So you've seen these cool new things called Stacyc bikes, right? If this is your first glance at a Stacyc bike, I'm very happy to know my SEO (search engine optimization) is working that well for a basic Wix site! Chances are you already know what a Stacyc bike is and you're here because you're not sure whether or not you wanna dump the kind of cash it takes to obtain one. If you need to know what a Stacyc bike is first, I have a pretty in-depth video about it on my YouTube channel here
Ok, that should tell and show you most everything if you weren't already familiar. Now, let me tell you my story about Stacyc bikes just to provide some context (queue dream sequence effects....)
Our Stacyc journey began on my youngest boys Kallen's 3rd birthday. His older brother Rennen started riding balance bikes (Strider bike) almost exactly at 18-months old, which I later found out is Strider's starting age recommendation. Rennen was an absolute monster on a balance bike! He rode it EVERYWHERE and all the time. We even took him BMX racing with it where he basically tied for 1st at the Florida State BMX championships (they really didn't keep score for the balance bikes, which kinda pissed me off... but he won a moto and got 2nd in the other, so those points would be a win if they kept score like the other classes). Rennen then graduated to a pedal bike (no training wheels of course) on his 3rd birthday. He immediately was able to ride with ease and push the limits in typical Rennen fashion. Within no time he was riding his little Subrosa Altus 12" pedal bike halfway up the half-pipe at our local skatepark. He even took it around the BMX track, but it was kinda small for that track and the gearing was all wrong, so we mostly hit the skateparks as our house is surrounded by dirt and pedal bike riding is hard in dirt (for kids especially). Around 3 1/2 years old, we came across a Razor MX-350 electric dirt bike on a sale at Target. I had a Yamaha PW50 waiting for him when he got big enough (he got that for Christmas when he was 2-years old!), but the Razor seemed like a good step towards transitioning from the balance bike to a non-pedal powered two wheeler. The added weight and simple "on/off" throttle would be good tools to teach him motorcycle operation, and the tame power output of the Razor would not be intimidating to him. Suffice to say, Rennen took to it and crushed it! Almost literally, as he flat wore that bike out from riding it so often and so hard. Luckily I enjoy filmmaking and capture nearly every milestone in my kids lives:
So it wasn't but 3-4 months later that Rennen was on the Yamaha PW50. This was mostly because I did not want to buy another Razor to fill the gap until he got on the PW, so I "just sent it" and tried him on the very throttle limited PW and he impressed us once again:
Ok, so at this point Rennen is almost 4-years old, has competed in his first motocross race, and baby Kallen was born. Will baby Kallen follow in his wild older brothers footsteps? Let's fast forward 3 years to Kallen's 3rd birthday... (queue dreamy transition cut scene)
So Kallen didn't quite mirror Rennen with the same obsession with dirt bikes so young, but we provided the same tools as we did Rennen to see what he wanted to do with them. We got him on a Strider at 18-months - and he could push around just fine - just didn't have that kind of Nitro Circus kind of crazy like Rennen did, so where do we go from here?
So Stacyc bikes weren't really a thing - or at least not as mainstream as they are now - when Rennen was transitioning from a balance bike, so we missed that boat, but Kallen was in the sweet-spot for going to a Stacyc from a Strider. So we got Kallen outfitted with the Stacyc E-drive 12 for his 3rd birthday to do a little compare/contrast between the two kids to see if the Stacyc was as good of a "motocross trainer" as it advertised itself as being during all of those super high-energy commercials during Supercross races... In my mind, it would be a fun experiment to see if the Stacyc with it's superior throttle action, super low seat height, and lightweight would help Kallen learn to ride easier than Rennen did on the Razor. With only 18-months of casual Strider bike experience, we threw Kallen on the Stacyc 12 and stood back!
So Kallen jumped on the Stacyc and was off. $600 spent and experiment underway. Well it didn't take long before the "big one" wanted his own Stacyc so he could ride with his little bro, and lucky for him his birthday was only a month after Kallen's, so this happened:
So a 3-year old on a Stacyc 12, a 6-year old on a Stacyc 16, and 9-months+ (at the time of this writing) worth of experience so far. I think I'm qualified enough to provide my insight into Stacyc bikes! Right?!
So this is where you come in. You're here because you want to know if a Stacyc bike is right for you, because at the end of the day, it is a big investment considering the options. Let's dig into this and I'll provide you with every tidbit of advice, the positives, the negatives, and my trials and tribulations with our Stacyc bikes along the way.
Ok, I observed quite a few new parents and their questions on the Stacyc Facebook groups and can categorize them into two groups:
Those who have kids who WILL ride dirt bikes
Those who WANT their kids to ride dirt bikes
BIG DIFFERENCE HERE! Let me help you with this:
You are in group 1 if:
Your kid LOVES dirt bikes.
He/she watches supercross with you and actually pays attention to it (knows the riders, the brands, the obstacle names, the tracks, etc...)
