I must be built funny.

[Biciclista]

what emily said

the fact is, most bikes are not made to fit most women well.

[ultraviolet]

Without information about what your proportions are, I don't think anyone can give you any advice or ideas.

For example: I seem to be a difficult fit because I have proportionally short legs and long torso, which most people would call lucky because that's what "unisex" frames are designed for, BUT...I have short arms, tiny hands and low-ish flexibility. In the end, what I've found is that I need a taller headtube than what's found on many road bikes, and I invariably end up having to put a short/shallow bar on most of my bikes along with short reach, or reach adjustable, brifters/levers. The stock road bike geometries that work best for me are LeMond (now defunct), Gary Fisher, Specialized Roubaix, and the Cervelo RS. I can make others work--my "race" bike is a BMC but I've left plenty of steerer on the fork and use a stem with a good bit of rise, and I have a couple of older steel bikes that I need to use taller stems on as well--but that's the short list of the bikes that are closest to "ideal" for me.

[emily_in_nc]

I'm wondering if since you're tall you didn't try WSD frames? Many folks think they are only for us shorties, but that's not true. They are made for folks with long legs and short torsos, no matter what their height -- or gender, actually; it's just that women are more likely to have this body proportion.

[indysteel]

Out of curiosity, what knee issue do you think you might have with the
Dolce? How would you otherwise describe your proportions?

[OakLeaf]

I'm also wondering what the issue with your knees might be.

It's true that only the smallest complete bikes come with cranks shorter than 170mm, but that's a crank swap, not a frame issue (and it's a swap I had to do on my 50cm C'dale).

If you're having trouble finding a frame with a short enough TT, but seat-wise you can fit on a larger frame, consider just buying a smaller frame and an uncut fork. Then you can set the handlebars and seat where you want them in relation to each other. Not the most inexpensive thing in the world but a whole lot cheaper than a custom frame!

If you're more specific about your proportions I bet there's someone here who can suggest a frame for you.

[Owlie]

Muirenn, I'm a hair shorter than you (5'6-3/4"), and I have the same problem you do. I need a pretty short top tube, and even some WSD bikes are too long.
My Giant is a 50cm/M, but they run big, by the looks of it--and the Avail's geometry isn't terribly different from the Defy.

My knees weren't terribly happy with the test rides, but that may well simply be because the seatpost was adjusted to "eh, close enough" and I have crappy knee ligaments. If it were properly adjusted (ie, when I'm actually serious about buying), it might well be a different story. It felt good otherwise (even better than the Treks), so I'm still keeping it on my "list"

I did in fact try out a Quest Femme (lovely bike), but I'd need a 54, and that's something that the shop doesn't stock and wouldn't until I'm serious about buying. I had the same problem with trying out a Cannondale.

[indysteel]

In looking at the geometry of the bikes you're looking at and comparing them (in the sizes the shops have had you try) to your Giant Avail, I'm sort of perplexed. The Giant's ETT is 540, which does seem a bit long to me for a 50 cm bike. But the Trek Lexa in both the 54 and 56 have the same or even longer top tubes than that, and the ETT of the Specialized Dolce in a 54 is only a few millimeters shorter than your Avail.

If you're too stretched out on a bike with a 540 ETT, then logic suggests to me that you should try smaller frames than the ones you've tested thus far.
Of course, it bears stating that there's more to fit than just reach. You should also keep a close eye on each bike's seat tube angle, because that may ultimately impact your reach and/or whether you can get your knees where the need to be in relation to your pedals.

If it were me, I'd seek out a shop that knows something about fit and does more than merely eye ball you. I'm not sure what's available in your area, but once you're back in Cincy--if you aren't already--you might consider a visit to Nebo Ridge on the north side of Indy. It truly might be worth your while to work with a decent fitter, and Nebo has one.