like. Brilliant. The menu changes regularly so though the sauteed spinach and bouillabaisse were warming and glorious and the chocolate tart was rich and smile-inducing – it may be different when you visit.

No matter. Whatever you choose will be satisfying and you’ll feel right at home. Thanks UFC!!!!

A couple years ago, Truvativ produced a multi-speed internal crank with a robust construction meant for all mountain riding and freeriding which would allow you to shift quickly on the fly under load and without pedaling. The Hammerschmidt at first glance seems like the resolution for issues when trying to run multiple gears on a polo rig.  Recently, I found one for cheap and was building a new polo bike from scratch and thought I would give it a try. After riding for three months in various conditions from wet hills of the Cascadia to the crappy salt-ridden streets of Chicago in Winter, I decided to give it a review on CHC.

One of my initial reactions after the system was installed was an involuntary, shit-eating grin that refused to dampen itself. With the bike in the stand, the cable actuated trigger would shift from high gear to low gear without any hesitation between the 24t and the 38t gear.  I was eager to see what it would do on-and-off the court.

While playing polo I found the system to be helpful in only a hand full of circumstances.  The difference in gearing was a sizable jump from the low gear to the high gear.  My 24:16 gearing proves to be an asset on the court in acceleration and close quarters turning, but the 38:16 is sluggish even though you are getting more move on your pedal stroke.  Shifting during the game seems to be appropriate on larger courts or big grass courts but only when necessary for fast brake or “Oh Shit!” moments when scrambling to the goal. My only gripe is that the gear differential couldn’t be closer for better on-court application.

Off the court, the crank performs like a dream. It has allowed me a privilege not often afforded to polo players; the ability to have multiple gears with out having to remove my wheel and possibly change my chain. I can also change between gears for climbing hills (a.k.a. Polo gear) to flats and descents (a.k.a. Slayer gear). When I get caught at stop lights, I can drop into my low gear to scurry across the intersection during breaks in traffic without the hassle of pedaling in awkward circles to get my chosen “scurrying gear” with derailleurs. The drive train is enclosed by a guard which prevents the chain from dropping, and the internal gears are protected from the elements which is wonderful for my winter commute to work.

Overall, this is a great innovation from the folks at Truvativ and is a must if you have a frame with the necessary ISCG tabs on the bottom bracket and willing to pay the price ($550 crank, $90 shifter) which ain’t too shabby in comparison to a crank with a double, front derailleur, shifter, and singleator. Plus, it won’t break!

3rensho fork crown, built for a skinny 26″set-up, 28mm rake to go with a 73-degree head tube angle – oh and Joe made those dropouts himself.

Wicked-looking. Sturdy. Made for polo.

When you order these – and you SHOULD order these – mention you play polo. More importantly, mention that you’ll be running a front brake.

I noticed that the “hooked canoe” (look it up, paulcomp.com) and the noodle on my front brake had each split about two months into use. I called Paul (the company) and spoke to Paul (the person) and after a short discussion about bike polo and subsequently double brake levers, I mentioned my front canoe and noodle. He basically said, “Hmmm.” About a week later six – SIX – replacement canoes and two noodles arrived in the mail.  Stellar.

I’m down to three spare canoes and I’m on my last spare noodle, so the cracks weren’t a fluke. (Still no such problem in the rear.) But as play for the ball mostly happens in the front, this makes sense. And I’d still take this problem given the performance than deal with other brakes; other noodles break much faster. Perhaps we’ll see some beefed-up canoes and noodles. Until then, Paul stands solidly behind their products. Gift yourself with the most durable, best performing linear pull brake on the market – simple design, easy to adjust, easy to clean, made in the USA.