Talk me into, or out of, keeping this bike

[rwsaunders]

This table might steer you in the right direction.

https://www.bikecalc.com/wheel_size_math

[Dino Suegiù]

Originally Posted by Pegoready

He's not saying the standover is 1 cm too tall. It's 1 cm taller than his pubic bone height. That's too tall.

Thank you but I can read for myself. I have no idea where the op's pubic bone is relative to that tt. "Too tall" for the op does not mean "too tall" for all. If he wants to change wheels and tires or even sell the frameset over all this, fine by me.

I wrote before that imo 10mm (3/8") over standover is pretty minimal, since standover is hardly the determining factor on fit. The op wants to reduce the standover by 20mm (3/4"), for comfort reasons...fine. But as others have also pointed out, unless one is actually straddling the frame for long periods, I still certainly think that 10-20mm is hardly a life-shattering discrepancy, given that the frame otherwise apparently fits perfectly.

Change shoes/insoles/cleats? There (possibly) goes that "ideal standover", even with no actual body changes. Just lean the frame over a bit more when mounting/straddling, imo.

But, to answer the op's questions regarding wheel/tire sizes:
1) The OP feels 20mm (“drop it by 2 cm”) too tall above preferred standover, and is currently riding 700cx32mm = ~686mm rim/tire diameter.

2) Reducing the standover by 20mm would necessitate reducing the rim/tire diameter by 40mm (-20mm radius off the surface), to ~646mm.

3) On a 700c wheel, this reduction is not possible, as even a 700cx20mm combination = ~662mm rim/tire diameter.

4) On a 650b wheel, this reduction is achievable with a 650bx30mm combination = ~644mm rim/tire diameter; 650bx1.25” = ~647.5mm rim/tire diameter; or 650bx32mm = ~648mm rim/tire diameter.

Those are the numbers. I have no idea what tire size the op would prefer.

Raising the bb, lowering the top tube, sloping the top tube, etc are all far more drastic decisions, obviously, and I certainly have no idea regarding the op's pro/con logic regarding buying new wheels or selling the frameset and buying a new one to achieve the magical desired standover.

I just lean the bike over a bit more when mounting. Potential ball-crushing episodes are certainly not dependent on "correct" standover height alone, so to each their own there. HTH.

[Dino Suegiù]

Originally Posted by scottcw2

I can see the appeal of across the hall.

You, and both forums, are located in a free country, afaik.

[scottcw2]

I think I found my answer on bikepacking.com:

700C x 23mm = 668mm = 650B x 42mm
700C x 28mm = 678mm = 650B x 47mm
700C x 32mm = 686mm = 650B x 50mm
700C x 35mm = 692mm = 27.5 x 2.1”
700C x 38mm = 698mm = 27.5 x 2.25”

So I am currently at 686mm and a change to 650x42 would be 1.8 cm lower. I could even go 650x38 for 2.6 cm lower.

[Dino Suegiù]

Originally Posted by scottcw2

I think I found my answer on bikepacking.com:

700C x 23mm = 668mm = 650B x 42mm
700C x 28mm = 678mm = 650B x 47mm
700C x 32mm = 686mm = 650B x 50mm
700C x 35mm = 692mm = 27.5 x 2.1”
700C x 38mm = 698mm = 27.5 x 2.25”

So I am currently at 686mm and a change to 650x42 would be 1.8 cm lower. I could even go 650x38 for 2.6 cm lower.

Those are diameters, so you are calculating reducing the diameter by 20mm, which will not be enough. That will only reduce the standover by 10mm.

The top tube does not care where the top of the rim/tire are, so you need to reduce the wheel/tire radius x 20mm to lower the tt by 20mm = reduce rim/tire diameter x 40mm, as I posted above.

[Black Dog]

You did get the numbers you asked for above. Also changing wheel size to get a frame to fit means you have the wrong frame. Also, 2cm of stand over height is not a deal breaker or a ball breaker. Flying off a seat onto a top tube will result in a smack down regardless stand over as both legs will not be straight and pointing down. No one here is ignoring your op. Just trying to get a broader context for the question about keeping vs ditching the frame.

[happycampyer]

^ I don’t think your conclusion is correct. The numbers above are diameters, so the overall height of the wheel is 2cm less, but the bike is only ~1cm lower. If you go with 650B x 38mm (which is the narrowest I would recommend), it would be ~1.3 - 1.5cm lower (the lower tire pressure of the wider tire will cause it to compress more with you on it). Is that enough drop for you to be comfortable? The bottom bracket drop of the frame is shown as 7cm, but is that with a 32mm tire? I wouldn’t want to lower the bottom bracket much beyond 8cm. Will 38mm wide tires fit with adequate clearance to the chainstays? Also, you will need to switch the brake calipers to mid- or long-reach brakes.

I have a disc brake bike that was designed for me to switch between 650B x 42mm and 700C x 32mm, so it can be done. I would ask Mike if he thinks that frame can be run with 650B wheels.

[scottcw2]

Yeah, the result is that it won’t work. I was hoping to set this up with 650x42 as a dedicated gravel frame. But that won’t drop the TT enough and I don’t want to run 30/32.

While I understand the feedback that a bike 1cm taller than PBH should not be an issue, it doesn’t work that way for me in practice. Getting on/off the bike is awkward, stopping to rest/drink/take pictures is not comfortable.

[Black Dog]

Originally Posted by scottcw2

Yeah, the result is that it won’t work. I was hoping to set this up with 650x42 as a dedicated gravel frame. But that won’t drop the TT enough and I don’t want to run 30/32.

While I understand the feedback that a bike 1cm taller than PBH should not be an issue, it doesn’t work that way for me in practice. Getting on/off the bike is awkward, stopping to rest/drink/take pictures is not comfortable.

Fair enough. Fit is everything.

[George Ab]

You just need the right shoes! Seriously, hard pass.

[mhespenheide]

The bike's freakin' gorgeous, and I love its capacity to run wider tires. If I had the space and a little more money, I'd probably have tried to head up there to check it out.

But if it doesn't fit, it's not the right bike for you.

It sucks that you haven't been able to find the right buyer for it, either. We joked about it in your for sale thread, but I do kind of feel like we're dropping the ball on it as a community.

[scottcw2]

Yeah, I'm pretty surprised nobody is interested given the respect for Mike's work on this forum.

It would be perfect if my pubic bone was 1.5-2" higher.