My apologies if this topic has been discussed to death before - I did a search and still couldn’t get my question answered.
I’d like to try a Coker but am concerned about the difficulty of freemounting. I have a 28" Sun and can generally get on it without too much trouble despite the fact that the top of the seat is about 10-12 inches higher than my crotch. My inseam is 30". Will the additional 8" of diameter exacerbate the situation or is it possible to lower the seat enough so that the difference is negligible? Some of the posts I’ve read mention shortening the frame. Is that difficult to do?
What about hills? I can handle ascents and descents up to a point but have to walk up steeper ones. I imagine the Coker will be more difficult on climbs. I know brakes are an option on descents but I have a recurring image of me grabbing too hard and pitching forward. I guess it’s something you apply gently. I did 6.5 miles Monday and some of the downhills were tough - I really had to fight to keep the uni from getting away from me.
As always, I appreciate the expert guidance you folks provide.
Pat -
I’ve got a 29" inseam and went from 29er to 36er without too much problem. It’s definitely harder to freemount, and a few inches higher off the ground, but, once you get used to it, it’s not a big deal. I have a Radial 360, which is stock except I replaced the plastic pedals with pinned ones.
Re: ascending and descending hills
Crank length plays a part in what you can climb. That is, the longer the cranks, the better leverage for mashing up a hill. Also, use the seat handle for leverage climbing, and, after you get a better feel for that, holding the handle also helps immensely descending, as well.
Unless you’re a real shortarse, you’ll be fine on a coker. I think 30" inseam should be okay, I buy 32" inseam trousers and am fine with the medium length seatpost on the coker, the short one is 3 inches or so shorter. I don’t think you’ll need to alter the frame. Remember that whilst the seat is 8 inches higher, the pedals are also 4 inches higher, so once you’re on that’s it.
It takes a little more jumping up onto than a 29er, but isn’t that bad.
Brakes are applied smoothly and stop you having to fight the uni on downhills. Works well. Having said that, most road hills are more about practice and getting the technique smooth than anything else.
You shouldn’t have a problem as I managed with the short seat post and my inseam is 27" on a good day (as Joe would put it I’m a shortarse ). I’ve subsequently cut the seat post shorter but that’s because I put a side pull brake on and had to drill through the frame.
as an old geezer my experience is worse: I am afraid of freemounting my Coker though it’s ok on my 29er.
the reasons are subtle:
I am not relaxed enough (but my body seems to recall that missing a freemount on my Coker sent me to the emergency ward )
I suffer from orthostatic problems (the Coker is high and doing a freemount too hastily just send my head turning )
But I will try again and again. Fine tuning a Coker is harder but it’s worth a try
I hope I can borrow one with an airfoil rim to taste the difference.
edit: ah yes hills! my nightmare … shorter cranks are better for me (strange but discussed before in other threads) I am now on 102mm cranks on my 29er and getting better hill climbing (I have very muscular legs and bad balance)
i find the 29er and the coker both difficult to freemount. Also, since I got it (about a month ago) the weather has been perfect for riding vast distances along the prom and too hot for practicing freemounting. On the odd occassion that I have put in some practice I have found the biggest difference is that with the coker it’s a much slower mount. Which makes sense when you think about it.
Can’t really comment on hills as I do my best to stay away from them.
yeah a high seat position helps coz i find i balance better on a high 20" and now i got short cranks and a height seat pos on coker it’s the same i can balance and move off without having to put any weight on the pedals unlike b4.
I ride about 12 miles 4-6 times a week on a pretty hilly route, both up and down. I use 150 cranks and have no problems with climbs oe decents. It takes practice and leg strength. After some weeks of riding regular I did away with my brakes. I find no need for them unless I was going to to take an exceptionally long ride where I wanted to conserve energy. As I ride for fitness and rarely over 15 miles at a clip, brakes are unnecessary.
On the one I just bought, I ended up cutting off enough of the seatpost that I can push the seatpost all the way inside the frame. I was afraid that would still be too high, but once I got on the wheel, it was comfortable. I am about 29 1/2" inseam.
Probably better terminology to explain what I did, but hope it helps anyway
Only been a Coker rider for about 6 months or so, but I have found that freemounting on a downhill is MUCH easier. It puts less distance between you and the seat plus the struggle to move that massive wheel at the start is done for you by gravity. When I go on my weekly Sunday paper run I use the handicap ramp for the re-mount especially since many non-riders are observing…
). I’ve subsequently cut the seat post shorter but that’s because I put a side pull brake on and had to drill through the frame.
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