Originally Posted by Leisesturm

My personal preference is to have about as much nose up as you did in the first photo. I wouldn't expect to feel the effects of nose up in my lower back. If you have a 51cm top tube then an 80mm stem came OEM. I would think 100cm would induce some stretch in someone who characterizes their dimensions the way you do. Nose up is to keep you back in the saddle so you don't fall forward. Pulling forward means there is too much stretch in your setup regardless of how good it feels. IMO flat, not flat, isn't so much the issue. Where you sit should be more or less level. Where you sit should be the widest part of the saddle. How well does your setup do at passing the casual fit tests that have become established over time? Yes, I mean the silly ones like 'elbow at the saddle nose'. That saddle does look high and if it ain't, then the bike is too small.