oldbobcat

With the longer seatpost on the 50 you'd get the leg reach you need, plus some, but the saddle would be 2-4 cm higher than the handlebar with the stem in its highest position, flipped to +7 degree rise with 4-4.5 cm of compression cone plus spacers above the head tube. Unless you're predisposed to riding with a low handlebar, your options are pretty limited by the 50's lack of stack. On the 50, you are pegged to its maximum height.

The 52 gives you 1.6 cm more stack and a lot more seatpost, at expense of 3 mm more reach, which can still be adjusted with a shorter stem. This is flexibility that allows you to adjust your fit.

The gotcha about getting a bike with a steeper seat tube for a shorter top tube is that you end up sliding the saddle back to get properly oriented over the cranks, anyway. Right back where you started. But by all means try other bikes. I like Scott, too.

My fit situation is a little similar to yours. While my overall height says I should be on a 56, my leg length would require swapping the seat mast, and it would be pretty much at its maximum height. So I ordered the 58, which has only 4 mm more reach and has longer cranks that are better suited to my leg length, and use a shorter stem.

Lira

The thing is, I still don't know what would be my most comfortable position on the bike, it might be that a low handlebar is ideal. I just don't know and it makes me worried to commit to one choice of size. I also don't know what my ideal reach would be.
Luckily I will be able to try a Lexa next week, it's a size 47 though but at least it will give me a better idea of how it looks like and with the information you provided it might be easier to finally decide the right size. I've only talked with the owner of the shop on phone but I'm hoping that on this shop they will be more interested in taking the right measurements and get me the right size.
I was even considering going to Spain to get my bike, I found out they have huge Trek only stores with lots of models and sizes available. So in the end I still have that option, but I hope I don't need to go so far to get a bike

I'll try Dim suggestion as well just to see if Trek will reply. I've tried getting a size suggestion on their live chat but they told me to go to a store and that I would get professional help there.

Thanks a lot for all you guys suggestions in this thread so far
I'll take note of them and the measurements from the seatpost etc. and take them with me next week and that will surely make me more confident in what are the essential points I should be looking at.
When I tried the 1.2 size 47 I didn't really payed attention to any of that, I was unable to see my position on the bike and only rode it in the store entrance for 10-20 meters because it was dark and raining so, far from an ideal situation. I'll make sure this time someone takes a picture of me on the bike so I can see my position, I won't trust just the salesman's opinion even if he seems like he is doing a good job.

Fandangus

Good luck Lira, I hope all works well, I am the other end of the height range.... almost, at 6' 4" and went from MTB to flat bar road (genuine road not hybrid) frame and then to carbon road and found the carbon road a stretch at first, same brand very similar geometry, however a few tweaks (flipping stems) and I have realized that this is my body that has adapted to one style and set up so things are not "out of the box" perfect, all are set with saddle 100mm above bar flats approx, some really good advice here and you will tweak things as you go along and as your body positions adapt, I still have all 4 of my bikes, including a 1984 Peugeot road bike, everyone of them reminds me that they are different in how my body feels when I first set out, however I love them for all of my own bodies imperfections and now its 53 can get set in its ways.... love what you buy, buy as close to perfect as you can and tweak you and the bike, its surprising how we adapt, possibly faster than that shorter stem or lower saddle, but please take all the good advice above
,

Lira

Thank you

I will surely take them. Everyone here as helped a lot so far! I was feeling really confused and frustrated with the whole situation but now I have a clear idea of what I should be looking for. And I certainly want to love my new bike that's why I'm so determined on getting one that fits and won't give me too much trouble in the future. I guess in the end it's just what we all want... to just ride our bikes with no worries

tangerineowl

Lira,

Some other bike suggestions would be:
1. Jamis Xenith Endura Femme models,
2. 2015 Eddy Merckx EFX-1,
3. 2016 Eddy Merckx Montreal 74 (alloy frame),
4. 2015 or 2016 Eddy Merckx Milano 72.

Those are all women's specific frames; carbon and alloy.

Comparing the stack and reach of the Trek Lexa or Silque, to those:-
'47' Trek: stack 525, reach 364
1. '48': stack 535, reach 367
2. 'small': stack 523, reach 353
2. 'medium': stack 546, reach 360
3. 'small': stack 545, reach 364
4. 'xs': stack 533, reach 358
4. 's': stack 555, reach 364

As you can see from the above stack and reach numbers, the Eddy Merckx bikes have a shorter reach and higher stack proportion, compared to Trek (and pretty much any women's production frames on the market).
These frames are very suited to long legs/short torso riders.

Lira

Thank you for the suggestions. I checked their website, really good looking bikes. I had never heard about them though, and I'm really surprised there is one store in my country that actually sells them. Indeed the geometry seems like it's made for people like me, unfortunately the prices are way out of my budget
I guess they are overpriced here because there is only one store selling them. It's a shame I can't consider this brand because I really can't afford one, the Montreal 74 with Tiagra groupset is 400 euros more expensive than the Trek Lexa SL!

tangerineowl

Lira,

If you can track down a Scott Contessa Solace, it might be worth a close look.

