how long to "wear in" a new bike? (aka Help the saddle is hurting my girly bits!)

[Biciclista]

Yes, you need a bit more clearance at the top tube. A lot of us are shorter; we are standing pretty close to the top tube; but really, you should be able to stand comfortably flat footed over that top tube.
THe only time it's a good idea to be able to put your feet both down from the saddle is when you are learning to ride a bike!

good luck

[Cataboo]

I just barely have clearance over most of my bikes. I can stand comfortably over them in bike shoes, but it's still touching or less than an inch. (obviously I have a lot more clearance over my mountain bike). I'm 5'1.

I haven't had any problems with the lack of or minimal standover height, and haven't "racked" myself yet - I just find that with my body proportions, the best way to get a bike that fits me (long top tube, 73 degree seat angle), is to get the biggest frame that I can buy that fits. Smaller frames tend to have shorter top tubes, 75 degree seat angles, lots of toe overlap, and I end up hating them.

Now, one day if I go custom, I'll probably get a bike with more standover height... But till then, standover height is not that big a deal. If you look at rivendell's website, for whatever it's worth, they call standover height the distance up to your pubic bones and don't count all the fleshy pieces in between. and pretty much say if your pubic bones clear, that's fine. Obviously, lots of people disagree with that.

[aeiea]

Yay, this has been super educational. I had absolutely no idea that flat-footed from the saddle is incorrect on a road bike until now. I will raise the seat and practice the toe stop. Glad to hear about the pubic bone vs the fleshy parts controversy; that's a good enough argument for me to not give up.

I stand comfortably over the top tube (there's a tiny bit of clearance but I haven't measured, probably less than half an inch). Basically if I bend my knees, my bike and I get intimate.

Besides biking, I think I'm just going to invest in some ballet classes and do more yoga. Looks like the lean-toe-stopping and dismounting are going to require more balance and flexibility so I can feel 100% comfortable.

Thanks everyone for helping me become comfortable with this and possibly saving me from many falls in front of angry LA drivers. I don't think I'd feel comfortable asking these questions with guys at the LBS (there's one female who works there but I never seem to catch her anymore).