Originally Posted by ginsoakedboy

These are the fit characteristics of frames designed for female riders, who are typically longer in the leg and shorter in the torso -- and thus are uncomfortably stretched forward on a frame designed for the prototypical male build. Men tend to be relatively long in the torso for their corresponding leg length, and hence when you put a woman on a man's bike that fits her inseam, the top tube is way too long for her upper body. As you note, the typical response of the bike industry (at least until Georgina Terry came along) has been to prescribe a short stem and/or saddles shoved forward on the rails. You may only truly find satisfaction on a well-designed custom frame. Short of that, you may have to live with the short stem solution or maybe look at a frame designed for a tall woman -- or go with a hybrid or mountain frame that is designed with that short cockpit length to achieve an upright riding position. (btw - I certainly mean no offense in making the comparison).