Originally Posted by
thirdgenbird
I agree that it is a red flag but may be correct.
My wife is 5'8" and runs an 80mm stem with a 55cm top tube. If we dropped to a better fitting 53-54cm top tube the seat tube and head tube would be too short. As pictured the stem is all the way up. She is a prime candidate for a WSD frame (all legs) but wanted vintage steel:
http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/k...m/DSC01126.jpg
If she had a modern short/shallow bar on there, she would most likely need a 100mm stem and nobody would think anything was wrong with it. On the other hand, is she had modern Shimano STI levers, she would probably need an even shorter stem.
People often forget to account for differences in reach for various handlebar and brake hood designs.