Originally Posted by
mazdaspeed
Maybe it really is possible for someone my height to fit on a 53cm road bike...
no, not really. what you're probably not noticing is the difference in top tube lengths between the larger and smaller bikes. as you gain more experience it will become more obvious to you as to what works and what doesn't work. there is a general range of position that is correct for you that should be the same of similar on any bike you ride. there will be differences depending on the type of riding, for example you would generally want a shorter and taller reach to the bars on a touring bike and a longer, lower setup for the bar to saddle relationship for racing. but your saddle to pedal relationship should be the same (within a cm or two for fore and aft position of the saddle). if you took three different size bikes and set them all up correctly for you the saddle to pedals and handlebars should be the same on all three bikes. that means the small bike will need a really long stem with a positive rise (and/or a lot of steerer tube above the head tube) while the largest bike will need a shorter stem and less stack height to achieve the same position.