Skatebikes
A Skatebike (some prefer Skate Bike) is a cross between a bicycle drive back wheel and a skateboard truck up front. We've got it all skatebike: Minson, Roller Shuttle, Twisties Edition, Garel Monocycle, LeRun and Max. A large collection of commercials, ads and video of riders and their skatebikes. And lots of technical articles on restoring a skatebike including diagrams, dimensions and part numbers.
There was two main skatebike families: Minson and Garel/LeRun/Max. Two patents filed in 1981 started things off, US4523770 for Minson and US4417743 for Garel. In 2007 a third family was introduced, the SQRL (say “squirrel”).
Minson Skate Bike was made in Taiwan and sold mostly in North America but were also marketed as the Minson Roller Shuttle in the UK and a special edition was marketed as the Minson Twisties Edition in Australia.
There were four versions of the Garel skatebikes. The Motobécane Rodeocycle made in France and the Garel Monocycle was made in Italy. Two licensees were LeRun, made in Malaysia, and Max Skatebike and AXL made in Holland. Later followed a licensing agreement creating the MTV LeRun. The most recent entry is the QU-AX Balance Trainer.
Have you got an interesting skatebike, modified, electrified or home grown. Email me about your ride. I love adding articles on how fans are enjoying their skatebikes.
Want to Help?
I am looking for people who own specific models of skatebikes, such as AXL Skatebike and SQRL Skatebike (any model). I would appreciate photos of labels and stickers, especially those that tell where they were made.
Rich Helms - Canada Rich@RichHelms.ca
Videos of commercials and owners riding their skatebikes
- A Day on my Skatebike X
- Aujourd’hui présentation du Rodeocycle de Motobécane
- Boy Riding a SQRL Sport in Chile
- Cybex SQRL Commercial
- First Successful Ride – Rich Helms (Minson)
- GoPro on a Minson Skate Bike
- Halbrad (that’s “Halfbike” in English)
- Half bike / half skate board … mostly scooter!
- Max Skate Bike Commercial (The Best)
- Minson Riding – Skatebike Study 1&2
- Minson with Training Wheels
- Motobécane Rodeocycle
- MTV / LeRun Skatebike Agreement / Commercials
- Odd Objects: Minson Skate Bike
- One Point Five
- Riding My Minson Skate bike on my 80th birthday
- Riding my Minson Skatebike
- Robert Ortiz riding his Minson
- Rodéocycle Motobécane – un jouet de plus de sauvé
- RollerCycleSport
- Scotty Cranmer Pro BMX Rider restores and rides an AXL Skatebike
- SQRL – Intro
- SQRL (The Skatebike Movie)
- The Best Minson Skate Bike Restoration Updated – Eric Alley – California
- World’s First Seatless Stand Up Skate Bike
What’s New
- Relaxed Bike 23 February 2022
- The Motobecane Rodeocycle 1 February 2022
- Garel/Lerun Generations 28 December 2021
- Motobécane Rodeocycle Owner’s Manual 1 December 2021
- Max Skatebike Generations – How to Tell Them Apart 1 November 2021
- One Point Five 4 October 2021
- Halbrad (that’s “Halfbike” in English) 4 October 2021
- World’s First Seatless Stand Up Skate Bike 4 October 2021
- Mats van der Gugl – Slovenia 11 August 2021
- Steampunk SQRL 3 August 2021
- Out for a little ride – Jon N – UK 22 July 2021
- Minson Variations – Gen 1/2/3 8 July 2021