R&T/B&B TESTS THE POGUAR

“ALTHOUGH IT MAY BE ARGUED,” Bounce & Bound wrote in January 1955, “that the scrutiny of a road test crew should be confined to the technical and performance aspects of a pogostick, it is difficult long to ignore the light, airy grace of the Poguar when one is confronted with this veritable ‘jewel box on springs.’”

A pogo stick?? Bounce & Bound?? This, to the best of my research, is R&T’s first attempt poking fun at its road test procedure. There were to be quite a few to follow, among them several appearing here at SimanaitisSays: a Greyhound bus, April 1969, and a Kenworth truck, April 1984. Comparison tests were fair game as well: “Concorde Vs QE2,” April 1988, and “Three Superlative Delivery Vehicles,” DHL, FedEx, and UPS, April 2007. 

Here are tidbits gleaned from “Road Testing the Poguar.” 

“A Genuine Dual-Purpose Machine.” B&B enthused, “From the molded handgrip to the road racing Dunlop pog pad, this is a vehicle of the utmost quality in design and construction. The attention to detail is immediately discernible upon mounting the cast alloy footrests. All controls come easily to hand, the brake pedal especially being worthy of note.”

Not to editorialize, but I would have preferred “easily to foot.” And I do wonder about the brake “pedal.”

A Subtle Dig Against Molsheim. “Unlike certain Continental sticks of the ’20’s [i.e., Ettore Bugatti: “I build my cars to go, not to stop”], Poguars not only fit an excellent hydraulic braking system, but also equip this model with a really effective self starter. This will undoubtedly prove its worth in competition, for the new XK is a good deal faster off the mark than the previous SS model, a by no means inferior performer.” 

One assumes the national ID tag is two-sided. It’s a pity that details of the self-start and hydraulic brake were left to the reader’s imagination (though I wonder about that technical fussiness a third-way down the stick).

Also, the top-speed citations remind me of the dear little old lady who said, “It always seems so much faster in kph.”

B&B Tech Prowess. “The several adjustments of this pogo,” B&B explained, sorta, “allow its use by one of almost any weight or height. A special torque reaction torsion bar arrangement on the leading arm allows the actuating coil spring to rotate freely on its cones.”

And I confess this isn’t the only time that the magazine’s tech talk confounded me. 

“Consequently,” B&B continued, “a vicious snap return can be adjusted into this model, which is normally considered ‘touring only.’ Nevertheless it must be conceded that the dual character of the Poguar will appeal to both the normal touring type and to the enthusiastic pogo aficionado.” 

Nice alliteration here!  

Past the OPM Redline. B&B noted, “Only once during our rather rigorous test procedure did we encounter the feeling of excessive opm. On that occasional it was necessary to return down the road in order to retrieve certain articles of apparel which had dropped.” 

Stick It To ’Em. For the benefit of new pogo enthusiasts, B&B included specs of current sticks around the world. This was but three years before Japanese sticks were to be recognized as anything but a chopped substitute.

Also included were Famous Grand Prix Sticks. ’Nuff said, though Goodpog earns a giggle.

Top Bounce. B&B reported, “Since Poguar Sticks, Ltd. had established the new world’s record for sports pogo sticks at 37.8 mph only shortly before our tests, we were particularly interested in ascertaining whether or not a private owner can expect to duplicate this feat. Unfortunately, we must state that it will almost certainly not be possible. The average rider simply cannot cope with the optional 311-pound spring used in the record run machine.”

A Lot of Stick. “Our own runs,” B&B cited, “were made at night, and as can be seen by the accompanying chart, the maximum speed attained was 20.8 mph, one way.” This is still better than any domestic product and, all in all, considering the superb cornering and braking inherent in the design we must conclude that it is a lot of stick for the money.”

Hints About B&B/R&T’s Test Site. “Test conditions: 60º F, calm, dry night, 30 ft below sea level.” Hmm… I analyzed this once to guess the location, but Googling fails to disclose it. Maybe a reader has better luck.

And, by the way, neither of the B&B testers was particularly lithesome…. Likely not JRB. All in good fun. ds 

© Dennis Simanaitis, SimanaitisSays.com, 2025