Mtn Top seat height
- Thread starter dooman92
- Start date
A
I dont know how adjustable they are, but I can tell you that when I swapped from my Aro S to my buddies mountaintop last year I felt like I was judging a tennis match
T
Mtn Top seat height on a ktm 450 is 37.5". Could easily be lowered to 36ish with the lowering kit and adjusting your forks accordingly.
I assume that means it was taller than the short aro? Any idea how much taller? How did the mtn top perform compared to your aro s?
A
Sorry, my humor peaks at the "dad joke" level. Yes, it was taller, I would guess it was around the same height as a standard "tall" Aro. I dont think it is adjustable enough to get it down to Aro S height. The S kit has a spindle that lowers the mount point for the forks a considerable amount, and the shocks are shortened to lower the skid. Mountaintop doesnt have any sort of shorter spindle that I am aware of. I think the S is 3" lower than the standard kit.
As far as performance: My buddy had last years model with the 2.5" paddles and he makes a lot of suspension and geometry changes when he gets a new kit to try to optimize the setup. I only rode it on the trail on the first day he had it. I thought it handled neat on the trail. More like a dirt bike with the ability to wheelie and softer suspension.
Out in the powder, throughout the year I found that my Aro S actually seemed to outperform every other kit in the deep. I think it is the angle of the track when you lower the skid... it just gets up onto the snow so fast and the traction is incredible. It turns better because it is lower.
The mountaintop guy was on an Aro 3 last year (not S) and I do think he got stuck less and worked less hard on his Aro. He always seemed more tired after a day on the mountaintop. That said, he had a lot of fun doing wheelies and stuff like that, so you are just really trading one thing off for another.
I am not a very short guy (5'11") but I am never going back to a tall bike.
AllHat, thanks for response back. Yeah I'm of same opinion, even though I have a 33'' inseam I'm not going back to anything over 37''. I've lowered (as much as possible) two yetis, a moto trax and a 16 ts. Averaged about 37'' seat height. I much prefered the lowered versions to the stock setups. I attempted to convert one of my snowmobile buddies to the snow bike and he really wanted to convert but in the end at almost 70yrs and 5'10'' he couldn't always get his leg over it and went back to sled for that reason. I guess I will watch for more ride reviews regarding the mtn top. Getting up the hill and through the deep is more important to me than pulling a wheelie. Hopefully ride reviews will shed light on the differences between the 2.5 and 3 paddles.
I thought last year Mountain Pro said they were going to offer a "short" version of their kit (shorter suspension and shorter spindle)? I think they even said there would be three versions/heights.
A shorter bike has some definite advantages (lower seat height,/center of gravity and often better approach angle on the track). And, since I don't do big drops (on purpose; but do plenty out of necessity/situation each season), having big travel suspension isn't that important to me (though it also helps out with bumped out trails/moguls and small jumps landing on flats). But there are two things I do value in a taller bike over shorter that I don't know if I'm willing to give up to move to a 'Short'. If a short drops seat height about 3" lower, it is also dropping footpegs about 3" lower. That means feet are 3" deeper in the snow. Minor impact could be that feet get colder because they are deeper in the snow or in the snow when they would be above. Yes on those deep days, feet will be in the snow no matter what, but all days are not deep days and I definitely notice my feet run colder on deep days when my feet are under the snow all day compared to more setup days where feet are above the snow. So 3" can make a difference. Again, that aspect is minor consideration. A more consequential possibility is your feet are 3" more likely to smash into a rock or stump. The entire main body of the bike and kit are also lower and more likely to smash into obstacles. How much more likely? I don't know. And we are at that risk no matter what height snowbike we are riding. But the thought of my feet being even lower brings up thoughts of "smash". Same with belt drive housing that already seems to find plenty of things to smack. Would lower equal more frequent smashing?
So the question for those that have changed from a standard height to a Short kit, are you noticing any ill effects, such at colder feet or feet/bike hitting more obstacles, from the tunnel/chaincase/belt housing, pegs, and your feet sitting so much lower in the snow compared to your previous standard height kit?
