I have a 29-inch inside leg and have enough off road experience from mud to snow to sand. I have used bikes from a 28 inch Triumph Bonneville to a 34-inch BMW GS to a 32-inch Weestrom.

Thoughts:

Seat width matters. A 34-inch XT600e is easier than the GS and Weestrom lumps because less movement gives a straighter leg.

Weight matters, a flat foot will stop a 450 lb Bonneville going over, a toe can support a 350lb CL350, a toe will not enjoy a 550lb GS tottering at 30 degrees.

Sliding on the seat means the bike can slide from underneath you. If the lean angle is too great you are trying to pull against the seat with a bent knee and raised foot off the peg. Either it goes or the load is into a shoulder straining motion via the bars. Bum down, feet down, everything upright and symmetrical is way more stable.

How is a "dab" any use at a road junction? Keeping moving means going under the logging truck you've just seen through the trees. The "dab" is fine on the Dakar where you have no traffic and notes on every gradient. Planning the dab will eventually go wrong if you do it enough.

Rim size changes tyre choice, but pretty much anything other than 17-inch has some possibility.


If you struggle with an over height, over weight bike, that's what you learn to do. If I practice basketball it will never get me into the Harlem Globetrotters because I'll still be 15 inches too short. It won't make me a better snooker player.

Andy