Short rider bike?

[Lelandjt]

Ill easily admit that guys like myself fall outside of the design parameters of a dirtbike, dont most people though?

No. That's how mathematical averages work. Most people are within the height and weight range bikes are designed for. People who are outside of that should have no problem understanding that modifications have to be made.

However, these threads always attract a few "I may be short but I do it just fine with no silly mods" answers. Look back to the post from the guy who's 5'3" daughter rides an un-modded full size "just fine". Are you kidding me? Even Ricky Carmichael cut his sub frame down. I realize the psychological reason behind short people being slower to admit that they have an issue than tall people, but you're just hurting yourselves*.

*This is not particularly aimed at txmxer.

[J_Daniels]

However, these threads always attract a few "I may be short but I do it just fine with no silly mods" answers. Look back to the post from the guy who's 5'3" daughter rides an un-modded full size "just fine". Are you kidding me? Even Ricky Carmichael cut his sub frame down. I realize the psychological reason behind short people being slower to admit that they have an issue than tall people, but you're just hurting yourselves*.

*This is not particularly aimed at txmxer.

I agree with this, these bikes are really sized right for someone with a 34-36" inseam, the suspension travel and tire size require the seat height to be 'X' high off the ground, anything else is a compromise.

And to those shortys who ride with no problem, are you doing gnarly singletrack, fire roads, flattrack, MX, what? It makes a huge difference what the terrain is.

I ride primarily singletrack, and the bike doesn't always stop in a convenient place, like it or not. Learning to slide half off the bike, while slipping the clutch, while gauging distance for tire loft, etc. on a 30* inclined rut all at one time is not easy- and I'm not even very short! But I still tip over now and then, even after 35+ years in the saddle.

The 6 ft. tall guys have it made.

[txmxer]

Ill definitely agree that if your going to be riding any single track you have to make modifications for you to be able to touch the ground. Ill also say this when I was 5'3 I felt very small for the bike (this was when I was 13), even standing up I felt like the seat was always very close. Im not much taller now but I think filling out has helped me feel more comfortable on the bike. Im still going to stick to the fact that I can ride around with no problems pertaining to my height. Alot of factors come in to play though, different bikes are different heights. Someone who may not be as strong or may be on a heavier bike will struggle if he/she cant touch the ground. Tip toeing a yz 125 is much easier, than say tip toeing a xr 650.

and ultimately its up to the rider if the riders not comfortable than you could get a lowering link, shave the seat, get your suspension redone, etc. If the rider is comfortable with the bike at stock settings than he/she may not need to do any of these things.

[Han]

Hey guys I'm a girl 5"2 and I have a cr 125 and I have been riding it without touching the ground. I was wondering if there is any other way to lower the bike without cutting the seat, I have already lowered the suspension and still can't touch the ground

[Langdonelliott]

I am 14 5'5" and 115 and ride a 99 yz125. He should get a yz250 they're the same size frame

[ToadalyCrazyCanadian]

Hey guys I'm a girl 5"2 and I have a cr 125 and I have been riding it without touching the ground. I was wondering if there is any other way to lower the bike without cutting the seat, I have already lowered the suspension and still can't touch the ground

Learn to use a tree. My wife is 5'0" and has similar problems. Just adapt and overcome

[Bron-Yr-Aur]

5'6"? Sheesh I wish I had you're friend's "problem"! Haha I'm 5'3" with 28" inseam. I ride a KX250 2t and it's a handful. I know I'd be ok riding MX, but I'm strictly a woods rider. Because I sprung the bike for me (130 lbs) and for woods (soft) I wanted to maintain the full suspension travel. I fought it and fought it, but the bike was almost unmanageable for me. It's been mentioned already, but shaving the seat was a game changer. I now ride with much more confidence, not fearing a gnarly hill with thoughts of "what if I have to dab?" I realize comfort may be an issue for some riders, but my stock seat didn't amount to much more than a plank of wood with a skin. I can't even tell a difference, even though I lost a good 2". Oh, and now I can start the bike on flat ground haha. Still can't touch both sides, but I can flat foot my left and rest my right on the peg.

Re: the "man up" and Napoleon comments. Haha not all of us have the complex. A real man can ignore what others say in favor of doing what he needs to do to make it fun. I'm not ashamed a bit to say I needed to change something. I ride to have fun, not impress.

J Daniels had a good point in where is the person riding? It makes all the difference. Another help is rider technique. Now that I've been riding a trials bike, it's got me standing a LOT more. Maybe even the majority of the time. At first it felt odd, but now almost more natural than taking the beating by sitting. I've noticed myself riding progressively better, and so dabbing a foot here and there is becoming less frequent.