A shorter bike has some definite advantages (lower seat height,/center of gravity and often better approach angle on the track). And, since I don't do big drops (on purpose; but do plenty out of necessity/situation each season), having big travel suspension isn't that important to me (though it also helps out with bumped out trails/moguls and small jumps landing on flats). But there are two things I do value in a taller bike over shorter that I don't know if I'm willing to give up to move to a 'Short'. If a short drops seat height about 3" lower, it is also dropping footpegs about 3" lower. That means feet are 3" deeper in the snow. Minor impact could be that feet get colder because they are deeper in the snow or in the snow when they would be above. Yes on those deep days, feet will be in the snow no matter what, but all days are not deep days and I definitely notice my feet run colder on deep days when my feet are under the snow all day compared to more setup days where feet are above the snow. So 3" can make a difference. Again, that aspect is minor consideration. A more consequential possibility is your feet are 3" more likely to smash into a rock or stump. The entire main body of the bike and kit are also lower and more likely to smash into obstacles. How much more likely? I don't know. And we are at that risk no matter what height snowbike we are riding. But the thought of my feet being even lower brings up thoughts of "smash". Same with belt drive housing that already seems to find plenty of things to smack. Would lower equal more frequent smashing?
So the question for those that have changed from a standard height to a Short kit, are you noticing any ill effects, such at colder feet or feet/bike hitting more obstacles, from the tunnel/chaincase/belt housing, pegs, and your feet sitting so much lower in the snow compared to your previous standard height kit?
D
My feet are not any colder. I get a little more drag, I just put my toes on the uphill peg when carving or side hilling. It's not a full 3" drop. I watch for stumps more than I did before.
J
Good luck buddy ! can't wait for updates
I have had a couple seasons on a aro 129x2.5 kit and last season built a 450 gas gas with a 129x2.5 mtn top kit. The whole wheelie thing is not really accurate...I set mine up so yes lighter ski feeling and makes it so much funner to ride IMO than plowing around. Trail manners are so much better its just a diff animal, ripping around in the play zones its hard not to love the lightness feeling the mtn top gives back....
I have ridden shorter bikes and I feel like im hunched up and dragging feet and snow badly...so hard to get a happy medium. Tip overs you learn to deal with and it makes u a better rider and u have to be on the ball and think ahead is all...
I have ridden shorter bikes and I feel like im hunched up and dragging feet and snow badly...so hard to get a happy medium. Tip overs you learn to deal with and it makes u a better rider and u have to be on the ball and think ahead is all...
A
Feet dragging in snow: This was my biggest concern before I went to the shorter kit. I get cold feet worse then most people and I thought this could be a dealbreaker. In reality I never noticed my feet being in the snow more. I am sure they were, but I never noticed it and it wasn't a big deal. I would say if you hate your feet dragging in the snow at all currently, the shorter kit will definitely make it worse.
Smashing stuff due to lower clearance: I also worried about this and wondered if it would be a big issue. Last year only one guy hit something hard enough to do any damage and he was on the standard height Aro3 Premium and smashed his belt cover. So the answer is that yes you are lower and the risk is higher, but I am not sure if would really make that much of a difference anyways. The stump you hit would have to be 3" shorter to make a difference I guess. Pretty small difference margin.
Short kits aren't for everyone. Some people love them, some people seem to hate them. I personally love the way the kit works.
Smashing stuff due to lower clearance: I also worried about this and wondered if it would be a big issue. Last year only one guy hit something hard enough to do any damage and he was on the standard height Aro3 Premium and smashed his belt cover. So the answer is that yes you are lower and the risk is higher, but I am not sure if would really make that much of a difference anyways. The stump you hit would have to be 3" shorter to make a difference I guess. Pretty small difference margin.
Short kits aren't for everyone. Some people love them, some people seem to hate them. I personally love the way the kit works.
