Back in the day, top tubes were universally parallel to the ground (from head tube all the way back to the seat tube). The stand over height was easy to measure.

But with the advent of "compact frame geometry" (curse it to the hell where it so richly deserves to be), things are no longer so clear. Different manufacturers, so far as I can tell, measure standover in a variety of ways. This means that one brand's "56cm" frame has 32.5 inches of standover height, while the next brand's "60cm" frame has exactly the same. In other words, there is absolutely NO way for the consumer to tell from the specs whether or not ANY %^$^)(*&^%*&$#$%*&^(! compact frame will fit or not.

If you buy a frame that you can safely stand over where the top tube meets the seat post, you're in for painful surprises if you have to dismount close to where the top tube meets the head tube. Further, having a slanted top tube makes it nearly impossible to accurately measure the distance from the seat post to the head tube...

Now that I've finished my rant, allow me to ask pertinent questions:

1. How & where is the standover height supposed to be measured for a compact frame?
2. How does one assess CF top tube length without a jig and bubble level?

As to relying on manufacturer's specifications, I've found them to be not only unreliable, but also to have no consistent match between manufacturers. Unless I can learn to discern what the specs mean, I'll never, ever even consider another compact frame.