He/she begs to ride with his dad on his motorcycle (or someone else's)
He/she plays with dirt bike toys in the dirt and mud
He/she turns their heads whenever a motorcycle passes on the road
He/she gets this trance'y look when they hear a motocross bike
Is obsessed with their balance bike
Can ride a pedal bike and loves that
Is a tough kid and doesn't mind getting dirty or the bumps and bruises
You are in group 2 is:
YOU love dirt bikes, but your kids are impartial
YOU watch Supercross, but your kids are impartial
YOU ride motorcycles, but your kids are impartial
He/she doesn't like playing in the mud so much
He/she doesn't care about motorcycles or loud cars/trucks passing by, and is bothered by the noise
He/she doesn't ride the balance bike you got them, or worse off is afraid of it
He/she doesn't care about learning how to ride a pedal bike
He/she doesn't like being outside, hates the dirt, and is overly dramatic about bumps and bruises
I sure hope you don't take offense to the group 2 criteria, it's not meant to label your kid in any way, but more or less to help YOU realize a few things:
It might be YOU that wants your kid to ride, without considering if they even want to or not
Sometimes kids just don't have the interest in riding that you want them to have, or they don't want to take it as far as you'd like them to
Kids might not want to ride at such a young age, but just think that most kids don't learn to ride a bike until they're 6-years old or so. You have some time! It might not be on a Stacyc, but don't give up your riding hopes and plans just yet
So how does this help you? Easy, because Stacyc bikes are $500-800 depending on the model and version (brushed or brushless) and that's a lot of money to spend on something you're not sure your kid will even use. Trust me on this:
If your kid is 2-4 years old, get them a Strider or other balance bike to start on. This will tell you if they like the practice of riding at a MUCH lower cost!
If your kid is 5-6 years old, this is tougher because they'll probably tell you they want a Stacyc when you show it to them, but you won't know if they'll actually ride it or not once you put it in front of them. 4-years old is still balance bike territory, but some 5-year olds might be too big for a balance bike. For this, you might try a cheap pedal bike and get them on two-wheels first to see where it goes. Also, there's the fact that a 5-6 year old is ripe for jumping straight onto a PW50 or if your budget minded, even a gas powered bike from Amazon that is actually CHEAPER than a Stacyc! The PW50 is going to be over $1000 used and $2000 new in todays inflated prices, but the SYX Moto Holeshot is about as budget friendly as it goes. Here's my experience with one:
I'll write a completely separate blog about the SYX Moto Holeshot, but if your kid is big enough and your in "group 1", you might just wanna skip directly to this bike as your beta tester.
So you can see I'm helping you narrow things down, right? We've discussed how to better understand and gauge your kids interest, and we've touched on the "maybe they're too old" factor. Let's dig into that a little more:
Stacyc offers two models: the 12 eDrive and the 16 eDrive.
The 12 is a little smaller frame-wise, has a shorter seat height, shorter wheelbase, and 12" wheels. The 16 is a little bigger and longer than the 12, and has 16" wheels. The 12 is rated for 3-5 years old, the 16 for 5-8 years old. Wait, what? 8-years old?!
That's right, 8-years old. Have you seen the size of kids these days?! I'm going to tell you right now, an 8-year old will destroy a Stacyc 16. My 6-year old wasn't even 50lbs and he tore up two gearboxes on his 16 and runs through a battery in less than 15-minutes (let's save this for another blog though....) So to me, Stacyc's are only applicable for kids that are 7-years old and younger, and are lightweights.
So which one do I get? The 12 or the 16?
If your kid is 3-years old, the 12 for sure. If your kid is 4-5, go for the 16 as they'll grow out of the 12 too fast. So we narrow it down a little better now, 3-4 will be better off on the 12, and a big 4 or 5-7 year old will need the 16.
Oh, I forgot to mention something too. These bikes are FAST! Luckily they have 3 selectable modes of operation with different speed capabilities, but when set on mode 3 (the fastest), these bikes will move! They easily pull wheelies and will even throw an unsuspecting kid right off the back. THAT is not good, especially if you're trying to introduce a kid that is timid to the idea of riding to this whole thing. Nothing will scare a kid off a bike faster than getting bucked off because it's too fast, or hurting themselves on one. KEEP IT ON MODE 1 UNTIL THEY GET BORED OF IT! Here's a good look at how crazy my kids get on them. Be sure to notice the wheelies
Still reading? Good!
So you're in group 1 and sold that you're gonna buy a Stacyc to introduce your 3-5 year old to riding (notice how I was very specific with that criteria?). Let's talk about how brilliant Stacyc bikes are and what they'll do for your kid:
Stacyc was created by a professional motocross mechanic who wanted to create something his kids could learn to ride on. I'm guessing he had a Strider for them and wanted to power it, helping to learn throttle control in addition to balance. Makes sense. The end result is what you see today, albeit the original company was bought out by Harley Davidson. Maybe that helped bring these to more people with bigger manufacturing prowess, who knows?
The throttle assembly is magical on the Stacyc.
