So Im looking at a bike online, the stand over is 28" and my inseam is about 29. I looked at a few charts and it seems I need about a 26" or 27" stand over. Do you think that little bit would make a big difference?
I have been having trouble finding a good deal on a bike my size and this one is very tempting if it will fit me ok?
Don't size a bike by standover. Do it by how the length feels and worry about standover secondary. This can be hard when buying a bike sight unseen, online.
How often, on the trail, do people really stand over the top tube of their bikes? How often do they get off in front of the saddle if the going gets too rough? You don't - you get off the back of the saddle.
If I sized MTB's by standover height (especially FS bikes) I'd be riding an XS and would need a seatpost as long as a broom handle and the bike would be too short. As long as you have some clearance between your crotch and the top tube, and the length feels fine then you are good to go. This is for XC and trail riding - a jump bike and heavy duty freeride bike will be different.
Follow Sideknob's advice. The cockpit length is what you need to be concerned with. Even if the standover is the same as your inseam, it's not a problem.
It's not about standing over the top tube, it's about the unexpected stop that can happen that forces you over the tube. And it's not about how often it occurs either. If when it happens you know your queensberries will take a hit that will be in the back of your mind and can make you timid. I know I would be if I didn't have clearance.
Maybe it's different with clipless pedals, I don't know. But as said as long as there is some clearance you should be fine.
Even dumping foreward of my seat on my ht which has about 3/4" clearance between my berries in spandex and the tt i have never once nutted myself. stand over is unimportant so long as there is "some" room there.
Size it by virtual top tube length, not stand over.
So Im looking at a bike online, the stand over is 28" and my inseam is about 29. I looked at a few charts and it seems I need about a 26" or 27" stand over. Do you think that little bit would make a big difference?
I have been having trouble finding a good deal on a bike my size and this one is very tempting if it will fit me ok?
Stand in your cycling shoes with your feet about a foot apart. Take a large book and pull it up between your legs, keeping it level and measure the distance to the ground. That will be your cycling inseam.
How tall are you?
What bikes are you looking at?
You need to find your ideal (range) top tube length, and then make sure the standover will work for you.
Lots of different bikes to choose from, but don't necessarily get caught up in comparing one company's (M) with another company's (M). They could be quite a bit different in the geometry numbers that are critical for you. Even bikes from the same manufacturer can vary greatly in geometry for similar 'sizes'.
In all honesty just go ride it and see if you like it. Might want it, might want to leave i but either way go see if you like it.
I am considering an hour long drive to test a roadie I might like, and hope the dude doesn't mind when I offer much less than the Clist prices he is asking.
yeah I wish I could go look at it but its far away so i will probably just pass on it. I did find one here in town that is on ebay so im gonna try to win that bid and wont have to worry about shipping
The Dakar XC frames have not really changed much in years - so this should be pretty close to any of the Dakar frames. Hard to say what size it is going by the standover...
So Im looking at a bike online, the stand over is 28" and my inseam is about 29. I looked at a few charts and it seems I need about a 26" or 27" stand over. Do you think that little bit would make a big difference?
I have been having trouble finding a good deal on a bike my size and this one is very tempting if it will fit me ok?
As long as you can stand over the toptube with your feet flat on the ground, it should be okay. Most full suspension bikes have higher standover compared to hardtails.
I jst measured sundowner on both my bikes. My f3000 has 3/4" like stated (i have a 32" biking inseam @ 5'7") out is a large frame 1998. My 09 enduro sl has just over 1"clearance as a med frame. But, every other measurement is significantly taller than the hard trail too. The bars are easily 8" higher from flat and the bb height is a lot taller too.
Big differences between a 70mm travel late 90's geometry race bike and a 150mm travel trail machine that would embarrass most dh rigs from the era my ht was from.
Don't buy your first bike online. Especially not from someone who doesn't even know what size the bike they're selling is.
Go to your LBS. If money's an issue, phone around for an LBS dealing in used bikes, or some bikes that are still on the floor from last season.
At 5'5", you're likely a small/15" frame person. But you might not be - there are a lot of things that go into this. So test ride, test ride, test ride.
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