Relaxed geometry carbon fiber bike for wife?

Question

I can't afford to spend the $3000 to $5500 it will take to get a new carbon fiber relaxed geometry bike such as the Specialized Ruby or the Trek Madone. So, I am looking at places like ebay for practically new bikes. The problem, of course, is the FIT of the bike. My wife is 5'4" and has relatively short legs with a ground to crotch distance of 29". It is no problem to look on the various bike manufacturers web sites to find the "stand over" height of any bike. My question is, though, exactly what is "standover height" on a relaxed geometry road bike? With the top bar so aggressively slanted, is the standover height the height of the bar at its center where the rider would actually stand or is it the height to where the top bar meets the head tube? Or is it where the top bar meets the seat post tube? This is critical to know if I am going to be able to make sure my wife will have the clearance she needs when standing over the bike. Any help would be appreciated.

Answer 1

1st, relaxed geometry doesn't have anything to do with a sloped top tube frame. It refers to slack head and seat tube angles which offers more comfort and stability.

As for sloping top tube bikes, stand-over is not always measured the same. You must know how the seller has measured it. On EBay for example, simply write the sell your questions, being exact in your wording. I did when I bought there.

I'm sure you know that stand-over is only one of several aspects to getting a good fitting bike. Great deals can be had buying used if you know what your buying.

Good luck.

Answer 2

Your best bet is take her to a bike shop and have her fitted, forget about the cost of the bike, the fit is the most important.  The stand over height is only one of the criteria of a proper fit.