[Closed] Did I get the wrong bike?

Raise the saddle then. Next question.

I think you are trying to get the fit of your road bike on a MTB. I do similar, makes it loads less fun on the descents.

Don't worry so much about knee position, you'll move around on trails so much it's less about the one optimum position and more about a good all around one.

A dropper is really handy with this (doesn't sound like you have one).

Use the dropper post when you want to stop and put your feet down?

it has to be so high that I can barely touch the ground when stopped and have to hop off.

This is how it is, many people can't reach the ground from the saddle on a road bike!

Yep that's right. With the saddle at the correct height you won't be able to touch the ground. As a rule, heel on the pedal with crank at 6'oclock with your leg fully extended is about right. You very quickly get used to it, and as said above, a dropper post can help off road to stop the saddle feeling like it's trying to eject you over the bars on anything steep.

I don't see this as really any different on a road bike - with the saddle at the correct height I can't see how you could reach the floor unless you have a really low BB

To have my saddle as high as I’d like it, and for me to stretch my leg properly when pedalling, it has to be so high that I can barely touch the ground when stopped and have to hop off. I’ve made sure the shock pressure is correct but I just feel I’m losing a lot of power. Is that just how as fs mtb should ride like? Am I just trying to get my bike to fit like a road bike?

Yep, it's normal to not be able to touch the floor with the saddle at the correct pedalling height, either get a dropper seatpost and lower it when you stop (that's not what it's meant for though) or just jump off the seat and straddle the frame when you stop, or lean the bike to one side.

My missus has the same moan that she can't touch the floor when stopped and sat on the saddle, she's just not used to having the saddle at the right height for pedalling on a full sus bike.

And forget trying to get what has been considered for road bikes the optimum pedalling position with regard to knees, pedal spindles etc.

With the saddle at the correct height you won’t be able to touch the ground. As a rule, heel on the pedal with your leg fully extended is about right.

+1

I can only just touch the ground with one tip toe on my road and MTB if I'm on the saddle.

Does Renton have a new log in name?😜

I definitely can't touch the ground while on the saddle - road or MTB.

A photo of the bike with your current setup would help.

But...be aware of maximum extension on the seatpost (it will be written on the post and/or frame)...this is important and shouldn't be dismissed

Unfortunately @renton isn't 6ft4 or I would have bought one of the many bikes he's bought and sold. His bikes are usually a large.

I'm after a new frame so obviously I think the op should sell this terrible frame really cheap and buy a hardtail and transfer the bits over 😜

A more serious answer is a friend of mine is a serious roadie who trys mtb but he doesn't get on with it. He kept buy big travel bikes and wondered why he wasn't as fast xc as on his CX or gravel bike.

In the end he went for a hard tail and he was a lot faster but funnily enough terrible downhill on any bike no matter the travel. I think he struggled not being the best, not the first up or down.

The vitus is 140 travel 29er (I think) maybe look for an anthem or an orbea oiz or Scott spark etc. Something more xc that's a bit faster uphill and not so downhill.

Is that just how as fs mtb should ride like?

MTBs are now really diverse, much more than they used to be - and far more than road bikes. What you have bought appears to be a fairly burly 'trail' bike, and as such it has what is to you a really steep seat angle. They do this because trail bikes are focused on descending, and if you want to descend a lot you need to climb a lot, usually on steeper stuff, which is why they have steep seat angles.

I haven't ridden a bike with a seat angle that steep, but it might just be that you have to get used to it. I think the term 'trail bike' is misleading as it is burlier than XC or the newly emerged 'downcountry' label (ugh). But for most of us downcountry is probably what we want. They are made for general actual trails, where XC is now more of a 'race' label.

You might want to try a different saddle, as I have found that the spot where you park your sit bones on different saddles can vary quite a bit. Changing a saddle on my rigid bike (from WTB Rocket to SDG Bel Air) meant I had to move the saddle from all the way back to most of the way forward to get the same pedalling position. Also check the angle of your saddle - tilting it back a bit on some saddles moves the seating position backwards.

