new_rider said:
I might have asked before: who are some custom builders that can build a frame for under $1K?
I think HABANERO will cobble together a semi-custom frame for around $1000 ...
BUT, I think that you are too concerned with your bike's standover height.
Well into the 70s, the typical, total seat post length was only about 180mm. After you subtract the amount of the post which needs to be inserted, you can see that the typical seatpost exposure was less than on today's bikes which may still have horizontal top tubes. The current crop of bikes with sloping top tubes often have even more seat post exposure (or, equivalent if the frame has a mast) & a lower standover height.
The first bike which I was sold by a bike shop was a 60cm Gitane (I'm 5'9") & it had a 57cm top tube + 90mm stem. I didn't think it was too large ... I always rode with my hands on the drops ... it never occurred to me that leaning the bike was a problem when I stopped.
When I cobbled together a bike from parts, I chose a 57cm frame because it had the same length top tube as the Gitane's. I still leaned the bike when I stopped.
My favorite bike was a 52cm Peugeot (I just sold the frame this past Summer) ... the top tube was ~54.5cm long, and I used a 120mm stem to achieve approximately the same fit as with the frames which have 57cm top tubes.
N.B. Where and how you mount the brake levers AND the handlebars, themselves, will also affect the reach.
Regardless of the frame size, I set up my bikes so the distance from the back edge of the saddle (an arbitrary point from which to measure) to the rear of the hoods (another arbitrary point) is close to the same AFTER I have established the position of the saddle relative to the cranks.
Because my aesthetic sensibilities are different than they once were, my current preference is for a frame whose top tube is in the 54cm-to-55cm range and whose seat post has more exposure than it did 30+ years ago ... and, the only reason that I'm not riding the 57cm frame (a FUJI), is because I took it apart to touch up some of the scratches in the paint + to update the components but just never got back to re-assembling it.
My smallest frame has a 53cm top tube and a 130mm Cinelli quill stem to achieve the fore mentioned fit.