Hey guys, I just joined and this is my first post.

I'm looking to buy a road bike to ride it around town when I need to make small errands: visits to my parents house, quick grocery strips, etc. I've never had a road bike, and I haven't had a bike in years! I want to try out a road bike this time, and I'm looking on Craigslist mostly.. I have a question regarding the standover height and road bike size.

I'm 6', but my inseam is only 32". I looked at a few different bike size charts, they have some variations on size recommendations. Anyway, this is not clear to me; should my inseam be greater than the standover height? Is it hazardous if my inseam is shorter? How about bike size? What do you guys think will be ideal for me (shorter legs, longer torso)? I have some back problems, so my doctor advised me to lower the seat as much as possible to keep my back straight, so I'm thinking reaching the pedals won't be a problem. I'm just not sure what a proper bike size is.

I'm looking at a Trek 1200 in CL, and its size is 60cm with standover height of 33.5". Any inputs are appreciated. It's hard to find decent used bikes (or I just don't look frequently enough?)! Thanks!

If you listen to your money hungry doctor's advice, you will develop knee problems with seat as low as it will go. You are suppose to have almost full extension of the legs with a very small bend in the knees. Trust me, you will not like cycling with the seat at it's lowest setting.

The height of the handlebars has more to do with keeping your back straight than lowering your seat. Ideally you should have 1" clearance from the top tube, but from experience you can get by with even less and sometimes even no clearance at all. I notice I can straddle bigger bikes by keeping one of my feet on the pedal and the other on the ground instead of both feet on the ground. Just make sure you can do this comfortably. The length of the top tube is more important in sizing as well as the length of the head tube especially in your case since it is this measurement along with your choice in stem that effect how high the handlebars could be set at.

So get the biggest bike you can safely saddle since bigger bikes will have longer headtubes.

They best way to find a bike that fits besides getting a professional fitting is to go out there and test ride various bikes. Different manufacturers size their bikes differently so don't make assumptions that one company's 60cm will fit like another ones. Test riding is paramount for correct fitting!!!

When you find a bike with a comfortable top tube but the handlebar is still too low for you. Still consider getting the bike. You can raise the handlebar A LOT with a stem called Nitto Technomic for threaded headsets(old style) or if you are getting a bike with the modern 1.125" headset, there's an adapter that will raise the height of the stem. a company name dimension makes it. It is called a stem riser.

I used to ride my dad's old bike, but got put off by the standover height, which was just a bit too tall. I had to have the seat all the way down to ride it, and couldn't stand with both feet on the ground. I'd still be riding it now if it wasn't for the danger of injuring myself if I fell off the saddle for any reason. I now use a bike with a step-through frame so such issues aren't a problem for me. I'd aim to have a standover height of less than your inseam, or equal to it as a maximum. If you don't mind wearing platform shoes, that's one option to get a bit of extra clearance

As 531phile said, if you want a more upright riding position, raise the handlebars. The saddle height depends on your leg length, from that you should adjust the handlebars to get the posture you want.

OK, so ideally there should be a clearance between me and the top tube, but it's not a deal breaker (monetarily and health-wise). I'll pay attention to the top and head tubes when I go check out used bikes. I found a Trek 1000 for 250 off CL. The seller doesn't seem to know the size, but I'm checking it out tomorrow.

Do you think it will be worth checking out a 60cm-sized road bike? It sounds like what you're saying implies that top and head tube sizes aren't fixed with the bike "size" given in centimeters. So a 60cm-bike might sound too big for me, but it might actually have the right top and head tubes I need?

Check out the 60cm. It is still within your size range.

Are you sure your inseam is 32 inches? Note that the way you measure your inseam for bike fitting is very different than how your tailor would measure it for a new pair of pants, and it's definitely not likely to be the same as the number on the tag of your Levis.

To measure your inseam for bike fitting purposes, stand with your back against a wall. Place a hard back book between your legs with the spine of the book up against your junk. Lift the book up firmly so that it's pressing against your crotch with about as much pressure as you'd feel sitting on the seat of a bike. Make sure the bottom or top of the book is square against the wall. Have a friend mark on the wall where the spine of the book is. Now measure from the floor to the mark.

Ideally you should be looking at bikes that have a standover height of about an inch less than the measurement you got above. You can get by with something a little higher if necessary, but an inch of clearance is nice.

Definitely don't lower the seat to set more upright as the Dr. suggested. That's very hard on your knees.

Look for bikes with sloping top tubes (sloping down from the headtube to the seattube. They can generally give you more standover clearance with a longer frame.

Definitely the best way to figure this out for sure is to head to your local bike shop and test ride a few bikes until you find one that works for you. Once you've found one, measure the standover ht, the length of the seat tube and the length of the top tube. Then pick out some inexpensive accesory to buy, so you compensate them at least a little for the time they've spent with you. Then go back to Craigslist armed with some useful data.

Good luck.

lake_tuna, I would say go to a local bike shop and try out some bikes and talk to them about fit. A good fit on the bike is mostly about the reach from the seat to the handlebars, but as 531phile said, you can adjust that reach by raising the handlebars.

I like Rivendell's information on bike sizing:

https://www.rivbike.com/article/bike_...izing_position
https://www.rivbike.com/article/bike_...g_a_frame_size

It gets a little technical, but it will really help you figure out what you are looking for.

Other than that, just ride them and make sure you are comfortable. And really really make sure you don't buy a bike that is too small...that will be bad for your handlebar position, and you'll just be all squished and uncomfortable.

If you have short legs and long torso then the sloping top tube or compact frame style is best. Giant TCR is the archetypal compact frame and there are plenty around. Usually compact style frames are designed for more generous stand-over clearance (4-6") but there are no hard and fast rules. Size it for length so you feel comfortable from saddle to bars.
If you want a bike for grocery getting, you may want some rear luggage rack eyelets.

Your cycling inseam is different from your pants inseam. I have a 32" pants inseam (5'11.5"), but I comfortably ride a 60cm traditional touring frame. When I straddle the bike, my naughty bits touch the top tube, but there is no pressure put on them. You only really need enough clearance to straddle the bike comfortably.

You should have some clearance but it varies to some degree or another. Like other posters mentioned you may want a second opinion on how to properly set up your bike. Your Doc's suggestion may help somewhat with back pain but may lead to knee pain.