Mountain Bike Standover Clearance

Most mountain bikes focus on an extremely low standover height so the traditional method of standing over the bike flat footed doesn t really work either.

Mountain bike standover clearance.

Standover height can be a bit tricky to calculate depending on the shape of the frame. When you lift a mountain bike you want 2 minimum clearance between the tires and the ground. This is why mountain bike manufacturers use small medium large sizing and give their own size recommendations based roughly on your height. As with adult bikes first check the standover height.

Just like your pants inseam off the ground increases with platform shoes your bike s standover height will increase if you add bigger tires. That s why you usually won t see standover height listed on frame specs when components aren t specified. Standover height refers to how tall the bike is in relation to your inseam and the clearance in between. Bike frame standover height.

Okay now onto bike fitting. The bike s actual standover height is the the middle of the top tube. Modern frames are designed with more generous standover clearance 3 6 more than plenty so the critical dimension becomes length effective virtual top tube if you have long legs short torso then standover becomes irrelevant. Any bike short enough for your upper body is easily low enough for your legs.

Whatever the top tube style look for about 2 4 of clearance. There you ve got a frame that should fit pretty close. Thought it s not used as frequently as it once was to size bikes standover height can still be an indicator of whether or not a bike fits you. First make sure you can straddle your bike with your feet flat on the floor.

They should be able to sit comfortably see around them easily and grip the handlebars with a slight bend in their elbows. Our guide to mountain bike sizing will help you find the correct sized mountain bike for you while our tips on fit will ensure your bike fits as it should. Most kids bikes are designed so they ride in a more upright position. And swapping out for 27 5 tires seems to be a popular change mountain bike modification.