Standover height

smurkej

Hi all,

So I bought a Cannondale CAAD8 a couple of weeks ago in a size 56, I'm 5ft 10.5" and have a 30.5" leg (so short legs and a long torso I think that means) and I have barely no standover height clearance over the top tube at all... infact there's no space, just my boys sitting on the bar - although I am flat footed and comfortable - there's just no space between it.

Anyway I just felt after a couple of rides that the bike felt too big - so I took it back yesterday and got a quick free bike fit where the saddle was brought forward and the handle bars raised - I could see myself on the screen whilst pedalling and she did some measurements and said it all looks ok and the geometry was fine... she said the 56 is the right frame for me, and after the tweaks she made it does feel much better and more comfortable... before the handlebars were lower and the brakes felt too far away for me to get a good grip on so I felt as though I was stretching.

Thing is I totally forgot to ask her about the standover height - in the Cannondale manual I got with the bike it says if there's no clearance the bike is too big and you must not ride it, but three people at two LBS have now said the 54 is too small and the 56 is the right frame and not batted an eye lid when I stood over the 56...

My arms are also locked pretty much straight when on the hoods, but she didn't say anything about this and when I was pedalling on the turbo in the bike fit she said everything looked fine, and I felt comfortable enough - but I thought you were supposed to have a slight bend at the elbows?

So do I need a completely different bike altogether or should I be ok on it?

fenix

Standover height isnt really an issue on a road bike. How often are you sitting on the top tube ?

If it was a MTB bike youd want some space to stop injuries - but on a road bike - you're on the saddle.

simon_masterson

As long as standover isn't so high that your feet can't touch the ground, it's fine. It's not a very useful measurement beyond that.

There isn't a single answer when it comes to bike fitting. It sounds to me like you have been fitted with a higher position in mind - many would go for a smaller frame and a longer stem, but that gives a much bigger front drop, which you may not want.

keef66

Sounds like you might be between sizes, in which case the usual advice is to choose the smaller frame and fit a setback seatpost / longer stem. Did they ever try you on a 54?

Hard to ever get properly comfy on a bike that's a bit too big for you.

You should have a slight bend at the elbow when on the hoods. Locked elbows suggests you're over reaching

Ben6899

keef66 wrote:

Sounds like you might be between sizes, in which case the usual advice is to choose the smaller frame and fit a setback seatpost / longer stem. Did they ever try you on a 54?

Hard to ever get properly comfy on a bike that's a bit too big for you.

You should have a slight bend at the elbow when on the hoods. Locked elbows suggests you're over reaching

Or not rotating your pelvis [sufficiently]. A CAAD8 has quite an aggressive geometry, which will "stretch out" the rider. However, if your proportions are weighted to your torso, you should be fine with this.

Standover height is a red herring; it's not something I have ever assessed on any of my bikes. I am 5'11.5" (only an inch taller than you), but with opposite proportions (bike fitters are always surprised how much seatpost I need to show) and I would ride a 56cm CAAD8, looking at the geometry chart.

keef66

@ Ben; I'm the same as you, longer legs / short torso, but in a smaller 5'6" package. 72cm from BB to top of saddle.
When they fitted me for my Racelight Tk because it has a relatively long top tube I felt overstretched on a 54 even with a short stem.
So they ordered in a 51 which is a perfect reach, but I need so much seatpost out that they had to flip the stem to reduce the saddle to bar drop (I'm no spring chicken)

When I bought a CR1 the shorter top tube meant I could get the same position on a 54 with an inline post and normal stem

kajjal

A simple guide for stand over height is whatever you feel comfortable with. If you are continually concerned about lack of standover height you won't feel as confident on the bike.