STACYC 20eDRIVE review. We take the 32km/h, multi-mode, disc-braked 36Volt $4,299.00 brushless top-spec balance bike and put it to the test. Check out what the kids think...
STACYC electric balance bikes launched in the USA in 2016 but it wasn’t until 2021 that Cassons began to import the 12in and 16in models into Australia. The electric balance bike is highly competitive, and sitting at the top end of the price range is this $4,299.00 20eDRIVE.
The STACYC 20eDRIVE suspension version retails for $4299.00, pricing it up there with many real motorcycles.
We really can’t say enough good things about electric balance bikes here at BikeReview. Most of us have a kids, and here in the Ware house we have four. Back when Covid hit and we were all locked up together, motorcycle sport stopped and my rug rats were hanging to ride their motorcycles. With only a small yard, something needed to be done, as the real bikes just weren’t rideable at home.
We ended up getting a Sherco EB16, which is a very basic brushed motor rigid balance bike with bicycle brakes and a top speed of 22km/h. It has proven unbreakable four years on and has been handed down through three kids! Still going, the EB opened our eyes to EV kids bikes and allowed the kids to ride around our home (inside and out) throughout Covid.
It led to us getting the Torrot MX2… and I have been riding a Yamaha YDX07 Moro for the past three or four months, plus we have a couple of CFMOTO electric minibikes in the garage on test. Fair to say we are fans of these electric bikes.
The eDRIVE 20 is a serious electric balance bike, more like a crossover between a BMW, balance bike and a dirt bike.
STACYC make a range of balance bikes, starting with the entry level 12eDRIVE brushed at $1,129.95 RRP, through to the 16eDRIVE brushless at $1,469.95, the 18eDRIVE brushless at $3,299 and the one we have on test here, the top specification 20eDRIVE brushless with suspension at $4,299 RRP.
Designed for kids 10 to 12 and up to 52kg, the 20eDRIVE has a 36-Volt brushless motor that powers the 15kg bike to a claimed top speed of 32km/h. As we have two motorcycle riding lads aged 10 and 12, both under 52kg, the 20eDRIVE was the best choice to grab for a test over a few summer weekends up at our local tracks, and around the house and laneways after school. By the end of the month that we had the 20eDRIVE at home, the boys were doing their best to convince me to buy it!
My oldest boy is 12, and has been riding the YDX Moro07, Torrot MX2, his KTM two-stroke a lot lately, but always wanted the 20eDRIVE, as he found it so much fun to hoon around on. The youngest, 10, loved it too.
Both of my young blokes are fairly experienced riders, the 10-year-old more so than his big brother. Young Anthony has four years racing under his belt (PW50, KTM50 Mini, KTM50 Senior, Torrot MX2), while the older one James has been trail riding and free riding since he was four-years old. The little fella did a lot of hours on the EB16 when he was younger during Covid, so has a soft spot for EBBs…
STACYC 20eDRIVE Features
- Seat Height: 58cm | 61-66cm inseam
- Weight: 15kg with battery
- Full aluminium frame with proprietary shaped tubes
- Manitou J-Unit Machete adjustable forks, 80mm of travel
- 20in Nylon wheels with sealed bearings
- 20×2.6 Innova tyres
- Proprietary throttle assembly with STACYC custom grips
- Custom 19mm flat handlebar
- Hydraulic brakes front and rear
36V brushless motor performance
- Power selection modes:
- Low/Training mode 16km/h
- Med/Standard mode 24km/h
- High/Advanced mode 32km/h
- 30-60 min claimed run-time | 3hr charge time
- Quick connect / disconnect battery
- 40Vmax Voltage (36Vnom) 6Ah – 18650 battery
- Industrial grade charger included
The first thing we noticed about the 20e, aside from the sheer size of it (like a balance bike on steroids), was the weight. At 15kg ready to roll, it’s a hefty thing, and the kids struggled to lift it into the back of the Kia Carnival.
