Originally Posted by
kross57
Terry,
I am back home and was able to make a whole bunch of measurements. Some of the info I gave you earlier was wrong, but I was working from memory and that isn't the best. I measured both my Fuji and my Miyata which should have been similar, and they are. Here ya go:
Saddle top to ground (vertical) - Fuji 37", Miyata 37"
Handlebar top to ground, vertical - Fuji 37", Miyata 37"
Saddle top to crank spindle center - Fuji - 26", Miyata - 26"
Saddle nose to handlebar top center - Fuji - 19", Miyata - 18 1/2"
Top tube center of seat tube to center of head tube - Fuji 21", Miyata 21 1/4"
Bike Standover (not including 1/4"cable housing on top of top tube) Fuji - 29 1/4", Miyata - 29 1/2"
My standover to pubic bone - 30 1/2"
Top center of bars to center top of seat post Fuji - 24", Miyata - 23 1/2"
As far as standover, I have a gap of 1" to 1 1/4". If you consider that cable housing it shrinks to 3/4" to 1". I don't think any of these is excessive.
I know there is a discrepancy in the effective top tube length. I switch back and forth between these bikes daily and I am hoping to decide which I like better. So far, they're even.
I think one of the reasons you're getting unsatisfactory comments is that your bike photo isn't perfect. We like everything to be perfect, you know.
The photo isn't level and the bike slants a bit away from the camera, which distorts the bike's proportions. The other thing is that you have what might be called a French fit position. That position usually features a larger frame, which then has less exposed post and the bars much closer to the top of the head tube. With that much exposed threaded stem, the bars are pushed way back toward you, thus you want a longer stem. And thus the bike looks quite odd, not of the proportions we usually see.
It is a bit odd that you have so little standover and yet so much exposed post. Be that as it may, bars level with saddle are not unusual among long distance riders and riders who use the French fit. You could look at photos of pros riding in the 50s and 60s to see similar fits like this one from 1960 TdF:
See what I'm saying? With this fit, everyone mostly rode in the drops, the hoods being so uncomfortable. Thus the bars were set higher with that in mind, and thus the frames were larger to limit the exposed stem. It all worked together. I rode a '62 Legnano which looked very similar to this, complete with chrome and half-step gearing, except my freewheel was a good big larger. This is how the bars and levers are supposed to be set up with this vintage and fit.