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Total Polo Laboratories recently introduced these lathe turned HDPE end plugs to fit common 2″ diameter ABS pipe for use as hardcourt bike polo mallets. As the game, and rules, progress more and more players have been turning towards solid mallets ends for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is improved shooting accuracy and power. The flat ends just make sense as opposed to empty ones in striking the ball, leading to much more predictable shots in my experience. Striking power has also improved, helped along not only by the flat face but the added weight of the plugs and the subsequent momentum transfer from mallet to ball. The added weight of the plugs is obvious, especially at the end of a 3ft ski pole and early in the season when my hands aren’t as used to polo-play as they are during the twice per week summer.The plugs are also meant to help extend the life of mallet heads, especially ABS ones that can wear quickly and develop cracks and chips along the ends. While I’ve not had the chance to use these for an entire season, the concept makes sense as the HDPE is dense and seems to slide across the ground better than other materials, wearing gradually rather than in chunks and spectacular explosions of plastic. Plugs also completely prevent the controversial ball-joint technique of bike polo handling, unless of course you only install one of them. If some have their way and ball-jointing is completely removed from hardcourt bike polo I’d imagine plugs such as these will become standard equipment of sorts. Available for about $18 per set, Total Polo Laboratories does not have a website to order through, only an email address for inquiries.
So that’d bring the total cost of a bike polo mallet to… $20?
This seems to totally miss the point of polo to me. Just make your own damn plugs from the same aisle of the hardware store you got your mallet head from.
Why not just use solid hdpe, ldpe, or uhmw? In a 2.5 inch diameter it costs less than $2 a food. Lathe turned is nice, but $18?
what is your source for $2/ft PE? The lathing is nice because you can turn out all the unnecessary material/extra weight but still have a nice collar to run hardware into. A solid polyurethane head would really drag on your (I should say “my” I haven’t seen your forearms) ball handling, in my personal POV
I bought one, and a few extra caps. It is a nicely made product. The heads are solid and lathed in concentric circles. I think it will increase my shot power and also make my shots more accurate. Something i would enjoy.
the reason for not just buying PE is that its heavier then ABS. just using an HDPE head and an ABS body helps with weight of your mallet. these are good products!
Thanks for posting these, Brad.
$2 a food is a fantastic price. What is your source?
The reason I created these is not only for a faster, more powerfull and more accurate shot, but to extent the wear of the mallet head. The modular design allows for the caps to be rotated once they wear near the bottom, thus extending the life of the product.
yeah. First off, weight is my first concern. I can and often do end up replacing the heads several times on my mallets, before the shaft gives up the ghost. I don’t see this as a problem. They last quite a while as they are and building mallets is pretty quick and easy. My mallets cost me about three dollars a piece in supplies and, when made in batches, take probably about ten minutes to make per mallet. Weight. Cost. I through bolt mine, grinding the ends of the hardware flat. My shot is fine without a cap and better at the lighter weight–for me. As for the “if some have their way” comment… I will always play with the mallet I want to play with. I do not “balljoint” and if you want to…go for it. Show me what you got. If this federation thing is about rules and regulations, well, I guess there will always be underground polo. I’ve been playing for more than five years and so far it’s been about fun, bikes and beer. Anyone with big asperations for the underground game should go watch the good bad movie Baseketball. Ps I like this magazine.keep on keepin on.
1) Sports, like all things, evolve.
Basketball was invented as a wintertime sport at a Massachusetts YMCA. They nailed fruit baskets to the wall and threw a ball in it. The game stopped after each goal so a gut could climb a ladder and get the ball out. http://www.kansasheritage.org/people/naismith.html
The purists of the sport would have insisted that the guy on the ladder removing the ball after every shot was an integral part of the game. 100 years later more than just the ladder has changed, but the sport still exists. And people still play pick up games- I bet some even involve a guy on a ladder.
Evolution is good. These plugs are a step in the right direction. If you like them, use them. If you don’t, that’s your choice and probably soon your loss. My money is on the player who puts some time and money into his/her game. Those people are inevitably going to improve and move the sport forward.
2) Even if you spring for good gear bike polo is a very accessible sport.
If you use your regular bike, DIY a mallet, or *gasp* buy one from someone who’s made several hundred already, you’ve got money left for beer and food.
If you want to put a little more into your gear, like say a bike outfitted just for polo and nice mallet caps, you’re in for a little more. If that’s you, I hope you left enough for beer.
If not, I bet someone will buy you one because your nicely capped mallet hit a sweet shot and won the game. That’s what I call a smart investment.