Quote Originally Posted by elk View Post
can accomodate short legs and longer torsos?

I keep finding that the bikes that fit my top, don't fit my legs....as I posted in another thread....I went to look at the Jamis Aurora and the 47 was too small and the 50 too tall...even with the seat tube down almost all the way......
My Specialized I got in a 53, but we had to switch out the seat posts so I could get one that went low enough. And this is a step through.
( I probably ride a little higher than I did 2 months ago...but I want some standover height!)
I'm a bit confused. Are you saying the bikes are too tall for you because you cannot stand over the top tube when standing over the bike without the tube mashing your crotch?- or are you saying they are too tall for you because you want a certain amount of standover height? Exactly how did you decide the 50 was too tall?
Are you by any chance trying to get a bike that will allow you to balance both your toes on the ground while you are still in the saddle? That is what I am hearing between the lines. Is that what you mean when you say: "we had to switch out the seat posts so I could get one that went low enough, and this is a step through" ?? My question is: low enough for what?

I'm just guessing here-
Elk, if a road bike fits your reach well and has adequate standover space (1-2" space between your crotch and the top tube) and you are trying to lower the seat on it enough to keep your toes touching the ground when you come to a stop and stay in the saddle, then that is not the right way to fit a road bike and you will likely not have adequate length for your legs to extend between your seat and your pedal. If you put your saddle too far down like that for a feeling of security when stopping at lights, then your legs are not going to be able to straighten enough as you pedal, which will lead to knee pain. Plus, most road bikes are not designed to be able to adjust this way.
How was the 50cm bike "too tall"?
When seated on the saddle of a road bike, you should not be able to touch either foot to the ground at all unless you really slant the bike way to one side, or get off the saddle and stand over the bike top tube.

When I first discovered this on my new road bike (after having started riding on a friend's too-small hybrid) I felt freaked out and scary, balanced way up in the air like that. It felt I was on one of those 1800's highwheeler bikes teetering in space! I whined about it, and we set my saddle an inch and a half or so too low so I could slowly get used to this odd giraffe feeling. But once I rode for a few weeks, it began to feel normal. A few more weeks, and it felt I was too low, so we started raising it. That continued until my saddle was the "right" height for my legs to be at optimal extension while pedaling- any higher and I'd start rocking my hips. Any lower and I get sore knees. The right height feels good now!

Perhaps I am jumping to the wrong conclusions anyway here- correct me if I am!