Re: [CR] Generally you spend more time riding that standing over and question about seat tube angle

(Example: Humor)

In-Reply-To: <91C43ECFDDCD4662BF497BB878866564@UserPC>
References: <290850.58970.qm@web50401.mail.re2.yahoo.com>
Date: Tue, 16 Jun 2009 12:43:37 -0700
To: Howard Darr <hdarr@embarqmail.com>, 'john strizek' <lyonstrings@yahoo.com>, <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>
From: "Jan Heine" <heine94@earthlink.net>
Subject: Re: [CR] Generally you spend more time riding that standing over and question about seat tube angle


At 2:47 PM -0400 6/16/09, Howard Darr wrote:
>A bit ago there was a thread about the importance of top tube length. I
>wouldn't go so far as to say that it is more important than stand-over
>height BUT consider the following.
>Just be careful on the stops boys and girls!

I don't understand the preoccupation with standover clearance. Many of my bikes don't have it, yet I never noticed until somebody asked. I went to the basement, straddled one of my bikes, and indeed, the top tube dug into parts that are best left unexplored by top tubes. Yet I have ridden that bike for years, even off-pavement, with no problems.

When you stop, you are lucky to get one foot out of the pedals. Jumping off with both feet flat on the ground is a feat most of us are unable to perform. When you put one foot down, you incline the bike (lest you fall over to the other side!), and this lowers the top tube automatically.

I even raced cyclocross for years on a bike with marginal standover, but again, you don't dismount the bike by straddling it. (In fact, there is a lovely photo in Simon Burney's Cyclocross book, first edition, of a racer "trapped" straddling the top tube, after having _almost_ made it to the crest of a rise. There is nowhere to go when you straddle the top tube... The caption says something like "Not the way to dismount a bike.")

One exception is the front of tandems. If you like to have the stoker get on first, and then start, you need to straddle the top tube to balance the bike.

If you want a design issue that can kill you, pick toe overlap... but not standover clearance.

As Howard pointed out, if you want "correct" standover clearance, it is very difficult to size a bike that will be comfortable to ride for long distances without riser stems or sloping top tubes.

Jan Heine
Editor
Bicycle Quarterly
140 Lakeside Ave #C
Seattle WA 98122
http://www.vintagebicyclepress.com