Whyte Stirling sizing - is stand over height relevant?
billythestickboy
Posts: 4
Hi,
Can anyone give me some thoughts on bike sizing please?
I've been looking to upgrade my 5 year old hybrid (Claud Butler Levante) for a while now and like a few others on here I'm torn between a high end hybrid and cyclocross bike with discs. I'd pretty much made my decision to go for a Whyte Stirling as it doesn't seem like you can get anything lighter, with better mech or with hydraulic discs for under the magic cyclescheme £1k. I've also read that Whytes have quite a different geometry to most road/hybrids which some people don't get on with, so I got my local bike shop to get one in for me to test ride in my size.
I'm 6ft 4in so I ordered in the XL as I'd been told they come in a bit on the small side. Their size chart says XL works for up to 6ft 5in, but I have to say, while it is a lovely bike it did feel a bit small. I wondered whether seat height was the issue but the guy in the shop said it was too small judging on the stand over height. There was at least 3-4 inches gap, which he said should only be 1-2 inches.
Interestingly on the whyte website it states stand over height at 805mm and I have since measured my current bike (59cm frame) at 810mm, but there was definitely a bigger difference than that. So I am now wondering the following things...
- Does the sloping top tube change on the stirling the stand over height measurement?
- Is stand over height relevant anyway? (I've read a few things since saying to just ignore it)
- If not how should I tell if it is big enough when it's got very different geometry to my hybrid, which is basically a flat bar road bike?
- I only test rode the stirling for about 20mins, should I try it again with the seat higher and go for a longer ride?
Thanks in advance for your views. I'm not in a huge rush to decide as I'm watching to see what cyclocross/roadbikes with bigger tyre clearances come out this summer.
ta
Andy
Can anyone give me some thoughts on bike sizing please?
I've been looking to upgrade my 5 year old hybrid (Claud Butler Levante) for a while now and like a few others on here I'm torn between a high end hybrid and cyclocross bike with discs. I'd pretty much made my decision to go for a Whyte Stirling as it doesn't seem like you can get anything lighter, with better mech or with hydraulic discs for under the magic cyclescheme £1k. I've also read that Whytes have quite a different geometry to most road/hybrids which some people don't get on with, so I got my local bike shop to get one in for me to test ride in my size.
I'm 6ft 4in so I ordered in the XL as I'd been told they come in a bit on the small side. Their size chart says XL works for up to 6ft 5in, but I have to say, while it is a lovely bike it did feel a bit small. I wondered whether seat height was the issue but the guy in the shop said it was too small judging on the stand over height. There was at least 3-4 inches gap, which he said should only be 1-2 inches.
Interestingly on the whyte website it states stand over height at 805mm and I have since measured my current bike (59cm frame) at 810mm, but there was definitely a bigger difference than that. So I am now wondering the following things...
- Does the sloping top tube change on the stirling the stand over height measurement?
- Is stand over height relevant anyway? (I've read a few things since saying to just ignore it)
- If not how should I tell if it is big enough when it's got very different geometry to my hybrid, which is basically a flat bar road bike?
- I only test rode the stirling for about 20mins, should I try it again with the seat higher and go for a longer ride?
Thanks in advance for your views. I'm not in a huge rush to decide as I'm watching to see what cyclocross/roadbikes with bigger tyre clearances come out this summer.
ta
Andy
0
Comments
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"should I try it again with the seat higher"
Yes, absolutely. As long as the seatpost isn't over extended, past the minimum insertion line, then put it up to the correct height.
Standover is irrelevant. It may be too small, it may not. But the very least you can do is put the seat at the right height and try again.0