It is smooth and precise, not just an "on/off" type of throttle like the Razor MX350, which makes learning throttle control harder. Actually, Rennen still has the tendency to be "choppy" with his throttle application. This I fear was learned from the Razor, and when he went to the PW he just never unlearned this bad habit. He's a bit better now (3-years later), but I still see it sometimes. Had he learned on the Stacyc, this bad habit might not have ever happened... hmmm
Something else that's good about the Stacyc that not a lot of people realize is that it is still a balance bike. Yup, keep it turned off and the kids can still push along happily like little ducks. This is good because kids can get up to speed by using it as a balance bike, then when they're experts at that, you can flip the switch and blow their minds! Granted, they'll never use it as a balance bike again after they know it can move by turning the throttle, so this is a one way street.
They're cool.
1000% cool actually. Your kid will feel like a boss when they're on their Stacyc bike. My kids cruise around our races with theirs and consider them their very own "pit bikes". Any kid who doesn't have one (and most kids at MX races do) wants to try it and thinks it's awesome (parents too!). More Stacycs are probably sold by way of other kids seeing them used at races if I were to guess.
The other cool thing about Stacyc bikes is that they're actually quite customizable! There's a ton of cool trinkets and things you can do to them to improve, upgrade, or customize them. Here's a few things I did to ours, and where you can get these things:
Head to the Nihilo e-bike parts page. There's some awesome stuff there!
Ok, so we covered the pro's. You ready for the con's? Cause there's quite a few, but I think you need to be made aware of them before you click the links I provide below.
They are EXPENSIVE!
Not gonna lie, I think they're more than they should be. There's cool tech in them, but it's hard to swallow $500-800 on what most consider a "toy" when you can be patient and find a used PW50 for $1000, or worse off the SYX Moto Holeshot for hundreds less than the Stacyc. I'm not sure why they're so much, but this is why I emphasized so heavily on the "group 1 group 2" stuff above. Just make sure your kid wants to ride, and not that you want your kid to ride before spending that much on it. This is honest talk, I've seen quite a few "only ridden once" Stacyc's for sale on the Facebook groups because of this exact scenario.
They are a little fragile in certain areas.
I hate to report on this, but the 16 has had a hell of a time not being broken with Rennen aboard. The 12 has been flawless with careful Kallen aboard his, but when a kid is the right combo of 50lbs or more and rides like he's in Nitro Circus, the thing is going to break. What breaks you say? The gearboxes. There are two gearboxes in a Stacyc bike, and I've had both of them break. They're a pain in the rear end to replace, but the bright side is that Stacyc warranties them. Here's a video of my experiences with this:
Oh, and also there's this error code that happens when the battery or speed control gets too hot, or your battery level gets too low, or something else that I can't seem to make sense of. Huh? Yeah, so when kids ride them hard, they just don't "go dead" like the old style battery powered Power Wheels or Razor ride-on's do. The Stacyc will just produce an error code and make you think something catastrophic has happened. This is the most uneasy and stomach turning thing to experience after your kid is taking his first spin on the $800 bike you just bought him. Like this:
That's about it, right? Nah, I wish it was my friend. I wish it was...
Then there's the fact that the battery goes dead way faster than you think it should if your kid rides on mode 3 or in the dirt/grass. The higher rolling resistance of dirt or grass drain the battery fast, and the "everything it's got" of mode 3 expedites this draining. So how long? 15-minutes or less in my experience, and that's not all 100% flat out riding, that's around our backyard MX track (it's small). "What's the solution?" Buy a second or third battery and another charging station so you can rotate them while the others are charging. "Ok, cool. How much?" Well, that's the tough part, see you can only use Stacyc proprietary batteries, so they're gonna get you for over $200 for that combo, IF you can get them (cause as of the time of this writing, they're sold out). "Can't they use generic batteries?" Nope, there aren't any. "Dang, that sucks! They look almost identical to all of those Dewalt and Milwaukee drill batteries I have. I wish those fit..." Well, they do. Kinda. You can buy Dewalt and Milwaukee adapter kits from a few clever folks out there if you have a stack of these batteries. That's gonna run you $100, IF they're not sold out too... "Jeez. WTF?!" I know, right?
Ok, so that's the bad parts. Expensive, prone to certain issues, and hard to get or expensive supporting equipment. BUT, I'm gonna be honest with you, if you have a kid that fits into the "group 1" criteria, there's really nothing out there that compares to a Stacyc. There are a few competitors, but I feel they would probably have similar issues without the warranties or good customer support, so I won't even dwell on them. Thumpstar is about the only other one I know of anyways. Anything else is just a silly looking Chinese knockoff.
Are you still sold? Good, I think it's an awesome product and if your kid is adventurous, outgoing, not afraid of dirt, enjoys balance bikes, or has an interest motocross or motorcycles, they're gonna love a Stacyc bike! Also, to me there's nothing greater than knowing my kids are learning lifelong skills of riding. When they're older, they can say they have experience riding since they were 3. THAT is pretty neat!
Here's where I'd recommend buying your Stacyc from. The team at Nihilo is as top-notch as the products they make:
Thanks for reading along and I hope this helps you! I have a few other videos about the Stacyc bikes on my YouTube Channel if you wanna learn even more. Feel free to reach out to me and ask any questions you might have that I didn't cover.
John