Well, I went back to the bike shop today. I still like the reach on the 13", but it seems a bit small otherwise - the bike shop guy and I are both concerned that the seat is cranked up almost as high as it can safely go. He's going to get the same bike in a 15" for me to try over the weekend. He said we can try different handlebars/stems to shorten up the reach on the 15" if necessary.

Glad to hear the experiences of other folks on little bikes! I looked at the Jamis Dakar on line - pretty! Enjoy!

Emily, my feet are anything but small, I'm afraid. I saw the water bottle space issue, but a camelbak would be fine.

At least I feel like I'm making progress, although I'm starting to think my body is one size on top and another size on the bottom in bikes (as in everything else - why this should be such a surprise . . . )