1) I never understood why standing barefoot was the way to choose, since not many people ride a road bike barefoot. Of course, doing so does provide a margin for error in one direction.

2) I used to ride a 58 cm/23" bike, because (shoes + leg length) was greater than (pedal + crank + seat tube + seatpost + saddle). It's just that I came down on the top tube hard one day, and that hurt ...um... a lot. I switched to a 54 cm/21" bike, and I could actually straddle the top tube with 1-1.5" between me and the tube.

The maneuver that hurt on the 58 did no damage on the 54. Alas, with added weight and years, the gap between me and the top tube has shrunk, which come to think of it is another benefit of switching from toe clips/straps/road shoes to BMX platforms and Five-Tens (thicker soles)....