Let's step back a little... what the heck am I talking about? Firstly Adelaide, and secondly the Australian Hardcourt Bike Polo Championships. Combine the two, and you get one hell of a fun weekend! For those a little slow on the uptake, last weekend was the AHBPC held in Adelaide. This is the recap.
Team Phuq Styx
Photographed by Studio Crossbow
Rootbeer, Johnson, and myself, comprising team Phuq Styx left Brisbane at ridiculous-o'clock, landing at a semi-reasonable 8am Adelaide time. With us we had two prototype BOgear Bike Bags (yes, we will do a write up about these soon!) as well as a Chunky Toad (which passed as carry-on!), and a large backpack (laden to 35kg... video proof coming soon too!). After landing, unpacking our bikes, and stowing the bike bags on our back we rode into Adelaide city for a feast of pancakes. Many thanks to semi-local dude, Baker for his directions to this gem.
After refuelling, our next priority was to visit stockist and an Adelaide gem, Treadly Bikes. Treadly is run by two of the nicest and friendliest people you will ever meet; Emily & Sam. Oh, and it also has an "owner" in the form of Rusty the shop dog (who gets a LOT of attention due to his ridiculous cute-ness). If you haven't been to Treadly, I highly suggest you do. You could walk in with any bike and receive the same service; there is no "elitism" attitude here. The space is warm and inviting, with a lot of detail on signage and artwork (you have to see it to know exactly what I mean!).
Treadly Bike Shop, with the amazing artwork in the background...
Treadly visit over, Rootbeer and myself decided to cruise the town, belatedly dropping in to Little Black Bike. This is also a bike shop I highly recommend visiting. Although BMX orientated, they do service the occasional fixed gear bike. It has comparatively less stock, yet the owners and staff make up for this with exceptional service. They are willing to explain repairs to you, and do not talk down. It is obvious they have a LOT of knowledge, and are more than willing to share it, which is a nice change!
Rather than giving a continual blow-by-blow of our weekend, I will jump straight to the important part... The Nationals. And boy, what a Nationals it was! Adelaide deserves a BIG thumbs up/pat on the back/beer for this one, as it was considerably well organised, and went down without a hitch. The courts featured barriers that you could bounce the ball off (rather than stopping play), there was a first aid attendant, and the entire event had insurance. The pub was close, drinks were cold, food was delicious, and a coffee van came around both mornings. Seriously, what more could you ask for? How about a series of games which ran smoothly, rules which were non-draconian, and a draw which is logical and easy to follow.
Big BIG thanks to Adelaide!
BOgear provided sponsorship in the form of entry pack goodies, as well as a "Best Newbie Award." The entry pack goodies consisted of Rigging Straps, Keyrings, and Coin Pouches from reclaimed Thomson Seatpost bags. Check them out:
Limited "Gold" Keyring
A jumble of Rigging Straps
Reclaimed Thomson Seat & Stem bags into Coin Pouches
As for the Newbie Award, we donated a previously mentioned Bike Bag. This is still being worked on, tweaked and priced, but we will do a write up about it in the near future, so make sure you stay tuned! Congratulations to Dom from BNE for winning the bag!
Sneak peek of the bike bag bundled up!
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