What’s the difference between a footbike and a scooter?
Very often we face accusations or even ridicule when we call our gear footbikes. “Hey, guys, has anyone told you that it’s called a scooter?” is one of the most common sentences we’ve heard.
Firstly: Kostka Footbikes Australia did not invent the word “footbike” or “footbiking.” It is an internationally established term for an independent sport. The Australian footbike association was founded in 2008 in Australia ( Australian Footbike Association). Also, footbiking has the world association IKSA. There are run competitions in many countries worldwide and footbiking has its own world championship. It is simply one of the many minor sports which already has many fans and becomes bigger and more popular every year, especially in Europe and the USA.
Secondly: Generally, yes, the footbike is a big scooter. But try to do tricks with it in a skatepark or take your trick scooter and ride it for 100 km. You’ll spot the difference then.
So, let’s clear up what the difference is.
Wheels
Wheels are the biggest difference. There isn’t a specific size of wheels. The most common is a bike size 26” for the front one and 20” rear wheel. Another popular combination is 20” and 20”, 20’ and 16” or, 16” and 12” for kids or city footbikes. Because they are bike wheels, you can use different kinds of tyres depending on the terrain you are riding. Footbikes meant for racing on the roads use smooth tyres, unlike footbikes used on snow or sand that use fat tyres. For racing, either on road or off-road, even bigger wheels are used. The common size is 29” at the front and 26” at the rear. Can you even imagine such big wheels?
Handlebars
Handlebars are similar to bikes. They are placed higher to allow the rider to ride comfortably in a position that does not hurt their back, arms or other body parts. They are also wider which allows a comfortable grip and safer footbike handling.
Brakes
How do you brake on the little scooter? Either you push on the rear wheel, or you use your heel. Neither work on footbikes. Like on a bicycle, there are two separate brakes, one for each wheel. KOSTKA footbikes use Shimano brakes, the top-quality brand.
Accessories
Nearly all the accessories you can use on a bike you can use on a footbike too. The list is long: bags, baskets, lights, bottle cages, fenders, baby seats etc.. You can even pull a pram with you. There also exist seats if someone needs them for any reason. None of this is possible to mount on a scooter.
Riding position
When you’re riding footbikes you stand upright, your back is straight, and your arms are slightly bent. While you’re kicking the footbike you do small squats. On the contrary, with a small scooter, your arms are outstretched, and your back is bent. Lastly, while footbiking you have to swap your legs regularly otherwise you strengthen just one half of your body and you might hurt yourself. But thanks to the longer and wider platform, it’s easy to get the hang of swapping legs.
Simply put, scooters belong to skateparks or having fun in the neighbourhood. Footbikes are meant for fitness, traveling around the city, riding off-road and making great adventures. There is enough room for both of them in our lives.
