Originally Posted by akansaskid
So, what would be the effect on feel/handling with such a short stem reach?
I have the same problem as you, and have tried shorter stems. On one bike it really affected the handling, on another it did not. Spend 30 bucks on a cheap shorter stem and try it; it may work fine.
Originally Posted by akansaskid
Do long-legged people with short torsos buy a smaller size to match their reach? And if so how are they raising the bars to match the high seat? Or are they buying a larger frame and using shorter stem reaches?
A common solution is to buy a so-called "relaxed" or "comfort" geometry bike. These have a longer head tube length compared to the top tube than would be usual for a more "aggressive" geometry. This gives you the reach you need but brings the bars higher as you require. I personally think this is a better solution than using short stems, particularly if you have to go below 90mm.