Long term update: Crossrunner stretches legs

The Crossrunner’s seat height is listed as 835/815mm. When the bike arrived I left the seat well alone, but at 6ft 1in a little more legroom is always welcome, just as it is on a cheap flight.

Altering the height is a simple enough task, with the aid of a couple of Allen keys and a torque wrench. Once the two-piece seat is removed, the three points where the rider’s seat is attached can be set either higher or lower. The two rear brackets are fastened tightly, so they need a large force to undo them and a decent torque wrench to tighten them again. Start to finish, it took me about 15 minutes to do, but the extra legroom it brings makes a world of difference.

With the seat raised by 20mm, it’s just put me into the windflow that bit more, so to compensate I have fitted a bigger screen, 150mm taller to be precise. I have gone for a Powerbronze Flip screen with a light tint (£80.25 RRP). It’s straightforward to fit, but take care when removing the original screen as you do not need to completely remove the Allen bolts. Instead, simply loosen them enough to pull the screen down and remove the fittings from the slotted holes. Once removed, swap the fittings over to the new screen and reverse the process.

Just sitting on the bike, I could see that the Powerbronze screen is significantly taller. On my first ride out on country B-roads, the airflow certainly feels very smooth, but the real test will be on long-distance motorway work. I have a few long distance trips coming up, so I’ll keep you posted.