Orbea Diva fit question

Hi...
I finally tracked down a 49 cm Diva this past weekend to test ride (thanks to this forum!) The "cockpit" felt just a little too long to me, though I loved everything else about the bike. I know it can be shortened somewhat with a smaller stem and spacer changes, but I went through that with my current bike and was never satisfied with the fit. Has anyone had any luck with this on the Diva?

The guy at the shop (Proteus) looked at me like I had 2 heads when I asked if the 46 would be a better option b/c his initial opinion was that the 49 was too small (but he looked very young and didn't have much of an understanding of 650 wheels, etc>.) so I think I need a more polished opinion. Does anyone have the 46? Did you try the 49 at all to compare? I'm thinking that if it's just a little smaller, it would be perfect but if it's a big difference, then I run the risk of it being too small.

Unfortunately, it seems that no shop stocks the 46 to test and I hate to order without riding first!!!

Thanks!
Traci

Not familiar with the sizing on this bike, but two comments.

1. It is expected that the stem will need to be changed to make a bike fit correctly, so I wouldn't rule out a stem change unless the stem already on there is very tiny. Does the shop have a more experienced fitter that could help you?

2. Sometimes I've had luck calling the company. While they may not know which shops have which bikes in stock, they will know what shops they shipped a particular bike to, so that may help you locate a 46 to compare.

Talk to Jill, the owner of Proteus. She won't sell you a bike that doesn't fit. The guys who work there are fine, but they aren't bike fitters. That's Jill's specialty.