Originally Posted by Niles H.
The length and rise of the stems make a lot of difference.
You would feel much better on smaller sizes. I'm 5'10" and a 19" bike is a bit too big. I have one that I have ridden a lot, and I prefer 18" or 17" bikes. I've even tried smaller bikes. They are more fun to ride. Next time, I might go smaller -- 16" or equivalent. A lot of pros will ride small frames, and compensate with longer stems, more seatpost showing, etc.
I also like the 17".
If I were you, I would be trying smaller frames. You'll be happier. John Kerry's Serotta is way small, and he's got plenty of money to spend. He's also tried other sizes, and has good fitting advice.... (There are probably some pictures still on the web.) He's far from the only one who has chosen compact frames.
You might be interested in the REI Safari. There are a lot of good reviews on the web, including on this site. People like them.
The Sherpa is a good bike, too.
There are many others. If you search around the forums on this site, you'll find a lot of discussions of bikes that might interest you.
Having ridden little bikes and hated it, I'm strongly in the bigger is better camp. There are some serious fitting comprimises involved in riding unusually small bikes.
Discussing how bike racers fit their bikes in the context of fitting touring bikes is not helpful as the goals and riders are very different. If you like going small, that's fine but it's far from a universal experience, especially in touring bikes.