Question about standover height and sizing

[gocard]

Hi everyone! I have a question about standover height and reach. I'm about 5'5" and about a 29" inseam. I test road the WSD Cannondale Synapse in a 51 and a 48. The reach was fine for me on both bikes and the 48 clearly had better standover clearance. However, I liked the 51 better - it felt more comfortable to me while riding but my seat needs to be lower.

I wasn't sure if it was my imagination, but the 48 seemed to have a much more sloped top tube vs. the 51 and it looked a lot smaller and I didn't like the appearance as much. Is it silly? I feel more comfortable riding on the 51 but technically the 48 is a better "fit". What should I be going for? I wish there was a 50! Thanks for your advice!

**edit** I did a search on the forum for standover height but haven't found much that helps my quandary. If you know of anything please pass it along! Thanks

[zoom-zoom]

You know, you're taller than I am and have a shorter inseam--and my legs aren't long. You might want to try the men's 48 and 51, as well. My previous bike was a WSD Synapse in 48 and my current bike is a men's SuperSix, also 48. The WSD Synapse was a bit too short through the cockpit, but I am finding that the men's SuperSix is a hair too long (the SuperSix has a longer top tube than the same size Synapse). Ideally I'd be on a women's SuperSix and wish I'd considered that option when I looked at bikes, but none of the WSD SuperSix models have SRAM. In hindsight I should have seen what my LBS would have done for me in terms of swapping out components.

My guess is the 48cm men's Synapse could be exactly right for you. It's worth a try.

[gocard]

Thanks, zoom-zoom. I should probably add that I'm not sure whether I measured my inseam correctly! I wasn't wearing shoes, just bare feet. I am basing it on the standover between the two women's sizes. I had also test ridden a unisex 51 of the same model and it felt fine, but I wasn't paying attention to standover at the time.

Unfortunately it will be hard to find a unisex 48 because that size doesn't tend to be stocked. I originally wanted a unisex Felt bike, but none of the places had a 48 for me to try. The 51 was way too stretched out for me on that brand.

I'll see if my LBS can get a hold of a smaller unisex bike. Riding the women's 51 felt just fine to me. Thanks for your suggestion!

[zoom-zoom]

Thanks, zoom-zoom. I should probably add that I'm not sure whether I measured my inseam correctly! I wasn't wearing shoes, just bare feet. I am basing it on the standover between the two women's sizes. I had also test ridden a unisex 51 of the same model and it felt fine, but I wasn't paying attention to standover at the time.

Unfortunately it will be hard to find a unisex 48 because that size doesn't tend to be stocked. I originally wanted a unisex Felt bike, but none of the places had a 48 for me to try. The 51 was way too stretched out for me on that brand.

I'll see if my LBS can get a hold of a smaller unisex bike. Riding the women's 51 felt just fine to me. Thanks for your suggestion!

Yeah, I hear that on not finding unisex in stock in small sizes. I had to order sight-unseen. Given all the crotch issues I've had I'm thinking a TT of maybe a CM shorter would have been better for me, but it's hard to find a lot of sizes to test. We love our LBS, but they are not a big shop and don't carry a ton of stock.

Perhaps look at the geometry of the bikes you're interested in and the TT measurements, then look at the unisex versions. If you feel like you need something midway between the 48 and 51 and the men's 48 falls in that range it might be worth checking into, even if you can't test ride.

[Koronin]

Too bad you aren't closer I have a Felt F 5 in a 48cm. I bought it sight unseen. They had a 51, which is what my husband bought. My inseam height is slightly smaller than yours. I'm 5'0" with a 27" inseam. I love the the F5 but I also like to be stretched out on the bike and this one is perfect for me. You wouldn't be nearly as stretched out as I am on it. Th 48cm Cannondale makes are all to high for me.

[gocard]

Koronin, I love the looks of the F5! I'd really like to test ride any similar geometry Felt just for the sizing, but it didn't work out. I didn't really want to write off the Felts just because I couldn't try them, but I rode the Synapse in both 51 unisex and women's designs and was perfectly comfortable on both. Plus, there was a great deal for over $600 off the carbons and uh...I love a good deal. *blushes* I wouldn't be able to get a similar carbon Felt bike for the same price.

The listed standover height is greater on the unisex one but it wasn't noticeable to me at the time. I will return to the LBS and pay specific attention to it next time. I was also drawn to the women's Synapse 6 because it comes in a color scheme which I really love - black/turquoise/white and not *too* girly. Most of the unisex Synapses come in black/white but I'll consider it in a 48 if it feels better and is more comfortable.

I usually get off my bike by swinging my right leg over the back wheel while it's coasting slowly. Probably going to be different for a road bike with the clipless shoes though!

Oops I rambled, sorry about that! Thanks for all of your thoughtful replies. This is a very friendly forum!

[Owlie]

Hi everyone! I have a question about standover height and reach. I'm about 5'5" and about a 29" inseam. I test road the WSD Cannondale Synapse in a 51 and a 48. The reach was fine for me on both bikes and the 48 clearly had better standover clearance. However, I liked the 51 better - it felt more comfortable to me while riding but my seat needs to be lower.

I wasn't sure if it was my imagination, but the 48 seemed to have a much more sloped top tube vs. the 51 and it looked a lot smaller and I didn't like the appearance as much. Is it silly? I feel more comfortable riding on the 51 but technically the 48 is a better "fit". What should I be going for? I wish there was a 50! Thanks for your advice!

**edit** I did a search on the forum for standover height but haven't found much that helps my quandary. If you know of anything please pass it along! Thanks

What zoom-zoom said. Try out the men's version if you can find the sizes. Stand over doesn't matter so much on road bikes. Ideally, yes, you should have about 1.5-2" of clearance over the top tube, but you can get away with a bit less.