Genreally, yes. For max speed i think you want your legs almost straight at the 6 oclock position. For Muni you need to be able to stand off the saddle, either just slightly (to negotiate rough ground) or alot if you're going to actually hop over stuff on it. Obviously your speed will suffer slightly frm this lower saddle position, but that's the deal.
yes, but make sure the saddle is not too high on the jump mount. otherwise you'll land groin on to the saddle while your feet can't reach the pedals. ouch.
Great advice from John Childs (as usual). I will add a bit of experience from my years of big-wheeling. Before I had a Coker I had a hard-tire, 45" wheel. I could ride it with the seat up pretty high, which was great for long distance. But since the tire has no "give" in it, even little bumps (like running over a 3/4" diameter rock you didn't notice) will bounce you upward if you're not ready. I've been taken down by a 3/4" rock if I hit it with my feet at the 6 & 12 o'clock positions. Ouch. So I always kept my big wheel's seat a tad lower than I would on another uni.
On my Coker, because the tire will absorb that 3/4" rock much better, I don't have the same need to lower the seat. But I still keep it a tad lower than I would on a smaller wheel. This is because of the higher height, and higher speed, of that cycle.
My Coker commute to work includes several stretches of dirt. I take it easy on those, as my seat is relatively high for those sections. Mostly what I notice is my cranks being too short for the dirt. But yes, optimally your seat should be at least an inch or so lower for riding on dirt.
Then just practice. If you're mounting with your pedals anywhere other than vertical, you should have plenty of leg extension to make the mount. Even a suicide mount!
If you want another workable alternative to the rolling mount on to a coker with the seat set high a suggest the use of a "helping hand".
It IS possible to static mount a coker by grabbing the wheel with your hand forward of the frame and then using both your legs and the hand to help you mount. Your hand is there mainly to prevent the wheel from rotating while you step up into position. It means you can apply more force with your legs without having to worry about the extra force rotating the wheel back into a dead position.
