Old 04-14-22, 07:10 AM
  #24  
Charles Wahl
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I would not obsess about stand-over height. I am 180 cm tall and have routinely ridden bikes with 62 and 63 cm frames (measured center of BB to top of top tube) for decades. Like you, I like a somewhat longer-than-normal saddle to pedal setup. As long as you can mount and dismount the bike, you (and the family jewels) will be fine. I've crashed on such frames without the height being a problem. You just need to learn to tilt the bike a bit for a static mount and dismount. I have no problem with one-legged stops, and routinely rest my buttock on the top tube. YMMV. That frame looks like maybe a 61 cm tall one, possibly 62, but I doubt it's 63. OTOH, a shorter frame will feel stiffer, within reason. If you have a long torso and shorter legs (the reverse of my case) then you might be happier with a 59 cm top tube rather than 57. French and Italian bikes, plus some American ones like Serotta, often have longer top tubes, while English ones tend to cluster around 57 cm.

What you may think carefully about is that you are (from your description) what is termed a "Clydesdale", in cycling argot. You may, if possible, look for a steel frame with somewhat heavier tubing, like Columbus SP or Reynolds 531 Tourist (if I remember that correctly). I don't know that much about Tange Prestige. Some Japanese manufacturers did triple-butted tubing for awhile in the '80s, but I don't think they really marketed tubesets intended for the heavier end of the spectrum.

Unfortunately, the best solution would be to find a complete bike that you could test-ride before buying, rather than buying a frame and finding that you're dissatisfied with it after building up. You might also consider some of the "oversize tubing" frames from late '80s and '90s -- inherently stiffer to have larger-diameter sections, though many of these are aluminum.
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