This is something I'm a bit confused about. Since my main concern is getting them up to the level of the seat, I would think that if I just got a longer stem that brought them up higher, I'd also want it to have a somewhat longer reach since the bars would already be getting closer to me. How does it work with the adjustable stems, since the only way to get it higher is also to bring it closer? Or is the maximum height of the stem also higher than what is currently on my bike? Also, once you have the height/reach where you want it on an adjustable stem, how do you translate that into the correct height/length of stem on a non-adjustable one?

The answers to your question, in order are:

1. I don't know, but I think you have to make educated guesses.
2. Yes, usually, but there are fixed stems that are very tall.
3. Measure on two axes.

It actually is possible to do this scientifically. You could find a shop that does FIT sessions. I think they're about $150, and they spend an hour or more with you. They put your bike on a trainer and observe. And they put you on a special stationary bike whose every dimension is adjustable. But it's probably premature to do that, since you haven't ridden your current bike much yet.

And remember, your tastes and needs change over time, further complicating matters.

I recently got lucky. I bought a bike to add to my embarrassingly large collection. It wasn't a big purchase or decision, since it was underpriced on craigslist. It felt odd at first, and after a while, I realized this bike fits me better than any other bike I own. I plan to duplicate the dimensions on my other bikes. On this one bike, I could sit on it all day, practically living on it.

If you want experience with Brooks for women, I'm sure Velouria over at Lovely Bicycle can sort you out. I think she has several.

M.

My take on the stem height/reach issue is that as you sit more upright you are pivoting at the hips. So your shoulders are going up AND back. When I was fitting my bikes I always needed less reach as I raised the stem.

Coincident to that is as I sat more upright I found it more comfortable to move the seat back a bit. That also required less reach on the stem.

In all this I assume constant seat to pedal distance as that is the first adjustment I make. Some later tweaking of that dimension may be needed but only in fractions of an inch.

The Soma Build - amazing!
 

I've been following your thread. Long ago I had a Gitane Mixte....it was a great bike. Somehow through kids it was getting old and I got rid of it...there were other priorities. NOW, I'm looking into what I want for my retirement years. The mixte frame is so nice. Then I saw the link to the Soma that was built. Here is another post about it.... it has good information and observations. I think it would be fun to build a bike! :) Best wishes!

Lovely Bicycle!: Soma's Fab in 650B! A Test Ride of the Buena Vista Mixte

I found this thread: Another 650B conversion, this time a new Soma mixte (pic warning!) - Bike Forums, and the related post on lovelybicycle. This sounds like exactly what I'd been looking for.

Old thread I know, but these guys seem to have some pretty good buys? Thanks for the post. :)