J
I had a short kit and went back to a standard height. The dragging pegs and constant bottoming was annoying. I couldn't feel any benefit from the difference in approach angle. If anything, on deep days I felt I'd "panel" out and get stuck easier. I didn't notice the short being advantageous in any way, but to each their own. I'm 5'6" with a 29" inseam. I have a short spindle and shocks from a 129 aro just sitting around gathering dust if anyone wants to try them.
Did you change your kit or did you get longer shocks?
J
I got longer shocks and spindle. Wasn't too bad to swap out.
The MTN.TOP Snowbike kit has all that you are asking built right into it. There is no need for a tall kit or short kit.
Here is a link to the part that does exactly what you’re asking for. There is a video on this page that well explain it. This will achieve a 36” seat hight.
mtntopsnowbike.com
You do not need to replace the spindle with a shorter one. You could readjust your fork clamps to be lower if you like. But the spindle on the MTN.TOP, kit is already 1.5” shorter than the tall spindle on a Timbersled.
Other thinks you can do without buying a part:
- The kit has adjustability right at your finger tip. All’s a lower kit is just suspension with less travel. This does sacrifice your ride quality. The MTN.TOP skid shocks are floats and can be adjusted down in pressure to lower it. To supplement the lower pressure you would up the EVOL chamber pressure to gain back the bottoming resistance. The shocks have an internal negative spring in them. At 60 psi and lower in the main chamber they will begin to lower themselves making the kit sit lower.
- Also, the strut rod that activates the in frame suspension shock has a right and left-hand thread. You can simply adjust this rod on the bike to lower it if you like. I don’t really recommend this, but it’s easily doable and if you don’t like it, you can put it back. Just keep track of how much you adjust.
- The inflame shock can be lowered in air pressure as well to achieve about the same thing. This will make it softer and more squishy when you sit on it. This would be best suited for a shorter lighter weight rider.
Here is a link to the manual page of our website that has a section for tuning the MTN.TOP Snowbike kit.
mtntopsnowbike.com
Hope this helps guys.
Thanks Allen
Here is a link to the part that does exactly what you’re asking for. There is a video on this page that well explain it. This will achieve a 36” seat hight.
Rear Limiter Strap (lowering kit)
The intentions for a rear limiter-strap are for making the snowbike set with a lower seat height. Each hole will make a ½” seat height adjustment totaling a 1 ½” lower. On most bikes with a stock seat this kit will achieve a 36” tall seat height. Notes: If running a rear limiter-strap you will...
mtntopsnowbike.com
You do not need to replace the spindle with a shorter one. You could readjust your fork clamps to be lower if you like. But the spindle on the MTN.TOP, kit is already 1.5” shorter than the tall spindle on a Timbersled.
Other thinks you can do without buying a part:
- The kit has adjustability right at your finger tip. All’s a lower kit is just suspension with less travel. This does sacrifice your ride quality. The MTN.TOP skid shocks are floats and can be adjusted down in pressure to lower it. To supplement the lower pressure you would up the EVOL chamber pressure to gain back the bottoming resistance. The shocks have an internal negative spring in them. At 60 psi and lower in the main chamber they will begin to lower themselves making the kit sit lower.
- Also, the strut rod that activates the in frame suspension shock has a right and left-hand thread. You can simply adjust this rod on the bike to lower it if you like. I don’t really recommend this, but it’s easily doable and if you don’t like it, you can put it back. Just keep track of how much you adjust.
- The inflame shock can be lowered in air pressure as well to achieve about the same thing. This will make it softer and more squishy when you sit on it. This would be best suited for a shorter lighter weight rider.
Here is a link to the manual page of our website that has a section for tuning the MTN.TOP Snowbike kit.
Manual
Snowbike Kit Instructions Spindle & Ski Installation Track Kit Installation Snowbike Kit Tuning Sheets Chain Maintenance Track Adjustment In-Frame Shock Tuning Rear Suspension Shock Tuning Gearing Gearing Video Accessory Instructions XFR In-Frame Bag Tunnel Bag Universal Gas Can Rack Tow &...
mtntopsnowbike.com
Hope this helps guys.
Thanks Allen
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