The bike is the large size with a 59cm effective top tube length and a 90mm stem. I am 6' tall. All the Piolets that I've seen have that big stack of spacers under the stem. It's just the way it's built with a short non-suspension corrected fork and low top tube. It can be viewed as a design compromise but it has no ill effects on the handling and there are two advantages. One is that the front will ride a little better with the long steerer tube. The other is maintaining the handlebar to seat relationship when running a larger front tire, for instance, a 29x3 (PLUS size) on the front and a 29x2.4 on the rear. The 29x3 stands about 2" taller than the 2.4.