I know we all know this, but the CPSC obsession with crotch-clearance and stand over height is just that, an obsession brought about by the need for some sort of simple, consumer-understandable, manufacturer-compliable number for a "correct" bike fit. The cascade effect was that bike manufacturers didn't want to get sued by consumers or fined by the government for frames that were "too big," so the made-up standard became a "rule." Of course in reality, anyone who has crashed knows you don't land two-feet-flat-on-the-ground, straddling the top tube over a bike with both wheels on the ground, and people who ride longer distances just don't put their feet down . . . . well, it is a legal reality but not an actual cycling reality. the rule has probably caused a lot of pain for riders--hands, back, elsewhere.

But for the average consumer, some sort of easy rule was necessary. I guess the shame is that the rule became reality.