Edited May 27, 2016 by Bron-Yr-Aur

[ToadalyCrazyCanadian]

5'6"? Sheesh I wish I had you're friend's "problem"! Haha I'm 5'3" with 28" inseam. I ride a KX250 2t and it's a handful. I know I'd be ok riding MX, but I'm strictly a woods rider. Because I sprung the bike for me (130 lbs) and for woods (soft) I wanted to maintain the full suspension travel. I fought it and fought it, but the bike was almost unmanageable for me. It's been mentioned already, but shaving the seat was a game changer. I now ride with much more confidence, not fearing a gnarly hill with thoughts of "what if I have to dab?" I realize comfort may be an issue for some riders, but my stock seat didn't amount to much more than a plank of wood with a skin. I can't even tell a difference, even though I lost a good 2". Oh, and now I can start the bike on flat ground haha. Still can't touch both sides, but I can flat foot my left and rest my right on the peg.

Re: the "man up" and Napoleon comments. Haha not all of us have the complex. A real man can ignore what others say in favor of doing what he needs to do to make it fun. I'm not ashamed a bit to say I needed to change something. I ride to have fun, not impress.

J Daniels had a good point in where is the person riding? It makes all the difference. Another help is rider technique. Now that I've been riding a trials bike, it's got me standing a LOT more. Maybe even the majority of the time. At first it felt odd, but now almost more natural than taking the beating by sitting. I've noticed myself riding progressively better, and so dabbing a foot here and there is becoming less frequent.

The man up comment wasn't meant to be mean. My wife is 5'0" and I'm only 5'7" and we haven't found any good solution. We have learned plenty of little tricks in the woods, but no magic fix for bike height.

[Bron-Yr-Aur]

The man up comment wasn't meant to be mean. My wife is 5'0" and I'm only 5'7" and we haven't found any good solution. We have learned plenty of little tricks in the woods, but no magic fix for bike height.

i didn't see where you even wrote that. I was referring to the comment by dvn. From my experience, people who say stuff like that have their own complex and that's how they deal with it. In this case, his comment added nothing to the conversation. It only insulted the OP and then he used it to brag about his daughter. Edited May 27, 2016 by Bron-Yr-Aur

[Turboloader]

Buy a mini bike.....

[Chocos]

Install lowering link

[ToadalyCrazyCanadian]

i didn't see where you even wrote that. I was referring to the comment by dvn. From my experience, people who say stuff like that have their own complex and that's how they deal with it. In this case, his comment added nothing to the conversation. It only insulted the OP and then he used it to brag about his daughter.

A lot of people swear by lowering links, but the best advice i can give is get lots of seat time in. In time, bike height will bother you less and less.

[dirtbikegirl]

No amount of seat time is going to help me be able to ride a bigger bike than what I have without major suspension changes.

 

I currently have a TTR125 big wheel with a YZ suspension. I can touch on both sides on toes or flat foot one side. I had hoped to be stepping up to a full size bike, but when I hopped on my boyfriends 250, there was 4" of space between my tippy toes and the ground.

 

Since I ride technical single track, that's a deal breaker for me. The stuff I ride is rocky, steep, and narrow. Being able to dab when you're making a 180 turn on a single track switchback that has a 60 degree incline is pretty much necessary.  

 

It would be awesome if bike manufacturers would make bikes in 3 frame sizes similar to what mountain bike manufacturers do.

[Bron-Yr-Aur]

Stupid app! Didn't realize that this was an old resurrected thread. Foiled again! Haha

[Mountaindog72]

I shave my seat down, let the suspension work the way it should.

[Bron-Yr-Aur]

The other thing that taller people forget about being a possible deal breaker is the weight. I love 2 strokes for the power advantage and fun factor, but the weight makes them necessary for me and the type of riding that I do. Even when I can touch, the bike has to come a bit further for me to get a good footing and dig in. By then sometimes, it's too late and the bike is going down. My 250 is nearly 100 lbs heavier than I am. Imagine if I rode a 4T.

[Dolamite]

I'm a little person myself, being somewhere around 5 foot 3-4 and 135-40 pounds. Since I was 17 I've basically ridden nothing but a 2 stroke 125, and have had my current yz125 for about 2.5 years. It's light, it's playful, the stock suspension is soft enough (er, old enough?) that I can do more than tip toe on both feet with my boots on. Never had an issue riding some fairly technical single track, nothing crazy extreme but terrain that even my really advanced friends felt apprehensive about too. If the bike goes down, it's basically me thinking "I can't make that" and whamo, I'm down. Commitment, tall or short, makes a huge difference on a difficult obstacle/terrain.

Now I just upgraded to a 2012 kx250f and while I have yet to hit the trails, it's definitely taller than my yz and has stiffer suspension so I'll have to get used to it. I plan on shaving the seat a tad, and eventually doing a lowering link but for now I'll be alright. Already raised the forks minimally, softened up the preload/compression minimally, and moved the bars to a position that feels more comfortable for turn in. Only reason I got the 4 stroke was to change things up, and my yz just doesn't cut it on steep hill climbs anymore. Even going up 2 teeth on the rear sprocket I'm still clutching it more than I should have to.

Little people don't have to have a complex to ride a larger sized bike. A ttr 125/225 doesn't have enough power for me, an 80 2t doesn't have nearly enough power for me. So I chose a 125. Now I want more, so the next step was a 250F. If you respect the power and know how to ride and respect the limitations of your height vs the bike you're on, you'll be fine.

Edited July 22, 2016 by Dolamite