Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire introduced two bikes, the Mach Bike and the Acro Bike. You could choose either one but only hold one at a time in the beginning. But which one is faster and can you get both?
The Mach Bike is much faster than the Aero Bike and after doing some small tasks you are able to receive both bikes and access them without having to go back to Mauville City to swap them.
Let’s look at how you get the bikes, how to use them, and how to unlock the ability to have both bikes from Rydel’s shop so that you can access all the hard-to-reach areas.
Can You Get Both Mach and Acro Bikes?
Yes, you can get both bikes in Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire. Initially, you can only get one bike from Rydel’s shop in Mauville City. If you want to go get the other bike to get to some inaccessible region, you’ll need to travel all the way back to Rydel’s shop again.
However, if you then take your bike and visit certain NPCs around the Hoenn region, you’ll be able to get the ability to hold both bikes at the same time, although you can only ride one at a time.
In generation VI, after the Delta Episode, the player has the opportunity to carry both bikes at the same time. This is because the bikes have Rydel’s shop name on them, so you’re basically doing his advertising for him.
First, you need to show the Mach Bike to the Hex Maniac that is located at Route 111, in the desert. You’ll need to take the muddy slope to the north, which requires the Mach Bike to climb.
Next, after switching back to the Acro Bike, you’ll need to show the Acro Bike to a Bird Keeper at Route 119 only accessible with the Acro Bike and you will also need Surf and Waterfall.
Look for the northmost maze of bridges to find them.
Of course, this involves going back to Mauville City after you’ve shown it to the Hex Maniac, but sometimes you need to go that little bit extra to get the amazing results.
Finally, you need to speak to the triathlete in the Battle Resort, and it doesn’t matter which bike you have.
At this point, if you’ve talked to all three characters, you can return to Mauville City and talk to Rydel again, and he’ll give you the other bike, so you can register either.
Is the Mach Bike Faster?
The Mach Bike is much faster than the Acro bike, helping you travel at 16 steps per second in generation VI.
The Mach Bike can move fast enough to ride over obstacles that are otherwise impassable, including cracked tiles that you can find in Granite Cave, the Sky Pillar, and Mirage Tower.
It also gives you the ability to ride straight up muddy slopes, but you’ll need a bit of a runup to get to the required speed.
What Is the Point of the Acro Bike?
The Acro Bike travels at the same speed as regular bicycles, being 10.67 steps per second in generation VI, but the great feature of this bike is it allows some funky tricks to get to hard-to-reach areas.
You can do jumps and bunnyhops to get across planks, as well as a hopping wheelie to jump across certain areas.
Bunny hopping can also be used in the Safari Zone, as it won’t count as steps towards the Safari Game, and it also won’t count against the Repel step count either.
Which Bike Is Best Mach or Acro?
Neither bike is better than the other as they have their special uses, but the Mach Bike tends to be the one you will use the most just due to the speed. You can blitz along very fast on the Mach bike, shortening the tedious journey between towns and cities somewhat.
However, the Acro bike does allow access to many great areas, so the best strategy is to have them both registered, allowing you to one-tap access both with ease as the situation calls for.
Both bikes have distinctive bell sounds, although this is merely a cosmetic difference.
Both bikes will also work on the Seaside Cycling Road that can be found at Route 110 in Hoenn.
If you ride on Seaside Cycling Road with the Acro Bike, your time won’t be recorded. On the other hand, the Mach Bike on Seaside Cycling Road will have both your time and number of collisions recorded and saved to your game data.
Taking the route quickly and without collisions will give you a good rating, but this doesn’t give any reward apart from the satisfaction of doing a good lap.