Originally Posted by Kontact

Lemond's recommendation works great - if you have average proportions. Your friends torso is 3" longer than yours, but I'm willing to bet that he isn't using a stem 7cm longer than you are. Most people with his proportions would be better off on a frame that has a little less standover but a reasonable amount of reach. And he has the reach of someone closer to 6'3". That's why the best compromise is to spread the problem between seat tube and top tube rather than take someone with a 6'3" person's torso and put them on a bike with a 5'8" persons reach.