Cyclocross bike for 5 foot 4 inch man?

Just had to put a good word in for my 46cm Jamis Nova. I'm 5'3" and I love it. Mine has a 26" front wheel to reduce toe overlap, I guess, and the only drawback is having to carry 2 tubes and find narrow 26" tires. I feel like it can go anywhere. I think Jamis is still making the Nova in this size.

Liza, your Axis is drool-worthy !

I'm 5'4", too, and I ride a 54 cm Trek 1000. I know it's not a cross bike, but the standover height is just fine. Am I to understand that if this were a cross bike, I wouldn't have a good standover?

I really wanted a more versatile bike than a road bike--really wanted a steel touring bike, but this was in impulse purchase--a good deal at the time, and I'm not ready to invest in the touring bike, yet. The bike fits with adjustments to the stem, but I'm interested the differences in the standover height between a cross bike and road bike. I hope someone who knows will post more about it.

Thanks,
Karen

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Tuckervill

I'm 5'4", too, and I ride a 54 cm Trek 1000. I know it's not a cross bike, but the standover height is just fine. Am I to understand that if this were a cross bike, I wouldn't have a good standover?

I really wanted a more versatile bike than a road bike--really wanted a steel touring bike, but this was in impulse purchase--a good deal at the time, and I'm not ready to invest in the touring bike, yet. The bike fits with adjustments to the stem, but I'm interested the differences in the standover height between a cross bike and road bike. I hope someone who knows will post more about it.
Thanks,
Karen

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Cross bikes are made so that the bottom bracket is higher off of the ground - to clear rocks and other obstacles better. The "size" of a bike is generally the length of the seat tube, usually measured from the center of the bottom bracket to either the center of the top tube or the top of the seat tube depending on the mfg (just to make it even more confusing...) So, since you are started off already higher off of the ground on a cross bike the height of the top tube (and thus the stand over height) on the cross bike will be greater than on a road bike with the same length of seat tube. Ususally everthing else is bigger too - so top tubes, chainstays etc. are longer than on a road bike of the same "size" also.

Got it! Thanks, Eden!

Karen

I am 5'2" and I have 2 Surly bikes, a Pacer road bike and the Long Haul Trucker touring bike. Both of mine are 42cm size. The Pacer has 700c wheels and the LHT has 26" wheels. Both of them have a 70cm standover and a 50cm effTT.

I have looked closely at the Crosscheck and I'd love to have one but the 42cm model has a 73cm standover which is way too tall for me! Crosschecks run big, possibly due to all the extra tire clearance they build into them.

I just bought a Bianchi Axis size 44. I’m 5.4 with a longer waist and shorter legs.
My inseam is 28.5 and the Axis stand over height is 28.

The Axis has the shortest stand over height of all the cross bikes I researched.

I have only had it for a week, one short ride, but love the bike so far.

Lisa