Standover

[jpw]

In these days of slopers is there still a notion of what the ideal standover clearance ought to be on a road frame and a cross frame?

[Peter P.]

"Ideal" clearance? On a road bike, all you care about is being able to put both feet down in a panic stop without whacking your naughty parts on the top tube. At least an inch should be enough.

With road bike sloping top tubes you have to think differently and sort of throw the rules out the window, because it doesn't matter where the top tube is, you can make the head tube any length you want. The question becomes one of aesthetics; does that slope look appealing to your senses?

With a 'cross frame, you'll certainly want more clearance than a road bike because you'll quite likely have to dismount on uneven terrain, so more than that 1" clearance will be necessary. That's why mountain bikes evolved to use smaller frames and longer posts, but ATBs are clearly the extreme example.

Of course, with 'cross frames you can't make them TOO small, because the main triangle will become too small then shouldering the bike will become a little more difficult.

You might find useful opinions on this subject by visiting a 'cross specific forum, for certainly there will be larger number of participants there.

[hansolo758]

led me to this website (http://cycle-smart.com/Articles/index.html)

You might also like this thread (http://serotta.com/forum/showthread.php?t=33838&highlight=cyclocross) for 'cross-specific answers.

[jerk]

With a 'cross frame, you'll certainly want more clearance than a road bike because you'll quite likely have to dismount on uneven terrain, so more than that 1" clearance will be necessary. That's why mountain bikes evolved to use smaller frames and longer posts, but ATBs are clearly the extreme example.

Of course, with 'cross frames you can't make them TOO small, because the main triangle will become too small then shouldering the bike will become a little more difficult.

You might find useful opinions on this subject by visiting a 'cross specific forum, for certainly there will be larger number of participants there.


wrong. cross bikes never have standover clearance unless the athlete is very tall. the top tube is a handle and it needs to be high enough to shoulder the bike regardless of the height of the athlete hopping on and off it. unless you're a member of the haitian national team, you're never going to be straddling the top tube anyway....top tube clearence is irrelevent to proper cross bike fit, especially given the fact that most athletes want the bars a bit higher than on their road bikes.

jerk