I got a univega off cragislist for my commuter. It was in great shape and cheap, so I hopped on it. I took the bike for a test ride today and it feels pretty dang comfortable. The ONLY thing I dislike about the bike is the stand clearance for my junk, about half an inch. So I'm torn...

Part of me feels that the stand over is fine and will likely never be an issue. That I should be happy I lucked into this particular bike, quit worrying and have fun riding it.

The other part of me thinks half an inch is too little and how much it would suck to hit my gnads against the top tube. I should sell the bike and restart the search.

I Have a nishiki just like that, and its my favorite daily bike, just enjoy it man.

It's good. You're just used to riding that compact geometry plastic crap.

For what it's worth...My best fitting bike is tall enough it hit my pelvic bone if I try to stand flat footed over it. Bikes are made to ride....Not stand over. The last time I hit the boys on a top tube was when I was about 13.....on a BMX. I had a foot of standover on that. It's not really an issue on a road bike unless you're fixie freestylin'. My 2 cents....Enjoy the ride!

I agree 1/2" is fine. Some people consider the clearance from the pubic bone to the tube so then you're right on.

I myself just have graduated from a smaller frame to one that slightly massages my parts when straddled . Fits great compared to the former which had a larger saddle to bar drop.

The trend these days is to fit the smallest possible frame, but if you get a wool jersey and a vintage campagnolo cap you can pull of the gigantic frame look for sure.

I have short legs so pretty much all my bikes do that. Even my "plastic" race bike

I think that if you ride it awhile, you and your jewels will adapt to it, and you'll really like it. You learn to lean the bike a bit when you're at a stop, and if you come off the saddle in violent or awkward fashion, it really doesn't matter whether you have 1/2" or 3" of clearance to the top tube!

With the way my body is put together, bikes that are supposed to fit leave me leaning on and hanging over the bars with 10 inches of seatpost. Now most of my bikes are a slightly snug standover, and fit arm and leg length perfectly with a 100mm to 110 stem. Gimme a 60-61 with 3 inches of seatpost, and I'm happy.,,,,BD

I'm with Bikedued. I'm 5'6" on a good day. Every LBS thinks I should ride a 52-54.

I ride a 60x63 labeled '88 carbon frame 60% of the time, a couple of 58's, and the rest 56's.
I simply don't stand over the frame. If I'm straddling the bike, I'm either moving or waiting at a stoplight, one leg down, the other up on a raised pedal. I simply don't have time to "stand over."

If you like that bike, ride it like you stole it, and don't worry about it.

I got a great Peugeot off craigslist. Just today I took it out for the commute. It's slightly taller than I ordinarily ride, but it simply doesn't get stood over. It's very comfortable. I'd suggest you give it a fair try before getting rid of it.

Thanks for the advice everyone, decided to give it a go for a while. Installed the 700X28 Pasela tires I bought a while ago for the bike. But the diameter is too big(tall?), rear tire rubs on the bottom of the reflector tab.

oh yeah here's the bike

easy: lose that reflector. You can put a blinkie light on the seatstay, the saddle bag, your backpack or your helmet., all will work as well or better than that reflector...IMHO of course.

Ride it, man. My bike's technically a little tall for me. I can stand over it but there's not much clearance, and I've gotten into the habit of slightly tilting the bike when I do a kind of jump-stop so there's no danger. Anyways, it's nice because the seat is closer to the handlebar. I've found that it's slight bigness isn't a detriment.

I would but the reflector bracket is actually part of the brake assembly. I was going to take a dremel to the bottom of it. But the bottom of the caliper is pretty close to the tire too, about 1mm. So it might be easier just to get a new tire.

Yeah tilting the bike to dismount is what I did when I had my first road bike (don't laugh) (I fit correctly on a 58cm BTW)

That's a new one, but if you say so. I've never seen a reflector bracket that I couldn't remove. I have seen one other bike that had very tight tire clearance issues, but it was an early '90s Specialized, the owner liked the ride of 28s and learned to live with the tightness.

You will probably adapt if you ride it for a while. I found a vintage Zeus with a 56 X 56 frame. Age has shrunk me down to a bit over 5' 6". I'm still flexible and I can ride 51-54 cm frames with no problems, but after I overhauled the bike and added some new parts, I just had to try the finished product. There was only about 1/8" of top tube clearance and its longer stem put me into a more aero position but surprisingly, I quickly adjusted and found it quite comfortable even on long rides.

My oldest son is about 6' tall and had been riding a 59 cm Schwinn since college. Shortly after I fixed up the Zeus, his old bike was stolen. I talked him into trying the Zeus, but he was sure it would be to small. We found he only needed a taller seatpost. He loves the bike and is back to regular riding again. Don

I'm only 5'8 and have been riding a Nishiki that is way way too large for me. It's at least a 60 if not bigger. I have to do the same exact thing. Either I pull off a trackstand or have one foot grounded and other foot on a raised pedal. No way I can stand over it even tippey toed.

Ricebowl, 1/2 inch clearance sounds good to me and it seems you're head over heels with the bike so keep it

"I'm only 5'8 and have been riding a Nishiki that is way way too large for me. It's at least a 60 if not bigger."


"There was only about 1/8" of top tube clearance and its longer stem put me into a more aero position but surprisingly, I quickly adjusted and found it quite comfortable even on long rides."

"Ride it, man. My bike's technically a little tall for me. I can stand over it but there's not much clearance, and I've gotten into the habit of slightly tilting the bike when I do a kind of jump-stop so there's no danger."

"It's good. You're just used to riding that compact geometry plastic crap."

"My best fitting bike is tall enough it hit my pelvic bone if I try to stand flat footed over it. Bikes are made to ride....Not stand over."

"I myself just have graduated from a smaller frame to one that slightly massages my parts when straddled..."

"I think that if you ride it awhile, you and your jewels will adapt to it, and you'll really like it. You learn to lean the bike a bit when you're at a stop, and if you come off the saddle in violent or awkward fashion, it really doesn't matter whether you have 1/2" or 3" of clearance to the top tube!"

"I simply don't stand over the frame. If I'm straddling the bike, I'm either moving or waiting at a stoplight, one leg down, the other up on a raised pedal. I simply don't have time to "stand over."


See, it's nearly magnanimous, or something like that....NO problem.
And just think, the more bikes that fit, the more are eligible for your purchasing pleasure ....

Take a closer look. It should be just a bracket sandwiched in on the brake caliper bolt. Remove the rear nut for the brake caliper, and it'll come loose and be removable.

You have my "iron-clad double-your-money-back guarantee" on that.

I rode a bike for years with a 34 inch standover and I have a 30 inch inseam. I call that bike the nutcracker.

I have very short legs and a long torso. My current ride has about 1/8 inch clearance....

I'm in the short legs, long torso group too. I'm 5'5 with 27.5 inseam, I'd really like to try oen of them newfangled sloping tube frames. All my frames are traditional steel frames without sloping top tubes.

Remember, Standover height isn't as important as the effective top tube measurement so I guess that is why a lot of people feel fine riding a bicycle that is in theory too big for them. Standover height really does become an issue if you have jump off the bike everytime you stop for a light or sign. That would be just too tiresome for me to deal with. Also, remember that a properly fitted bicycle will yield the best handling bicycle for your money.

You guys were right, bossman and unworthy. At first it looked like the rear nut had a closed end but took a closer look and it's open.

I noticed your GI Joe in your avatar. A old friend of mine is a big fan of the GI Joe.

https://gijoeinformation.com/gallery/intro/aaa