Originally Posted by
k_allison510
Thanks for the reply. I really like the Trek that I looked at today. It was a Marlin 29er Gary Fisher. And at $579, I thought it was a very nice bike for the money. The only problem with it was the only ones that they had were all 19" and that seemed big to me. Everything I have read says I need about 2" of clearance between the bar and me, and while I could straddle it flat footed, it was "close" to say the least. And of coarse the salesman said this was how his bike was and would be ok. He also said is would be July before they had anymore in.
Standover height is highly overated. I would throw that factor right out the window. Newer folks to the sport generally get wrapped up too much in standover. If you are going to look at only one measurement, focus on the effective top tube - this will determine the reach from saddle to bar, and is typically a pretty important measurement when it comes to comfort.
Best value, is going to come down to best fit. Demo the ones you are interested - take them to the trail if you can.