Originally Posted by
nycphotography
Personal opinion. a slightly too small frame is far and away a better option than a slightly too big frame.
A longer stem and set back seat post is a lot easier than the reverse.
I agree, but just to clarify a detail.
Most frames use the same angle seat tube for all frame sizes, except sometimes for the smallest. Since the seat post is simply an extension of the seat tube, the saddle position will be identical whether achieved with a long post on a short frame or with a short post on a tall frame.
Other than top tube height and stepover clearance (where it's a factor) the more significant effect of frame size is head tube height at the stem, and overall length if length is proportioned, which isn't always the case.
Folks get overly wrought about small differences in frame size, but for most people, just being in the right ballpark is all that matters, then they may decide based on the secondary considerations of head height and effective (horizontal) top tube length.
Using that theory, short leg/long torso people may do better with a frame size at the high end of the acceptable range, and long leg/ short torso folks the opposite.