cormacf

Now that I live in te PNW, it's time to try Cross.

I think I'm going to buy a Cooper CX frame tomorrow, if i can come to a conclusion that works.

Here's the deal. I have short legs (30.5" pbh, 30" jeans inseam) with a long torso (5'9 to 5'10", so probably the torso of someone closer to 6'). With their high BBs, a lot cross bikes that should fit me have no clearance over the TT.

The Medium Cooper has a TT of 55cm, which sounds about right. But while the seat tube is only 52.6, the high BB gives it a standover that just brushes up against parts I'd rather keep away from titanium pipes.

If I size down to the Small, I get 2 extra cm of standover, but lose a cm of TT and 2cm of HT height (with a slight slackening).

Is any of that a big deal? I imagine I might need to stem out an extra cm, and maybe get a bit of setback on the seatpost.

RJM

I have the same problem. I have very little standover on my cross frame...it jams right up there but the reach is correct for me. The only time this bothers me is when i'm sitting in a parking lot waiting for a group ride to start and I'm chatting with people. It's a bit uncomfortable doing that, but I haven't found any issues riding the bike or even riding on cyclocross courses.

I would honestly go with the bike that is correctly sized for your reach and not think too much about standover height.

brianmcg123

If it was me, I would buy the bike that fits best when I was riding it. I don't ride with my feet on the ground.

cormacf

Thanks. I'm fairly snug on my roadie ( a little less, because it has 1.5cm more BB drop), but it hasn't been a problem. I just didn't know if cyclocross' mounts and dismounts in sloppy conditions would ever lead to accidental "tube-slams," for lack of a better word.

sarahbruce

Well you and me are twins cormacf! I have the same exact dimensions as you listed, and struggle with this same issue. I do not do any "cyclecrossing" however, so I am not sure what my advice is worth... Anywho, for any bike other than a road bike, I would get the smaller size. I just know that I would think about there being a clearance problem constantly while riding, even if there never was an occurrence. You can always make up a cm here or there with a longer stem, handlebars with more reach, a setback seatpost, or even a saddle that has longer rails for more adjustment. Just my opinion...
Bruce

justin1138

you'll probably sack yourself once or twice on the saddle with an over excited remount, but probably not ever on the top tube.

whatever you get, do it so and practice those mounts!

cross is coming!

jbell_64

I have the same exact issue. 5 ft 10 in and wear 30 in pants. I'm looking at gravel bikes though. You are not alone in the short legs and long torso category.

Cyclist0108

I'm of a very similar size. I got a custom gravel/cx frame made. Just recently I discovered the dimensions are almost identical to a stock size 54 Trek Domane frame.

cormacf

I hopped on a Specialized Sequoia Elite today. It was a teensy bit short in the top tube, but it fit and felt SO MUCH BETTER than a high BB bike. I even had clearance over the top tube, like a grown-up!