standover clearance fit - important in itself?

Mike Kruger said:

How important is stand-over height on a road bike, in and of iteself?

I'm a tall guy, 6'3" (190 cm), and I've been riding old road bikes that have
25" (63.5 cm) frames. I usually end up raising the seat to about where the
warning line is.

A taller friend cleaning out his basement gave me an old bike with a 27"
(68.5 cm) frame. I can get the seat set to the right height; I'm interested
to try out a bit more reach to the handlebars. I have about half an inch
standover clearance (when I stand flat footted on the floor, there is about
half an inch between the top tube and my crotch, maybe less).

I know standover height is used as a general guide to bike fit, and by this
standard the bike is too big, but is it important in itself on a road bike
(where you are less likely to take a spill forward on the top tube than you
are on a mountain bike ridden on singletrack)? If the bike otherwise fits,
which I can tell after I clean it up and ride it, should I be concerned?

I can't speak technically. My own experience with my 61 cm Peugeot
has been great. It's very well suited for my height, even though it's
technically too big for me. When I purchased it I was too young and
stupid to realize I wasn't going to grow more than six feet. However,
the thing fits great. I've had several accidents and not once did I
come close to hitting the top tube with my [insert slang here]. On one
hand I consider myself lucky. On the other hand, I think it may not be
such a concern as injuries your could get from, say, a seatpost breaking
off or long-term stress on your back from scrunching up.

Mike Kruger said:

How important is stand-over height on a road bike, in and of iteself?

I'm a tall guy, 6'3" (190 cm), and I've been riding old road bikes that have
25" (63.5 cm) frames. I usually end up raising the seat to about where the
warning line is.

A taller friend cleaning out his basement gave me an old bike with a 27"
(68.5 cm) frame. I can get the seat set to the right height; I'm interested
to try out a bit more reach to the handlebars. I have about half an inch
standover clearance (when I stand flat footted on the floor, there is about
half an inch between the top tube and my crotch, maybe less).

I know standover height is used as a general guide to bike fit, and by this
standard the bike is too big, but is it important in itself on a road bike
(where you are less likely to take a spill forward on the top tube than you
are on a mountain bike ridden on singletrack)? If the bike otherwise fits,
which I can tell after I clean it up and ride it, should I be concerned?

My favorite road bike leaves me with less than an inch of clearance.
If I put larger tires on, things can get pretty tight. In seven years
I've never had any impacts. I can't remember any time when the frame
size has been a problem.

I've ridden bikes that were too big for periods of time- no standover,
had to tilt to avoid resting on the top tube. Still no problems.

If everything else about the bike fits, I'd try it for a period of
time. At least the price is right.

Then again, as a kid I had a frame that was to big for me for a couple
of years, so maybe I learned ways to deal that seem natural to me but
won't come easy to others.

Mike Kruger said:

How important is stand-over height on a road bike, in and of iteself?

I'm a woman, so it is a somewhat less obvious issue. But I happily rode
a bike with no standover clearance for a while. The issue to me was
that the reach to the bars would be too long for me with a bike that big.

Pam

Mike Kruger said:

How important is stand-over height on a road bike, in and of iteself?

It depends. :-)

I'm tall (6'3"😉 with relatively short legs and a relatively long torso, so
I'm a good candidate for an "oversized" bike.

When I ordered our Viewpoint tandem, I considered getting one with a larger
frame, but decided on a frame with a more comfortable standover height
because (a) we're going to ride it mostly on suburb streets, and I don't
roll through stop signs and red lights, so there's going to be quite a bit
of stopping and starting; and (b) it's a tandem and I want to be absolutely
sure that I'm comfortable keeping the bike upright when we stop.

But if we were planning to ride it mostly on longer tours, then I might
have gone with the larger frame.

Quoted message said:

A taller friend cleaning out his basement gave me an old bike with a 27"
(68.5 cm) frame. I can get the seat set to the right height; I'm interested
to try out a bit more reach to the handlebars. I have about half an inch
standover clearance (when I stand flat footted on the floor, there is about
half an inch between the top tube and my crotch, maybe less).

How often do you stop flat footed? I usually flex my ankle and support my
weight on the ball of my foot.

If you're comfortable with the contact between you and the bike when you
come to a stop (both a controlled stop and a quicker "panic" stop), and the
bike fits you overall, then go for it.
--
Darin McGrew, [email hidden], http://www.rahul.net/mcgrew/
Web Design Group, [email hidden], http://www.HTMLHelp.com/

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Mike Kruger said:

How important is stand-over height on a road bike, in and of iteself?

Quoted message said:

I'm a tall guy, 6'3" (190 cm), and I've been riding old road bikes that have
25" (63.5 cm) frames. I usually end up raising the seat to about where the
warning line is.

Quoted message said:

A taller friend cleaning out his basement gave me an old bike with a 27"
(68.5 cm) frame. I can get the seat set to the right height; I'm interested
to try out a bit more reach to the handlebars. I have about half an inch
standover clearance (when I stand flat footted on the floor, there is about
half an inch between the top tube and my crotch, maybe less).

That should be fine. Were these measurements made while wearing your
normal cycling shoes?

The real question is how the top tube length works for you. Are you too
stretched out, or forced to use a short stem? Got the saddle fore/aft
position set per KOPS +/- your personal preference? Does the bike
handle well?

It sounds to me like your legs are proportionally longer than your upper
body. If you like the bars high, and don't feel stetched out, this frame
may work out. This is somewhat the philosophy Rivendell uses.

Art Harris