Road Bike Standover Height Clearance

Bikes come in a range of sizes.

Road bike standover height clearance.

Standover height refers to how tall the bike is in relation to your inseam and the clearance in between. Traditional frames were designed for a standover clearance of 1 3 so that is what older guides recommend. As with adult bikes first check the standover height. Modern frames are designed with more generous standover clearance 3 6 more than plenty so the critical dimension becomes length effective virtual top tube if you have long legs short torso then standover becomes irrelevant.

Bear in mind that road cyclocross and hybrid bike sizes tend to be 3 to 4in bigger for riders of the same height something that confuses a lot of riders when looking through bike listings. Bike fit frame geometry and standover height posted on february 22 2017 when you re buying a good bike you want it to fit like a good pair of shoes a natural extension of you so you can focus on what you re doing and enjoying not the equipment that got you there. To calculate your bike frame size take your inseam in centimeters and multiply it by 0 575 for mountain bikes 0 665 for road bikes and 0 645 for trekking bikes. Standover height can be a bit tricky to calculate depending on the shape of the frame.

Whatever the top tube style look for about 2 4 of clearance. They should be able to sit comfortably see around them easily and grip the handlebars with a slight bend in their elbows. They should be able to sit comfortably see around them easily and grip the handlebars with a slight bend in their elbows. You can have two bikes with the same frame size but differing stand over height.

As with adult bikes check the standover height. That s true whatever your gender as gender matters far less in finding the bike that s best for you than other factors. The bike s actual standover height is the the middle of the top tube. Most kids bikes are designed so they ride in a more upright position.

Whatever the top tube style look for about 2 4 of clearance. Now look at standover height or s o. The best fit for you depends primarily on your height and inseam. If you need to convert your measurements to inches divide them by 2 54.

Every rider deserves a bike that fits and feels great no matter their body type style of riding or level of experience.