Originally Posted by mdarnton

For my first good bike in 1870 the shop had me put my forearm with extended fingers between the saddle tip and the back of the bars and declared it a perfect fit. Five foot eleven at the time, I have the torso length of a small woman and long legs and arms and was horribly stretched out on that bike. I had that bike for years and was miserable. Moved down to my tiny wife's bike, with a really long seat post, 25 years later and it was much better.