Braking safely: making balance bike trips relaxing for parents too
16.9.2022
Translation: Megan Cornish
All parents have had tricky moments with their offspring on their first two-wheeler. Which is why two men invented the remote-controlled brake. The perfect gadget for protective parents? I tried it for myself.
Small children like to sit on their balance bikes. It’s how they learn to keep their balance and get up to speed. This, in turn, brings Mum and Dad out in a cold sweat because braking doesn’t usually work that well. There’s now a solution to ensure that no more stressful situations arise in the future: the first remote-controlled brake for balance bikes.
I wanted to know what the mySTOPY brake can and can’t do, so I talked to its inventors and was sent one to try out.
How does mySTOPY work?
mySTOPY is a remote-controlled brake. It’s attached to the seat post and activated by a radio signal. All Mum, Dad or other supervisors have to do is press a button on the bracelet included, which looks similar to a watch. This drops a chock onto the rear wheel, which blocks and stops the wheel moving immediately.
The brake assistant can currently only be installed on Puky bikes.
Who are the brains behind the brake?
The brake was invented by Sebastian Lyschik, an industrial engineer from Bad Neustadt an der Saale in northern Bavaria. The father of two daughters kept asking himself how to make balance bike trips safer. «The children ride 20, 30 metres ahead and suddenly a tricky situation arises. Then it’s almost too late to intervene.» Unless you could stop the bike remotely with an emergency brake.
He worked on the idea and developed prototypes for three years. Lyschik worked on a solution with microchips («too expensive») and tried out different types of brake pads with his daughters. «They were my guinea pigs,» the 41-year-old recalls with a smile. The igniting spark came to him one night while he was sleeping: «I woke my wife up and said: Caro, I’ve got it.»
Lyschik founded the company «mySTOPY» with Julius Müller, an IT entrepreneur, in March 2020. Together they developed the idea further and had it patented. mySTOPY’s brake has been on the market since December last year. The market leader for balance bikes, Puky, has already included the product in its range.
How reliable and secure is mySTOPY?
«Won’t the wheel just keep turning?» That’s the first question that Sebastian Lyschick and Julius Müller say parents always ask them first. «That’s not actually physically possible, » says Sebastian Lyschick, «because only the rear wheel is blocked.» But he can understand the concerns. This is another reason why he designed the brakes to be as simple as possible. «Too much technology isn’t only expensive; it’s also error-prone.»
Lyschick didn’t want to make any compromises in production either. He quickly came to an agreement with his business partner. «This is a safety product for children. Quality is our top priority,» adds 33-year-old Müller, who doesn’t yet have children. He emphasises that all product parts are checked at least three times before delivery.
How do you assemble mySTOPY?
The packaging states: «Easier to assemble than changing a nappy.» And it’s true. All it takes is a few steps before your little ones can head off on their next ride. The brake is mounted on the seat tube or seat post of the Puky balance bike. Simply loosen the screws with an Allen key, remove the seat and attach the brake. Once everything’s secure, you’re ready to roll again.
Why do the inventors rely on a learning effect in children?
The brake can be activated remotely, but the supervisor then has to release the block by hand on the wheel. This was a conscious decision by Sebastian Lyschick and Julius Müller. «Children shouldn’t be stopped without comment from a distance and then simply be able to start off again. We think it’s important that they understand why they were stopped,» says Julius Müller, hoping that they learn from this.
How sustainable is the product?
Sebastian Lyschik likes to say «I’m going to the swimming pool» when he’s actually going to work. Because mySTOPY assembles and packs the remote brake in an old swimming pool in Wülfershausen, a small town in the Franconian Rhön in Germany. «We didn’t want to put a new building on a greenfield site,» says Lyschik. Instead, the start-up rented the ecologically optimised building with a photovoltaic system.
«Sustainability was huge for us. All of the product parts are made in Germany,» explains Julius Müller, «except for the battery». The company has to get it from Asia because, as the founders say, there’s no alternative.
Sustainability also plays a role in how the brake works. «As it uses available kinetic energy during the braking process, it hardly uses any energy,» says Sebastian Lyschick. This benefits the battery life. You can get up to around 6,500 releases before the brake has to be supplied with power again via a USB connection. When the battery is empty, the brake pad falls down and blocks. «But it provides advance warning by flashing,» adds Julius Müller. «After all, the bike should be ready to use at all times.»
The transmitter has a range of about 100 metres, and up to five transmitters can be used per mySTOPY unit.
Why is mySTOPY currently only available for Puky bikes?
The remote-controlled brake is currently only available in a version for Puky balance bikes. But things don’t have to stay that way. «It’s great that the market leader has included us in their range. But we’re not married to Puky,» says Julius Müller, emphasising that that’s also why they didn’t want to sell the idea.
At the end of the day, however, it always comes down to investment costs. If you adapt mySTOPY to other manufacturers’ frames, you can quickly end up with costs of 50,000 or 60,000 euros. That has to be factored in first. «But we are in talks with other companies,» says Sebastian Lyschick.
Verdict
So far, balance bike trips with my son have been a test of patience – for both of us. Because he wants to discover the world and I want to avoid danger. So he kept hearing: «Don’t go so fast, don’t ride so far ahead, stay on the pavement, watch the road.» With mySTOPY, getting out on his balance bike has become more relaxed for both of us. Because he can gain experience and I feel like I’m his backup as an emergency brake and don’t have to keep running alongside him like a frightened chicken.
So if you want to make balance bike riding safer for your child, mySTOPY is a sound investment. I think the price is absolutely fine, especially as the brakes can also be quickly installed by amateur technicians like me and nothing can go wrong.
PS: here’s where you’ll find the right selection in the shop.
Torsten Geiling
freier Autor
torsten.geiling@jageba.infoI never wanted to do anything but tell stories about people and their lives. That's why I became a journalist almost 30 years ago and was most recently responsible for a regional newspaper as editor-in-chief. In the meantime, I've had a full break and have even gone one step further as a result. As a systemic coach and founder of a strategy consulting firm for media and people, I no longer just tell their stories; I also provide people with concrete support in dealing with problems and challenges and in shaping their lives.
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