need opinions about "stand over height"

[mayqueen]

Hey, I think my first post got lost in space, so if you see a duplicate about this, sorry! Anyway, I have decided to get a flatbar roadbike (currently have a great "hybrid"), hopefully it we be a bit faster. I have a really long torso but shorter legs. I am so loving the new Giant Dash 2! Problem is, the "stand over height" is bumping up against my "privates". Now I've gotten opinions from several bike sales folks and technicians but would really like some from neutral sources. Thanks!

[lunacycles]

You only need enough standover clearance to clear...unless you are mountain biking.

A lot of times bikes with minimal standover fit better in other ways than bikes with more standover. As long as you can live with a bike that may bump into "your privates" should you need to dismount quickly and without thought, then there is no problem getting a bike with not much if any standover clearance.

[Cataboo]

if it were a mountain bike or cyclocross bike... you need clearance... However, for a road bike, you can get away without much or any clearance... As long as you're comfortable with it.

You're going to tilt the bike slightly everytime you dismount anyways...

If you check the rivendell website, they basically determine standover height as distance to pubic bone, and ignore all the soft tissues...

I don't have much clearance on my road bikes and have no problems with it - because slightly larger frames fit my body better geometry wise than smaller ones do.

[mayqueen]

I appreciate the feedback! Its been hard because I've been waffling back and forth. I hear one thing, then someone else tells me something the complete opposite! All I know is that buyers remorse is something that I want to avoid. Thanks! I will post pics once I buy my new bike.

[Cataboo]

All I can say is test ride... You may be able to find something with more sloping geometry that works for you standover height wise if you're not comfortable... Sounds like you need a long top tube... that can be extended by putting a longer stem on the bike. You definitely shouldn't be looking at women's frames, so if you are test riding wsd's or women's bikes, try the male versions of those bikes... they tend to have longer top tubes.

How tall are you?

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/frame-sizing.html


http://www.rivbike.com/article/bike_...izing_position

[mayqueen]

Was at a shop coupled of days ago and the tech said the exact same thing. I think the mens version is called the Rapid. I have compared the specs and it looks like the SO height is about .5 shorter, BUT the length is longer. I am assuming that womens bikes are made with "shorter torsos" as the only difference. Man, there are soooo many choices! Oh, I'm only 5"7 1/2 , but I've got a short inseam.