Women's bikes and hand size?

[K'Tesh]

My Mom rode her new bike for the first time yesterday. She really enjoyed it, however, she noticed that the brakes, and shifters, seemed a bit oversized. We pulled into Performance Bike, Tualatin, and Rachel there mentioned that she had a similar problem. We were in a bit of a time crunch, so we didn't have time to talk to the mechanic (shop was busy).

Mom is 5' about 100lbs, and the brake housing seemed perfectly sized... for me (5' 11").

Is this problem really that common? Any of you know of an aftermarket brake system with integrated shifters suitable for a petite woman's road bike?

Rubberside Down!
K'Tesh