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I am still looking for my first tri bike. I'm a runt, 4'10". It appears after searching out a lot of bikes my biggest issue is stand over. At 686cm with my bike shoes on, I am touching the top tube. It isn't uncomfortable, but I have zero room to spare. The two bikes I have uncovered that fit all other parameters have a stand over of 670.5mm and 716mm. Is the smaller one far better or is the difference so small it probably doesn't matter? I have gotten a lot of mixed opionions and unfortunately cannot test drive either one since they are not available in my city. I really don't know how to think about this. Any advice?
Thanks
Suzy
The 46mm difference between the two bikes is almost 2 inches - I would say that's a difference large enough to matter. You don't want to hurt anything down there if you stop suddenly and end up standing over the top tube.
It sounds like the shortest frame still only leaves a 1/2 inch of clearance. The 716mm bike is too tall and the 670.5mm is marginal. If it was me, I'd want a at least 3-5cm more clearance.
I've ridden thousands of miles on a road bike that has 0 standover clearance and haven't had any issues related to that other than it's awkward. My other bikes are over 3" (7.5 cm) shorter and much easier to handle.
You don't want to hurt anything down there if you stop suddenly and end up standing over the top tube.
A problem I've never had in 180,000 miles of cycling. Gee ... I guess I'm just lucky.
I'm 5'6" with a long torso relative to my legs. I buy my bikes based on the top tube length I need and that leaves me with no standover clearance. It's never been an issue. Never!
Depends on the bike...there is no number. The number for a Softride or Titanflex will be much lower than that of a standard, or even a compact frame. Stand over height is only a good judge for youth bikes.
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