Checking the geometry charts, this model has a slightly shorter reach, but around a 15mm higher stack, across the smaller sizes when compared to the Trek bikes.
The Contessa Solace also lists the stem length.
Although the seat angle is half a degree taller than the Trek's.

Hope you can find a good shop (even if in Spain!). Will look forward to hearing about which bike you get in the end.

Lira

I have been trying to find a Scott too. When I first started loooking at bikes scott was on my list. Unfortunately I couldn't find a store with any in stock even though I called a few to ask. One of the biggests shops told me they would get a test bike but it has been more than 2 weeks and they haven't called back yet. Same thing with cannondale.

tangerineowl

Coluer Invicta? (Portugese brand).
Looks like their endurance model (they don't make women's specific frames though).
I couldn't find any geometry charts on their website or downloads.
They do a '47' frame size.

BH Quartz (Spanish brand)
'47' is reach 365, stack 540

Lira

I've finally got to test a Trek women's bike! It was not a Lexa as I was told, it was a Silque S on size 50, but from the geometry charts on Trek's site they are just the same except the top tube is higher on the Silque due to it's curved shape.

I really enjoyed riding it for a bit, the difference from the 1.2 Trek I tried was massive, it really surprised me how my position changed. I felt confident and comfortable in it, instead of being a little scared like in the 1.2.
So I made my mind finally, and I'm going for the size 50.

I tried the saddle at the right height for me and there was still some room for adjustments if I wished to do so, and the handlebar was not at the highest position either, there was still around a centimeter to go. Even if I need a longer seat post it wont be by much and there is definitely room for adjustment. I wonder if the person that took my inseam measure as 79 cm did it right... anyway, nothing beats trying the bikes in the end and I'm so glad I went into the trouble of trying to find one. Now I can order my bike and not be worried all the time about the size

I found one problem, it was to be expected though, my hands are definitely too small. I could not reach the levers from the drops, they adjusted the handlebars a bit but it didn't really help. I know there are some ways to solve this so it wont put me off from buying a bike, just need to find a solution for this!

I want to thank everyone who helped me here. I took all your advice into consideration yesterday. I had someone filming me so I could see my position as I changed saddle height, handlebar position etc and the angles seem good and I really felt comfortable. In the end the bike made me smile because I finally felt like I can really get on a road bike and be confident and feel safe as I feel on my mountain bike, this was my biggest fear from the beginning.

Thank you so much guys I'll keep this updated until I get my bike.

oldbobcat

Congratulations on getting your Silque.

11-speed 105 control levers have a reach adjustment screw under the rubber hoods. It takes either a small flathead screwdriver or a 3mm allen key. Clockwise brings them in closer. The cables may need to be loosened. Be sure to stretch the top of the hood all the way back over the lever after you're done. Bring this to the attention of your dealer.

Lira

Sorry I might have explained it wrong, I'm not getting a Silque, it's still a Lexa. I wish I could get the silque, it was a pretty cool bike however I can't afford it.
I believe the new Tiagra has that same lever adjustment system as the 105 group so it should make it easier to adjust them to my hands.
I'll surely keep that tip in mind, they might not be used to adjust levers to small hands and forget to do it. Thanks

TiHabanero

Good to hear you have found a bike that satisfies your needs. Ride safely.

Lira

Hello everyone!
I finally got my new bike
I want to thank everyone who took their time to help me and share their ideas here. I've learned a few things that were important to make the right choice.
I ended up going to Spain to buy my bike, stores here weren't sure if the bike would be available and also it was a lot more expensive too. So I traveled 320 Km just to get my bike but it was all worthy it! They were really professional and nice on the store, and also they took the time to adjust the bike to me and if after a while I find out I might need a different stem size they will send me one for free as it's their policy to deliver bikes to their costumers that fit them. No store here in Portugal even mention that to me so I think in the end I made the best choice.
Anyway, it's a size 50 and it really feels comfortable so far. I still have to go out for a ride though, but I think that with some minor adjustments there will be no problem to make the bike fit me like a glove.
Here's a picture of it.
I really love it, can't wait to go climb big mountains now

Carbonfiberboy 

Nice! And you have them there to climb, too. Nice bars, nice gears. Nice setup.

tangerineowl

Well done.

oldbobcat

Very nice.

TiHabanero

Good to hear you found a dealer that was willing and able to get you positioned on the bike as you needed. Looks good, and you have several centimeters to go up when needed. Nicely done.

Edit: It looks like the seat is tilted down in the front. If so, why?

Lira

Hi everyone!
Thanks for all your comments
I took a small test ride yesterday and overall it was fun. I still have a bit of trouble with my small hands and the brakes and at the end my hands really hurt, it really seemed fine in the shop and even when I rode it for a bit around my house, but on a real long descent it was really hard to control the brakes. I'll change the handlebar configuration a bit and see if it helps!

Yea it does look like that @TiHabanero however the problem is the picture, the ground is not leveled and it makes it look tilted but in reality its not I'll check that too to make sure it's really leveled though.

Aubergine 

Looks good, Lira!