Are you looking to get into stunt riding? Is your kid begging you to get a stunt scooter but you’re not sure exactly what a stunt scooter is? Are you starting to get into trick riding but your current scooter isn’t up to scratch?
Scooter riding – especially stunt riding – is one of the fastest growing extreme sports. If you or a family member are looking into getting a stunt scooter to start performing, it is important that you purchase the right ride. Using a traditional, folding scooter will lead to injuries and damage to both rider and scooter.
We’re going to discuss the difference between traditional scooters and a stunt scooter, as well as how to choose the best ride for you.
What is a Stunt Scooter?
A stunt scooter is a specific term for a scooter that has been designed for skate parks or freestyle stunt tricks. A traditional scooter, however, is just designed for transport, to get you from A to B. Traditional scooters generally feature an adjustable handlebar so you can alter the height to suit you and your ride style.
Further, traditional scooters have a comfortable deck so you can quickly transition from pavement to path. Traditional scooters can be matched with different sized wheels depending on how you are riding or using the scooter.
A stunt scooter is a non-adjustable, non-foldable scooter designed for tricks and grinds in the skate park. They use the strongest, lightest materials to withstand the impact of stunt landing. They also have different dimensions that make them easier to perform tricks on.
How to Choose the Right Pro Stunt Scooter
As one of the fastest growing sports, it is important that you get the right, high-quality pro stunt scooter for your needs. Relying on old, folding scooters can lead to injuries, as well as damage to the deck. There are a number of factors to consider when it comes to choosing the right pro stunt scooter. This includes bar height, deck length, deck weight and deck width.
Bar Height for Stunt Scooters
The bars on a stunt scooter should sit comfortably between the waist and hips for beginners. More advanced riders, and those who ride park style, tend to prefer a lower bar height. There are riders, too, who prefer taller bars. When starting out, though, your bar height should be a comfortable height.
To find your comfortable bar height, measure from the ground to your hips, then the ground to your naval. The middle point between your hips and navel is the perfect height for your first stunt scooter.
Deck Length for Pro Stunt Scooters
It isn’t uncommon for pro stunt riders to prefer a shorter deck. Shorter scooter decks let you spin tricks quicker and perform heel and tail whips better. They are also better suited to 180s and 360s.
A longer deck, however, lets a stunt rider hop higher. They are better for manuals and are more comfortable to stand one.
Deck lengths range from 19-23.5 inches, with 22inches being the most popular.
Deck Weight for Stunt Riding
The weight of your deck is another important factor in stunt riding. Most riders are always on the look out for the lightest scooter deck available, so you can do the most insane tricks. A lighter deck is easier to manipulate and are also great for younger, smaller riders.
You need a scooter weight that is relative to your riding style and strength. As a result, some adult riders might find heavier decks just as easy to manipulate as lighter decks. A smaller, younger rider, however, might find a heavy deck more difficult to ride. Like deck length, deck weight is relative to your ride style and size.
Deck Widths for Pro Stunt Scooters
Deck width is the highest priority for stunt riders. While street riders like the comfort of a wider deck, stunt riders need a thinner, lighter deck for stunts. Thinner decks are definitely better for inside rails than wider decks.
A wider deck is sometimes preferred by taller riders, as it gives them more footspace and makes landings and tail whips easier. So while you want to aim for the thinnest deck possible, this is relative to your size. A shorter rider will have a thinner deck than a taller rider.
Footspace is also an important factor to consider when looking at deck width. Footspace is not always relative to the length of the deck. Longer decks or those with more footspace makes the scooter more comfortable and gives you more room to prepare for tricks. It also gives you more space to land on. The goal of every pro stunt scooter is to offer as much footspace as possible while keeping the deck short, thin, and light.
Picking a Kids Stunt Scooter
Stunt scooters are fantastic for children, even if they aren’t interested in doing stunts and tricks yet. Most kids like the look of sunt scoters better than other, cheaper scooter styles. We recommend a stunt scooter for children who:
- Are at least 5 years old+
- Have started doing small jumps on their scooter already (traditional scooters are not built for this and need to be changed if your kid wants to perform tricks)
- Wants to go to skateparks and practice jumps and tricks
When choosing a scooter for your child, don’t go by age. It comes down to the rider, their skill level and the scooter height. Before buying a scooter, check the height and measure it against your child. For ages 10+ a bar height of around 580mm+ should be suitable.
Avoid Cheap Stunt Scooters
As the old adage goes, “you get what you pay for”. And this is just as true for scooters as it is any other product you buy. By choosing a cheap scooter, you’re going to lose money in the long run and risk injury.
One of the reasons why cheap stunt scooters can be sold for such low prices is that they are made cheaply. The materials used tend to be plastic and soft metals, which means they’re more likely to break or become damaged while riding. They are also unlikely to have replaceable parts, like pro stunt scooters. These cheap materials also put you or your child at risk, because they can break when riding or performing a trick. This can result in some pretty bad injuries.
Injuries can occur when critical areas of the scooter – like the wheels and fork – are made of materials that are not up to stunt and trick riding. Even beginner stunt riders need a scooter that can take a high degree of abuse.
These cheap materials also mean that the scooter is unlikely to be all that durable, especially when compared to a pro stunt scooter. When the sport was in its early stages, most riders found that cheap scooters were too frail and light to take the punishment and abuse that more aggressive stunt riding demanded.
Wheels in particular need to be sturdy to take the stress and pressure of stunt riding. They not only need to be durable, they also need to be easy to replace. Cheap kids scooters and so called cheap “professional” scooters tend to feature weak, PVC based wheels. A proper stunt scooter should have strong, replaceable wheels that feature high-quality materials like aircraft aluminium. They also need professionally designed bearings to withstand the needs of stunt riding.
Folding Scooters are NOT Stunt Scooters!
One of the most dangerous weak points of cheap scooters is the folding mechanism. While it might make them easier to transport and store, it is one of the major weak points of a cheap scooter. If you, or your kid, lands hard after a difficult trick, the mechanism can simply activate and fold down, throwing the rider to the ground. But even without performing tricks, the folding mechanism can be dangerous. If the fork is not properly in place, the mechanism can activate, even during street rides. These styles of scooters are an accident waiting to happen.
Professional stunt scooters solve this issue with the bolting mechanism that adds much needed strength to the fork. This small change became a real structural innovation that launched the professional scooters we use today. While cheap forks are made from thin aluminium, stunt scooters utilise aircraft grade aluminium to improve construction and stiffness.
Welding and other manufacturing processes – including extruding and forging – have become key components for pro scooters. These innovations have helped crate the best stunt scooters on the market. There is also more product and safety testing for pro stunt scooters than cheap, folding scooters have. Most pro scooters have professional riders test new scooters and offer feedback on improvements, to ensure the best rides on the market.
Looking for a professional stunt scooter for yourself or your child? Sacrifice Scooter has a wide range of high-quality scooters in a range of colours and styles. You can find the perfect ride or contact our team today to work out the best scooter for your ride style and needs.
