Seat Height Question

[Berty3000]

Hi all.

I'm going to hire a bike and do a tour of Tasmania in December for a week. The model available from the hire place I want to use is a Triumph Tiger xcx low. So it has a seat height of 790-810mm. Around 50mm shorter than the normal version.

I am 5'10.5" in height. So pretty average. Or 178cm. I'd not say I need a lowered bike. Is the xcx low going to be too low and uncomfortable to use? They've said they can put the highest setting on, so 810mm, and even then change the seat, which would add a further 20mm. But that may screw up the riding position?

Having said all of this, my last bike was a Honda cbf600 with a seat height of 785mm, and I didn't find that to be low. The bottoms of my feet could mostly reach the floor on both sides, which I always thought was a good thing.

Any thoughts? I'm guessing the normal sized xcx would involve me having to tip toe more.

[Cylon2007]

Go and sit on one at your local Triumph dealer would be my advice.

[dibblecorse]

There is no riding position to screw up, its a vertical lift, not a fore/aft tilt, get there, sit on it, if comft fine, if not let them pop the higher seat on, takes 5 minutes ..... you're over thinking it ....

[Berty3000]

I'm abroad and won't be able to try out before I go on this trip.

So if I found 785mm comfortable on my honda, I'm nit likely to find 810mm too low on the tiger? Or is it not as simple as that? It's just that I'm sure somebody of my height would usually use the normal sized model, where the lowest setting would be 840mm. I just don't want to be on a bike that is too low for me.

So putting the seat to the highest setting and then changing the height a further 20mm using a different seat won't result in me having a less comfortable or unintended riding position in relation to handle bars, body position, etc?

As I understand it, they've made the bike lower than standard by shortening the range of the suspension and changing the seat.

Edited by Berty3000 on Thursday 31st October 12:35

[pessimal]

i'm 5'7" with a 28" inseam

on my tiger 800 XR (alloy wheels, standard seat hight is lower then the XC version) i can touch the ground ok, i'm not quite on tip toes, but its comfortable for me to balance the bike. thats with the seat on the lower setting, with it on the higher setting, i am on tip toes, which its a bit too much for me.

[Berty3000]

pessimal said:

i'm 5'7" with a 28" inseam

on my tiger 800 XR (alloy wheels, standard seat hight is lower then the XC version) i can touch the ground ok, i'm not quite on tip toes, but its comfortable for me to balance the bike. thats with the seat on the lower setting, with it on the higher setting, i am on tip toes, which its a bit too much for me.

Thanks, that is helpful. So on a higher bike and on highest seat setting I probably won't be far off the mark given our height difference.

This all makes me wonder - do you have to be 6'1+ to comfortably use a normal sized touring adventure bike? By which I mean, able to put feet down in a way that is safe and easy.

[dibblecorse]

Berty3000 said:

Thanks, that is helpful. So on a higher bike and on highest seat setting I probably won't be far off the mark given our height difference.

This all makes me wonder - do you have to be 6'1+ to comfortably use a normal sized touring adventure bike? By which I mean, able to put feet down in a way that is safe and easy.

No, I'm 5'8 and have no trouble on a standard height 950 Multistrada with a 840mm seat height, 32" inside leg ....

[crofty1984]

Berty3000 said:

Thanks, that is helpful. So on a higher bike and on highest seat setting I probably won't be far off the mark given our height difference.

This all makes me wonder - do you have to be 6'1+ to comfortably use a normal sized touring adventure bike? By which I mean, able to put feet down in a way that is safe and easy.

At 5'4" I've no idea what this "feet down" thing is. Foot, yes.

[andrwboul]

Try this: http://cycle-ergo.com/

[JulianHJ]

I'm 5F10, 34" inseam and I can comfortably put both feet down on my 2013 Tiger 800 (roadie, not XC). I've had an XCX as a loan bike and don't recall it being any different in seat height.

[JulianHJ]

Berty3000 said:

As I understand it, they've made the bike lower than standard by shortening the range of the suspension and changing the seat.

That doesn't sound like a factory-spec XCX Low, which has shorter forks and different 'dog bone' suspension links AFAIK. You can buy a low seat as an accessory, but I'm not sure it's standard on the Low model.

[s2racer]

It will be fine, you raise the height on off road to gain clearance..

Usually people cant put both feet flat on a dirt bike