Bike standover question.?

Question

I am only 5 foot one woman , it is incredibly hard to find a bike for me since my legs are soo small ! I have a longer torso / short legs. I bought a womans 44cm framed bike recently but been researching and found out that the standover should be 1" - 2.5" between crotch and top bar of road bike. I dont have any clearance but I feel comfortable riding it as my leg is not locked straight when pedal is closest to ground (at lowest point) when cycling. It fits otherwise apart from the clearance standover issue. Is this a problem? Is the bike too big ? or will I be fine with the bike?

Answer 1

If you do not get sore back, legs etc then it sounds like a good fit. It is difficult to advise on anything better, by all means try a smaller frame but don't change your bike if you are sure you are happy. Like most things in life the range is limited to what manufacturers deem "standard sizes" and anything else is possible but might be complicated.

Answer 2

I think the "women's" frame geometry lends itself toward the proportionally longer legs of the typical woman.  With your proportions, you might have been better off with a men's bike.  If you purchased this at an LBS, I would like to believe the salesperson would have recognized this.

Regardless, I think you're fine.  Road bikes don't demand ample standover clearance. If you can safely mount and dismount the bike and straddle its top tube while at a stop, there's not much to worry about.  You don't ride a bike with your feet on the ground.

Answer 3

best thing to do is to get one of these:

http://api.ning.com/files/6XIS0ZSazZak72...

Answer 4

It could be a problem if you have to make a sudden stop and get off the pedals.  I presume your seatpost is all the way down?  If that is the case, then the frame is too big and you should look for another if you can.   If you are comfortable with the bike, you still can ride it; just beware of the zero clearance when getting off and on the bike, etc.