Bicycle
A Bicycle (Japanese: じてんしゃ bicycle) is a key item obtained in the games to facilitate faster movement. Cycling Road can only be navigated on while cycling.
In Kanto and Johto
In Generation I, their Generation III remakes, and Generation II, there is only one type of bicycle. It is sold by the Bike Shop (Miracle Cycle in the original Japanese versions) located in Cerulean City (in Kanto), and in Goldenrod City (in Johto). In Cerulean City a Bike Voucher is needed, while in Goldenrod City, the owner will give away the bike for free for advertisement purposes. It is the most basic type of bicycle in all the games, as it only provides faster transportation. There are no obstacles that can be passed only with the bicycle, except Cycling Road in Kanto, which cannot be entered without a bike to ride on.
In Hoenn
In Hoenn, there are actually two types of bicycles: the Mach Bike and the Acro Bike. They are both obtained for free in Rydel's Cycles in Mauville City, and can be changed for the other at any time after one bike is originally obtained. However, the player may only have one type of bicycle at a time.
This is the first generation to introduce bike obstacles.
Mach Bike
The Mach Bike (Japanese: マッハじてんしゃ Mach Bike) allows players to move a lot faster than the previous models of bicycles. It can move fast enough to ride straight up a muddy slope, or over weak ground without falling through (Sky Pillar). If the player collides with something, all momentum gained is lost and the speed resets. This is the faster of the two bikes found in Hoenn. On Seaside Cycling Road, a player's time and number of collisions while riding this bike from the northern entrance to the southern exit is timed and recorded. This is part of the data sent over to other players when records are swapped with each other to see their own record.
Acro Bike
An Acro Bike (Japanese: ダートじてんしゃ Dart Bike) travels at the same speed as the original models of bicycles, but it also allows players to perform tricks, such as the wheelie or the bunny hop, that let players reach special areas, like climbing up rocks on Jagged Pass. It can also be used for traveling on white rails found on Route 119 and in the Hoenn Safari Zone. The following is a list of tricks that are able to be done with this bike:
- Hold B button (less than 2 sec.): standing wheelie
- Hold B button (more than 2 sec.): bunny hop
- Hold B, then D-pad: wheelie or bunny hop
- B+D-pad direction (perpendicular to direction of travel): sideways hop
A common trick in the Hoenn Safari Zone is to bunny hop up and down on an Acro Bike. This does not count as steps in the Safari Game, however, wild Pokémon can be encountered.
Unlike the Mach Bike, if the player rides on Seaside Cycling Road, time won't be recorded, due to the bike being "easy to turn" unlike the other one.
In Sinnoh
In Pokémon Diamond and Pearl, there is again a single model of bicycle, but it is different from the regular one in that it has two gears. The differences between the two gears, which can be changed by pressing the B button, are similar to the differences between both types of Hoenn-exclusive bikes, as there is a fast gear that allows players to travel up muddy slopes, and a slower gear for easier turning. The only difference is that the slower gear isn't made for performing tricks (though it is capable of crossing narrow rails). It is obtained after the player saves Rad Rickshaw, owner of Rad Rickshaw's Cycle Shop, from Team Galactic in Eterna City. Diamond and Pearl also introduce bike ramps. In the basements of both Oreburgh Gate and Wayward Cave, as well as on Route 227, trainers can jump over a bike ramp to reach a certain area that would otherwise be blocked. The distance that the bike can jump depends on what gear it is in.
Trivia
- A running joke in the anime seems to be that every time Ash meets up with a new female traveling partner, his Pikachu ends up destroying her bike.
- A reference to Generation III occurs in Rad Rickshaw's Cycle Shop, with the shelves advertising the Mach and the Acro Bikes.
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