BMX bikes are famous for performing tricks, stunts, and midair jumps. For this reason, they have low seats and are thus better-ridden while standing. However, the question is, ‘can you sit down on a BMX bike?‘
It’s generally possible to sit down on a BMX bike and cycle. But since this seat is too low and often poorly padded, you may need to raise its seat post and swap the saddle with a padded option or add a padded sear cover.
The good news is that you can raise, lower, and change your BMX seat independently. All you need is an Allen wrench, and you will be good to go.
This guide will expound on how to raise your BMX seat and help you know how high the seat should be.
Let’s get into it:
Can You Ride A BMX Bike Sitting Down?
Contrary to most beliefs, you can ride your BMX sitting down. After all, the work of a seat is to offer a seating point. But for the BMX seat to be comfortable, you need to raise and tune them.
BMX bikes usually have low seats and are meant for doing tricks, stunts, and midair jumps, and all these executions do not necessarily require you to sit down.
Again, if you want to ride your BMX bike for long hours off-road, the seat must be comfortable. This can’t be said when it comes to BMX seats. BMX seats are usually hard and only have a very thin foam padding at the top of the plastic.
So, sitting on such a seat for long will bring numbness in your butt area and extreme discomfort.
However, you can swap the seat with a more padded option like the Velmia BMX Bike Seat. This seat comes with high-quality foam padding that cushions your butt and gives you maximum comfortability.
But what if you don’t feel like getting rid of the original seat is a good idea? If this is your case, you can use a gel seat cover like the most famous Zacro Gel Padded Seat Cover. It’s easy to fit on your saddle and comes well padded.
Why Do BMX Bikes Have Low Seats?
If you own or are looking forward to buying a BMX bike, one common question is why these bikes have low seats?
Well, BMX bikes have low seats because:
- BMX Bikes Are High-Risk Stunts Performers
BMX bikes are meant for acrobatic purposes like magical stunts and high midair jumps. These moves are high-risk; you need a lower seat not be catch your groin area and one you can hold on to and maneuver with ease midair.
Generally, it’s harder (not impossible) to do high-risk moves with a high seat.
- BMX Was First Intended for Kids
Believe it or not, the BMX bike you adore was first meant for kids, and that’s why BMX bikes are small, not to mention the low seat.
As we all know, kids have a smaller stature. For these reasons, the seat lies low so that they can easily access the pedals.
- The Low Seat Gives You Optimal Thrust
When performing with your BMX bike, you need power and excellent momentum to keep you at the top of your performance. The low seat comes in handy as you don’t need to worry about the seat hitting your groin or bike frame after a high jump.
- The Low Seat Translate to Lower Center of Gravity
Do you know why this is so important? A low center of gravity means you get more bike control when performing than when you are on a standard bike. And this is what you need when doing the tricks, stunts, and jumps with your BMX bike.
Can You Raise the Seat On A BMX Bike?
It’s possible to raise your BMX seat. The modern BMX bikes come with pivotal seats. These seats give you the authority to raise them, but you can also lower them for utmost comfortability.
Below is a step-by-step process on how to raise your BMX seat. But before we jump to the step, you will need to have an Allen wrench like the Amazon Basics Hex Key Allen Wrench at your disposal.
The Steps:
Step 1 – Unscrew The Seat Clamp
Using an Allen wrench, loosen the clamp of your bike seat by turning it counterclockwise. However, not all BMX seats have clamps on them. Others have them externally. So, this step is meant explicitly for BMX with clamps on their seats.
Once you loosen the seat clamp, it will become possible to move the seat, as discussed in the next step below.
Step 2 – Adjust The Seat Angle
Find a slit near the seat top and insert the Allen wrench gently through the slit. Rotate your wrench counterclockwise to ensure you loosen the slit bolts.
Remember, if the bolts are not loose enough, you may damage surrounding parts and so to avoid this, loosen the slit bolt properly. You have to be a little patient in this step as it’s the most tiring.
After that, your seat can move sideways, up, or down, giving you the chance to raise it.
Step 3 – Raise The Seat Height
Now, there you have it, the authority to raise your BMX seat to the angle and the height that you most certainly desire.
Then, once you get the height right, insert the Allen wrench into the clamp and rotate it clockwise and ensure you tighten the clamp tightly to the seat.
Do not forget to adjust the seat angle, as the angle of your seat determines how comfortable you will feel when riding.
Also, remember that the seat angle plays a significant role in preventing injury when performing. So, ensure that you slant the seat to the angle you prefer.
After that, take the wrench and find the slit bolt. Once you get hold of it, tighten it by turning the wrench clockwise, and that’s it.
How to Lower BMX Seats?
Lowering your BMX seat is not a huge hassle. All you need is to follow the first and second steps discussed above.
The only difference is in the third step. Instead of raising the seat after loosening the clamp and slit bolt, you must lower it.
So, if you are doing it for your kid, ensure you measure how low you want the seat to go, as you won’t like to start the process all over again when you get the seat height wrong.
Then, clamp the seat, adjust the seat angle and tighten the slit bolt using an Allen wrench and you are good to go for test riding.
How High Should BMX Seats Be?
Before raising your BMX seat, you should first know how high your BMX seat should be. As the rule of thumb says, seat height is a personal thing.
First, it depends on your height. Taller guys will be much more comfortable with an elevated seat, while short guys find lower seats ideal.
However, this is not the case when it comes to BMX bikes. Since these bikes are the only bikes known to be smaller to fit their purpose, their seats can be low or high according to the goal you subject the bike to.
For example, if the bike is for doing stunts, tricks, and high jumps, it’s best when the seat is low despite your height. On the other hand, if you are looking to modify the bike to fit off-road and long rides, you can raise the seat for utmost comfortability.
However, the good news is that you don’t need to stress how high your BMX seat should be. You can use this BMX Seat Height calculator to help you get the ideal height.
People Also Ask
1. Are BMX Bikes Comfortable to Ride?
BMX bikes come in smaller geometry and are mainly for doing tricks, stunts, and midair jumps. For this reason, they are not the most comfortable to ride.
However, if you want to ride a BMX bike off-road and for a long distance, you can raise the seat to sit and enjoy the ride.
2. Can You Sit Down On A BMX and Ride?
Though BMX bikes are better ridden when standing, you can still ride them while seated. That is only possible if you can raise the seat to what you prefer and what suits you more.
3. Are BMX Saddles Comfortable?
BMX seats are arguably the most uncomfortable bike seats. They are made of hard plastic with little padding, which is likely to be uncomfortable.
However, that doesn’t mean in any way that you must tolerate the seat. You can swap it with a more comfortable option.
In Conclusion – Can You Sit Down On A BMX Bike?
As seen above, BMX bikes are designed for the specific role of doing stunts, tricks, and magical jumps, and that’s why their seats lie low.
However, if you intend to use your BMX bike for long-distance rides or off-road adventures, you can make a few adjustments and one adjustment to do is to raise the seat and improve its cushioning.