A little measurement help from 60 cm Platypus owners, please.

[LeRoy]

First the preamble:

I am the very satisfied owner of a 59 cm Clem Smith Jr. H bike. I am also at the very low end of the recommended PBH for that model (86 cm). And, I am a senior rider who finds himself gradually shrinking and losing agility at a similar rate. As a result, it is becoming increasingly awkward (sometimes spelled clumsy) to mount and dismount.

Possible solutions:

I'm thinking that one of the following bikes might help resolve my mount/demount challenge: a 60 cm Platypus, a YelloWolleY of similar size, or a 59 cm Clem Smith Jr. L. To be honest, I'm not keen on the Clem L solution due to age-associated stereotypes of being seen on a girls bike. Sorry, born this way.

The ask:

In order to help make a decision, I'd like to determine whether a step-over configuration (Platypus or YelloWolleY) would be workable. I already know that the Clem step-through frame would work. Since I'm not aware of a 60 cm Platypus in my vicinity, what would be very helpful is to know the height off the ground of the Platypus top tube at three points:

  1).  Where it begins at the head tube

  2).  Where it meets the seat tube

  3).  At a point in the middle, between the high and low points.

Alternative:

If there is an agreeable owner of a 60 cm Platypus in Southeast Michigan, I would be more than happy to travel some distance to see if the step-over frame solves my mount/dismount difficulties.

Thanks in advance for any assistance (and any personal experiences) that owners are able to provide.

LeRoy in Rochester, Michigan

[Bicycle Belle Ding Ding!]

Hi LeRoy,

I do not have 60 cm Platypus measurements for you, but I did notice that your PBH allows you to ride a 55 cm, Platypus, and I have 2 of those. Furthermore, I live in SW Michigan, and if you were willing to drive a bit, you could test ride one of mine. I did ride a 60 cm Cheviot once, and I’ll tell you - it’s a big bike. If you are looking to more easily mount/dismount, the smaller size will be better for you. You can ride either the 55 or the 60; I’d choose to size down. I, in fact, have done so and also own a 50 cm Platypus. It feels great. 

Leah

[Joe Bernard]

LeRoy, 

I'm an older guy, too, and share your increased need for an easier way to mount a bicycle. I owned the Platypus predecessor, Cheviot, then had a custom designed around a similar "step-over" dropped toptube; as much as I tried I was never able to get comfortable using that feature, half the time I kicked the frame stepping through, ended up mostly mounting it like a diamond frame bike. Now I have a Clem L and it's the way to go for me: easy step through, tons of space over the frame at stops, every time I ride it on road or trail I think every other frame style isn't worth my trouble (I do still own one step-over and one diamond frame though). 

I hear you about the girl's bike stereotype, I struggled with it, too. But this never seemed to translate to other parts of the world and now half the bikes I see on the road are step-throughs ridden by everybody, the youngsters just see them as bikes so I got on with it. 

In conclusion: Check out a Platy if you can but I suspect it will be less step-throughish than you imagine, I think you should try a Clem L, too. 

Joe "really likes that pretty curve in the Clem L frame" Bernard 

Clearlake CA 

[Christopher Johnston]

Hi LeRoy

Popped out and measured my Platy.

 1).  Where it begins at the head tube 895mm

  2).  Where it meets the seat tube 560mm

  3).  At a point in the middle, between the high and low points. 730mm - roughly above the top of a bidon in its cage.

These are ground - centre of tt, bike is on 40mm tyres currently.

Cheers mate

CJ

[LeRoy]

    Thank you for the thoughtful replies. This helped bring me to (or back me into) what will likely be the best solution in both the short and long term -- even if it wasn't the solution I had convinced myself would be best. In summary, it looks like there will be another Clem in my future. At some point soon I'll be swapping a 59 cm H for a 59 cm L. Thanks again for the help...

    I appreciate Leah's willingness to make her Platypus fleet available for a trial fit and evaluation. While it proved unnecessary, it also proved what an outgoing and helpful group we enjoy on this forum.

   Joe put the decision on rational footing by vouching for the Clem L in favor of a Platypus-like Riv. As much as I wanted to believe that a step-over frame would be workable, reality bites when it suggests that what's really needed is a step-through solution. Buying the wrong bike would be a costly and dissatisfying experience.

    Finally, Christopher provided dimensions that allowed me to mock up the Platypus top tube position on my 59 cm Clem H. A bit of tape and reasonably accurate positioning was sufficiently convincing that I had to face reality. I'll be going for what works as opposed to what was more appealing to my taste.

    The next message you'll hear from me is likely to be an "In Search Of" posting seeking a 59 cm Clem L -- preferably the dark orange from the 2025 batch of Clems. This, of course, will be followed by a "For Sale (or Trade)" posting that will put my trusty and trusted 59 cm Clem H on the market.

LeRoy in Rochester, MI

[Leah Peterson]

20 year old kids LOVE a Clem L. LeRoy is gonna be one of the cool kids! (Pictured: my 20 year old college kid on his much-beausage 59 cm Clem L.)

On Jun 25, 2026, at 7:54 PM, LeRoy <bobsh...@gmail.com> wrote:

    Thank you for the thoughtful replies. This helped bring me to (or back me into) what will likely be the best solution in both the short and long term -- even if it wasn't the solution I had convinced myself would be best. In summary, it looks like there will be another Clem in my future. At some point soon I'll be swapping a 59 cm H for a 59 cm L. Thanks again for the help...

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to a topic in the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group.
To unsubscribe from this topic, visit https://groups.google.com/d/topic/rbw-owners-bunch/2M0IYr0jrcM/unsubscribe.
To unsubscribe from this group and all its topics, send an email to rbw-owners-bun...@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/d6b4d22e-4360-4340-a5d4-4987689750abn%40googlegroups.com.