Cheers for the replies all. I do have a dropper, I'll play with the saddle height a bit more and see how I go. I guess I assumed if I was needing to use the dropper just to get off the bike then there was an issue elsewhere with my setup.

When I bought it I had visions of going out to the Surrey hills or Swinley forest and eventually being signed up by Red Bull, but the reality is most of my miles are clocked up going for a quick ride around Richmond park on my lunch breaks. That's why I was thinking FS is overkill and a hardtail might be more fun.

My saddle height on my FS is the same as the road bikes, and yes, I can't get my feet near the floor, as the FS sit's higher. Same issue with MrsF's FS MTB - she uses the dropper to get on and off.

On my bikes generally I slide forward to get off the saddle. Have done as long as I can remember.

If you really are only going to ride around Richmond Park a rigid MTB would see you much better and be closer to your road bike in terms of position. However, if you sell your bike now you'll a) lose money and b) lose the chance to have full gnar fun in Surrey.

However there are many bikes between the one you have and a rigid XC bike. And it's worth noting that it's not the actual suspension that is causing you dissatisfaction. It's everything - big tyres, upright position, steep seat angle, wide bars etc. And if you look at hardtails, some will have similar geometry to that bike you already have - and some won't.

Are the cranks the same length across all your bikes OP? I know why many mtb manufacturers are speccing short cranks, but especially with longer legs it can feel quite weird going from e.g. 175 to 165mm

Another big thing I've found with my long travel bike is that I have fitted flats to it whereas all my other bikes have clips. I think this is what's causing me a significant amount of discomfort trying to ride along and up.

MTBers don't generally go for bike fit etc. If you want an efficient pedally position as per your road bike, set the position to the bb as per you road bike. The dropper is there when you descend, so no need to compromise. Just take into account crank length. Setback can be troublesome with modern mtbs due to steep seat tube angles, but try find a position that works.

A mtb bb is much higher from the ground than a road bike, so in this position you should battle to reach the ground. This is for sag and suspension movement, else you will hit the ground with pedals.

To have my saddle as high as I’d like it, and for me to stretch my leg properly when pedalling, it has to be so high that I can barely touch the ground when stopped and have to hop off.

Is that just how as fs mtb should ride like? Am I just trying to get my bike to fit like a road bike?

Can't tell if this is a serious post or just another STW troll thread but as others have said, how many roadies do you see out and about who can touch the flood with their feet when sat in the saddle?

Nope, not a troll. Road cyclist of 10 years and can touch the ground with the tip of my toes on my road bike. No rear suspension, lower BB and longer cranks on a road bike, so not quite the same.

Thanks again for all the replies. Will have another go at tweaking things.

My son has a Mythique and compared to my mountain bike (5010) it feels very slack. Coming off a road bike it's going to feel an even more extreme a move. I find with mountain bikes it's more about what feels comfortable to you, rather than a set of rules.  Maybe try less sag (25%) to start with?

Slightly contrary to some of the things above, I don’t think of the a Mythique as a particularly burly bike - I’d think of it as slap bang in the middle of trail. It’s probably not light as it’s entry level full suspension but should be decent enough.

If it’s got a steeper seat angle that’s to put you above the bb for an efficient pedalling position up steeper hills - I think road bikes are generally 72 degrees so you at sat further behind the bb I guess.

I wouldn’t worry about the height of your saddle in relation to the ground - just that you get near full extension (but not locked) on your knees at the bottom of the pedal stroke. I actually find on technical Singletrack where you are working over bumps / round bends etc but still doing some pedalling that I tend to ride with my dropper an inch or so below full extension so you’ve got a bit more room but can still pedal seated a bit.

If you are literally just riding round a park what you’ve got is overkill - but it’s a bad time to sell in winter normally. However maybe Covid stock availability might help your cause selling. You might find a replacement hard to put your hands on though as stock is quite sparse on a lot of stuff.

I'd also shove the seat as far forward as it goes, plus obviously raise the saddle so when your leg is straight (when the heel is on the pedal at the bottom of its stroke).

You may also benefit from a higher bar position.