lungimsam

In the market for used Rivendell bikes.
I have been trying to find the proper fame size from geomotery charts for used Rivendell bikes.
Some of the standover heights for the frame that is supposed to be right for me are very high, leaving only a cm or less gap between the top tube and my pubic bone. Is that typical, and a normal SO height to have?
I just want to be sure I get a "family friendly" bike frame size in case I have sudden stops on the bike and need to stand on the ground quickly.

Machka 

Top tube length is more important than standover height. Get the right top tube length, and chances are, the standover height will be right too.

Retro Grouch 

You're at a fork in the road and you have to pick one or the other. That's the Rivendell fit. Most of what you read has to do with a racier fit. It's a whole different philosophy. My guess is that Rivendell will have a shorter top tube too.

FrenchFit 

For the type of riding you'll be doing I suspect you'll want the smaller of the two size options. As said earlier, standover is almost irrelevant; but you'll be happier with a compact bike it you are riding fairly upright.

fietsbob

Staying on road, typically 5cm is enough. [horizontal top tube].

As long as you don't put your foot down in a hole..
or down slope on an off camber section..

IthaDan 

A centimeter? That's a little too close for me. I'll ride comfortably with an inch (2.5cm) of clearance, but not that little. Are you wearing the shoes you'll be riding in?

Might want to go a size down and make up for it with a stem or longer reach bars.

fat_bike_nut

Having actually visited Rivendell HQ in Walnut Creek, CA, it's pretty much as Retro Crouch says. Rivendell sizing is really strange compared to more mainstream bike sizing. I was pretty surprised myself by the frame sizes I was given for test rides. See, I am about 5'9" and according to Rivendell measurements, I have a Pubic Bone Height of 84 cm (in bare feet...shoes add like 1-2cm of height).

My main bike is a 54cm Surly Long Haul Trucker. I find that around 54cm (52-53cm for cyclocross bikes and 56cm for others) seems to be the sweet spot for other "road-oriented" bikes as well (from companies like Trek, Specialized, etc.) with regards to the top tube length. My ideal top tube length is about 550mm if I'm using a 100mm threadless stem.

At Rivendell, I was given a 54cm Hunqapillar, 56cm Sam Hillborne, and 57cm and 59cm A. Homer Hilsens for test riding. I was told that the 57cm might be a little small for me, too (and they were right)! And you know what, the 59cm A. Homer Hilsen actually did feel more comfortable for me, even though the standover clearance was like 1 cm. When I inquired about the Rivendell Atlantis (which my Surly is supposedly a "knock-off" of), they told me that they would have put me on a 56cm Atlantis.

a1penguin

Standover is important if the bike is too tall and your bike feels like a thong. With sloped top tubes these days, there seems to be no such things as too much standover. The general wisdom if you are between sizes is to go with the smaller size. Geometry charts are useful to help determine which frame sizes to test ride.

Hairy Hands

Stand over height makes no difference in fit.. except maybe for a mountain bike or the stuff you ride is so steep that if you stop its impossible to get started again.. Ive been riding for 30 yrs and I have never jumped off my seat and landed flat footed straddling my bike. This feat would be especially hard with clip-less pedals. Normally you click one foot out and stop by leaning over with the other foot still clicked in.

What happens if you find your perfect straddle height with 23mm tires and then you decide to run 35's, 38's or 42's. That will blow your perfect straddle height out of the water.

Reach & saddle height to bar drop are the important measurements in bike fit. Rivendale and other such bikes usually have a taller head tube and shorter top tube to give a more upright riding position & and less saddle to bar drop.

lungimsam

That's the ticket...I measured my PBH in bare feet. The shoes will give me plenty mor clearance for SO height. I didn't hink of that. So, looks like the sizes I have been looking at will work out great, I hope.

fat_bike_nut

Glad to be of help. Even on my Surly Long Haul Trucker, I have a lot more clearance or a lot less depending on the type of shoe I'm wearing when I'm straddling the top tube.

lungimsam

also, I think Rivendell measures with fatter tires than I would use anyway.

ThermionicScott 

My main bike has exactly zero standover height.