Originally Posted by
cyccommute
I strongly disagree. A bike that is too small has fit problems but most of those are minimal. A frame that is too large and has too tall a standover is a hazard to the rider. I have fought the fight of finding the proper size bike for my petite wife (5') for 40 years. She started out on a 27" Sears bike which means that she started out on a bike that was probably a 23" frame. That's my size (just short of 6'). To get off she had to hang from her right knee so that her foot could just hit the ground. She had to plan each stop so as not to fall off the bike when simply coming to a stop..
I disagree with that. I'm 5-10, with a 29" inseam. Riding a bike I can comfortably standover would require a substantial stem to fit my torso. Even my medium Novara scrapes the crotch, and I added a good 30mm to that stem to get it comfortable.
Standover is a good starting point for an average proportioned person, but it isn't an end all measurement for everyone. On a long riding day, I spend seconds a day standing over my bike, compared to hours on it. Learning to lean the bike slightly when stopping is as natural as learning to unclip, and honestly something I even still do even on my smaller framed bikes.