But weight aside, the kids absolutely loved the look of the STACYC and both wanted to keep it in their bedrooms! It does look pretty bloody cool, and I may have had a ride too! It’s just that it is bigger, so heavier, than the usual toy-like EBBs many might be used to. It’s more serious.
After learning about the bike and the modes, the boys started learning the bike around the house (inside and outside) in Low mode. This was OK for them, they still had fun and didn’t do any damage to the house, but they both felt the throttle was a little snappy on initial opening, even on Low mode.
Over the next few days they mucked around with all of the modes, still riding arounds the house, but full power was concluded to be just a bit too snappy and savage for the tight pathways and small yard.
They headed out into the laneways instead, and had an absolute ball ripping around. No dramas, no issues with worrying about police or rangers, and way faster than pedalling their BMX’s! We then took it to the soccer oval and Anthony rode it flat out on the grass until the battery went from full charge to dead, it went for bang-on 25-minutes, which is pretty good.
“More varied riding saw us get a maximum of 35-minutes run time out in the open.”
More varied riding saw us get a maximum of 35-minutes run time out in the open. At home in the lower two modes, cruising around the yard and house, the boys say they got more than the claimed one-hour a few times!
James is tall for a 12-year-old, with size 11 feet, but fits on the 20eDRIVE OK. Like Anthony, he slipped off the seat onto the rear wheel, which was a bit of a painful experience! Needs a rear guard badly.
We then headed to our local ride park (Pacific Park) with the real motorbikes, but we threw the STACYC in the van so the boys could cruise around between rides and have some fun, and in the end they both spent more of the day on the 20eDRIVE than on their proper bikes.
“In the end they both spent more of the day on the 20eDRIVE than on their proper bikes.”
I topped up the battery between each ride, so it lasted all day, and turned a lot of heads as it zipped past in the pits and the various access roads to the canteen and the swimming areas, or off to the dunnies. It was super useful to have, and saved the kids their usual slugging it around in boots etc.
Ripping around at Pacific Park dirt bike park on the STACYC, between riding the real bikes on the MX and dirt track.
At the end of the month, the lads were still going for the eDRIVE after school every few days, but only having quick rides, and I noticed Anthony was still going for his EB16 (which he has totally outgrown) or even his old PW50 from years ago. I asked him why and he said he just could not get used to the snappy throttle on the STACYC. Older brother James agreed.
Both boys had also ended up with grazed/bruised butt’s and nuts after slipping off the seat and getting jammed onto the back wheel. It’s a serious oversight and a wonder a kid hasn’t been badly injured yet. Luckily ours had MX pants on at the time. That put them off a bit when that happened and they were reluctant to ride without MX pants on, which was just a hassle for them to do.
In the kids own words…
Good points – “Looks cool, good handlebars and grips, good levers, strong brakes, top speed, acceleration, charging is easy, forks good, fun handling, foot position and platform OK”.
Bad points – “Snappy throttle and power deliver hard to control, no rear suspension, heavy to pick up and move around, no rear mudguard so can fall into back tyres because snappy power can make you slide off seat, also sprays mud up back.”
In conclusion, the STACYC 20eDRIVE is more of a real bike than a toy. It’s powerful, zippy, has a high top speed and requires a level of maturity and experience (and respect for speed) that the more toy-like balance bikes don’t need so much of. The 20eDRIVE needs more attention, so to speak. Spare batteries are relatively good value at $549 and you would want one of those, there are some good accessories, and there is a range of neat apparel that the kids would like too…
Definitely not for the kid without riding experience, and must be ridden wearing protective clothing. For that reason, it takes a bit more effort on the parents’ behalf to get their kid riding, whereas the slower and smaller EBBs are just jump on and go type thing… Still a great, fun option for those with the cash! For the price, though, there are plenty of proper motorcycles on the market, including electric minibikes.
STACYC 20eDRIVE Gallery
Ratings | STACYC 20eDrive Review | Youth Test
Fun!
STACYC eDRIVE 20 is a BMW sized brushless electric balance bike designed for 10 to 12 year-old riders. We take the bike to our local motorcycle park and let the kids test it out for themselves. This is our STACYC eDRIVE 20 review.
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