Quote Originally Posted by venacava View Post
I bought a used bike recently (a Bridgestone RB-T touring bike) that fits me very well in every way except for one: when I straddle the top tube and stand on the floor flat-footed, the top tube just brushes ever-so-slightly against my feminine parts.

Standover clearance is important for men for reasons that are obvious. But I'm interested in hearing from other women who might have had success owning/riding bikes that are technically "too big" for them. Is this something that I can get away with?

Any advice/expertise is much appreciated. Thanks!
Nice catch getting an RB-T Bridgestone.

If you clear the top tube while standing then there is no problem. You'll get used to what you need to do to 'safely' hop off your saddle at stop lights, etc.

But- if that touring bike is a little large for you, the problem you might experience will be in too long a reach, which would make you feel like you are falling forward all the time. Lots of tweaks can help that, but sometimes the frame is just too darn big and all the tweaks in the world won't make it feel right.
But ride it a while and get used to it- the longer you ride the more you will be able to tell what might need adjusting. And when you change anything, only change ONE thing at a time so you can see the results accurately. Making multiple changes at once gets very confusing.

I wouldn't mind seeing a picture of that lugged Bridgestone beauty! Can you post one here?