I’ve been curious about tall seat foam ever since reading about it on the JustKDX site - http://justkdx.dirtrider.net/tall.html. The opportunity came when I had a chance to buy a used KDX seat (I didn’t want to try the tall seat foam without a way to go back in case I didn’t like it) . The second seat is perfect, since now I have my choice.
One of the reasons I wanted to try the tall seat is to make the sit-stand-sit transition less taxing. In a long enduro, I’m doing that a lot. My typical pattern is to vow at the start to ride standing up. Soon I become tired and break my vow, standing only for the really nasty parts. By the end of the race I can barely lift my butt off the seat.
This Sunday I got to go trail riding and give the new seat a try. I’m about 5’ 11’’ so I’m more average height than tall. The seating position feels really high. Because the seat is almost flat to the seat/tank junction, moving around is very easy and you can get your weight much more forward when sitting. About half the ride was on open forest two track . The remaining half was split between fast single track (3rd gear stuff) and some good old fashiond New England muddy, rocky, put-it-in-first-and-pray-you-make-it single track.
The things I like about the tall seat foam:
- It makes the bike feel roomier
- Less energy expended to stand.
- I can get my weight much more forward when sitting for aggressive cornering.
Things I don’t:
- Did I mention it was really high? When going gets first-gear snotty and technical, the downside emerges. Sometimes when you are traversing a boulder pile or a tangle of muddy roots, you just need to get a foot down. This is where the height works against you and I had a few scary moments over stuff I don’t normally have a problem with.
- Hillclimbing while sitting. My CG was higher, so the bike wanted to loop more easily. Standing becomes almost mandatory to attack something really steep for that reason.
The jury is still out. To boil things down, I really like how it affects the ergos and makes standing easier. I was able to nail the corners on the faster trails. I don’t like how it affects handling in the really technical stuff. I may need some more saddle time to see if I can adapt. Possibly I may end up using my stock seat for trail riding and keep the tall seat for competition.
One of the reasons I wanted to try the tall seat is to make the sit-stand-sit transition less taxing. In a long enduro, I’m doing that a lot. My typical pattern is to vow at the start to ride standing up. Soon I become tired and break my vow, standing only for the really nasty parts. By the end of the race I can barely lift my butt off the seat.
This Sunday I got to go trail riding and give the new seat a try. I’m about 5’ 11’’ so I’m more average height than tall. The seating position feels really high. Because the seat is almost flat to the seat/tank junction, moving around is very easy and you can get your weight much more forward when sitting. About half the ride was on open forest two track . The remaining half was split between fast single track (3rd gear stuff) and some good old fashiond New England muddy, rocky, put-it-in-first-and-pray-you-make-it single track.
The things I like about the tall seat foam:
- It makes the bike feel roomier
- Less energy expended to stand.
- I can get my weight much more forward when sitting for aggressive cornering.
Things I don’t:
- Did I mention it was really high? When going gets first-gear snotty and technical, the downside emerges. Sometimes when you are traversing a boulder pile or a tangle of muddy roots, you just need to get a foot down. This is where the height works against you and I had a few scary moments over stuff I don’t normally have a problem with.
- Hillclimbing while sitting. My CG was higher, so the bike wanted to loop more easily. Standing becomes almost mandatory to attack something really steep for that reason.
The jury is still out. To boil things down, I really like how it affects the ergos and makes standing easier. I was able to nail the corners on the faster trails. I don’t like how it affects handling in the really technical stuff. I may need some more saddle time to see if I can adapt. Possibly I may end up using my stock seat for trail riding and keep the tall seat for competition.