[mastiff]

Hi,
I am looking to buy my first mountain bike. I am female, 5 ft, 98 lbs and have inseam of 27 inches (barefeet). I have test rode specialized, cannodale, trek and jamis. I have narrowed it down to Jamis dakota race/comp, specialized myka HT comp, cannondale F3- all woman's designs. I will be riding mostly smooth trails- packed and grass. I am concerned about the standover height of jamis and cannodale which leave maybe 1-3 inches of wiggle room Any advice? Would adjusting the air in the fork on the Jamis help?
Thanks
Carla

 

[AZ]

1 to 3 inches is entirely adequate IMHO . You might try posting this in the womens forum , possibly get more relavant answers over there .

 

[Ken in KC]

^^Agree^^

1 to 3 inches is entirely adequate IMHO . You might try posting this in the womens forum , possibly get more relavant answers over there .

The only thing I'd add is that standover hieght is the least important measurement of determining proper fit.

Ask the girls. They'll give you more qualified answers than the boys:

Womens Forum Link

 

[JPark]

As Ken and AZ said, 1-3" is fine for standover. ETT length(which basically determines distance between seat and handlebars) is far more inportant, and is a much better indicater of propper fit.
As far as your other question, no, adjusting the shock will not affect the un-loaded height of the bike.

 

[perttime]

Another vote for not worrying too much about standover.
Being a slightly short legged guy, I don't have much standover clearance. The "Ouch!" moments come only when I go over the bar on a too low trajectory ... and hit the rear of the stem.

Also, your description of your riding suggests that "unplanned dismounts" will not be too frequent.

 

[mastiff]

thanks so much for your help,
carla

 

[JimC.]

let me add...

you only need standover when (you guessed it) you are standing over the bike. This should be almost never. It does help when trying to remount the bike on an uphill slope, but one can also lean the bike over to get on and then start.

As all the rest have said, no worries. Just make sure the top tube length if right for you so that you feel right sitting on the saddle with your hands on the bars. That is the litmus test for perfect fit.

Good luck, Jim