Originally Posted by
RollCNY
OK, let's be hypothetical.
You have 3 riders of identical height.
One conforms to the expected body proportions. We'll call him Norm.
One has longer legs, and shorter torso. We'll call him Flo Mingo.
One has shorter legs and longer torso. We'll call him Chip Pantsy.
Spot on with Norm. Flo has two buddies, though, Spidey and Al Losaurus. Spidey has arms to match his legs, but Al's arms are like his torso. Spidey can often split the difference between fitting for his torso and his legs, because his arms make up the difference. He can reach farther forward and farther down. In fact, he can look downright silly on an endurance frame that otherwise fits him, sitting bolt upright with arms sticking out, like a bus driver. But Al is a true candidate for the endurance frame.
And then Chip has a buddy, Corgi. Long body, short appendages on both ends. Corgi's ideal fit might be a endurance frame small enough for him to straddle, with a long stem. His fit can be difficult.