I feel your pain--I, too, have a short torso and longish legs for my height. I would prefer to have drops on my Homer as well, but I felt stretched out on a Nitto 60mm Faceplater + Ritchey Venturemax Classic combo. Analog Cycles sells a threadless stem with tall stack and short extension called the Discord Chromo Peeper.
https://analogcycles.com/products/discord-chromo-peeper A threaded to threadless adapter plus some short reach bars like the Ritchey Corralitos might work better, but since the bars are black, I'll have to strip the anodizing from the exposed surface around the clamp area. Haven't tried that combo yet because that stem is pretty expensive. In the meantime, I'm using a swept-back bar setup which is ok, but I keep thinking I'd prefer to be on drops. On Saturday, November 15, 2025 at 12:19:58 PM UTC-8 [email protected] wrote: > [image: IMG_7074.jpeg] > Here's the bike with the 80mm VO stem and Butano bars on my shakedown ride > in lovely Switzerland. Temp seatpost and saddle. > On Saturday, November 15, 2025 at 9:09:01 PM UTC+1 Taylor Kurosaki wrote: > >> Thank you all for the answers so far. I'm definitely interested how >> shallow seat-tube angles have impacted fitting to your drop bar Rivs. I had >> not thought of those Fairweather bars. Definitely more compact than the >> Noodles and great if you want to stick with the Rivendell-common 25.4mm >> clamp. My plan is to have two cockpits ready to go- drops and Albastache. >> I'm going to stick with the Ritchey Butano bars- they are quite shallow >> with short ramps, a fairly traditional-looking radius, and some nice ergo >> tops, and a bit of flare which I like. I have been running the Velo-Orange >> 31.8mm quill stem in the shortest size it comes in- 80mm, but I just bought >> the Crust x Nitto UI stem which is also 31.8 and 60mm long. This shorter >> stem should allow me to slide my saddle back where it seems Riv wants you >> to have it and maybe drop the bars down just a bit so they don't look so >> ungainly high. I've got some really sweet Campy Chorus 10-speed ergopower >> brifters mated to my 8-speed Shimano Acera RD and cassette. For my >> Albastache setup I'll run the Shimano BL400 levers and Silver bar-ends. >> Speaking of the Albastache, has anyone found a better brake lever to run >> with them than the Shimanos? I'm looking for maximum leverage and I think >> the longer the brake lever blades, the better for the Albastache. I've >> heard mixed reports about the TRP RRL levers and Albastaches, I can see why >> folks swap the right and left levers for better ergonomics seeing as the >> levers aren't straight. >> >> When all is said and done, I'm going to have some nice, barely mounted >> components this group might be interested in. Let me know if any of these >> strike your fancy: >> >> Nitto Mod 177 Noodle Bar: 42cm >> 80mm Velo-Orange Quill Stem with Removable Faceplate 31.8mm clamp >> 90mm Velo-Orange Quill Stem with Removable Faceplate 31.8mm clamp >> Ritchey Classic Venturemax Handlebar (Silver) 42cm >> Ergon SR Allroad Pro Men's Saddle S/M (has nice silver Ti rails) >> Nitto FW30 Power Stem Black 25.4mm clamp 120mm >> Nitto FW30 Power Stem Silver 25.4mm clamp 90mm >> >> On Saturday, November 15, 2025 at 1:33:09 PM UTC+1 [email protected] >> wrote: >> >>> These are great bars for anyone looking for something *Noodlesque* but >>> with less reach and drop >>> >>> https://global.bluelug.com/fairweather-m174aa-all-road-bar-silver.html >>> >>> Currently sold out but restocked at least once a year in my experience. >>> >>> >>> >>> On Saturday, November 15, 2025 at 4:50:04 AM UTC+2 [email protected] >>> wrote: >>> >>>> I run bars that are basically scaled up albatross bars that give me two >>>> good full hand positions on the straight section. I don’t require drops >>>> these days but the second hand position allows me to stretch out when I >>>> need to. I note that many Riv riders ride setback posts even though seat >>>> tube angles are generally quite slack. I assume this is due to the fact >>>> that many riders are on Brooks saddles which generally put the sit bones >>>> ahead of where they would be on other saddles. I’d go with a zero setback >>>> post. As far as bars go, if you want to dial your setup, I’d go a little >>>> farther afield and look at some of the Ritchey offerings like the Beacon >>>> Bar. It’s not as old school as Nitto’s offerings, but there is a bar out >>>> there that will be perfect for your needs. >>>> >>>> -- >>>> Sent from Canary <https://canarymail.io> >>>> >>>> On Friday, Nov 14, 2025 at 12:21 PM, Taylor Kurosaki < >>>> [email protected]> wrote: >>>> >>>> Hi all, >>>> >>>> >>>> I wanted to share my setup discoveries/challenges with my 2024 58cm >>>> Homer Hilsen—partly because I think I learned about Riv geometry >>>> philosophy, and partly because I’d love to hear how others here figured >>>> out >>>> their setups. Maybe some of this will resonate. >>>> >>>> >>>> ⸻ >>>> >>>> >>>> *Why I Bought the Homer* >>>> >>>> >>>> I’ve always wanted a Riv that leaned toward the lively, road-ish side >>>> rather than the heavy-touring side. Something comfortable, spirited, >>>> fast-enough, and “classic road bike but friendlier.” The Homer seemed like >>>> the one. I went with the Homer over a Roadini for extra tire clearance and >>>> for stack/reach numbers- a 58cm Homer looked like a better fit. I thought >>>> I >>>> was right in between a 57cm and 61cm Roadini. >>>> >>>> >>>> ⸻ >>>> >>>> >>>> *How It Arrived (Used)* >>>> >>>> >>>> I bought my Homer used through the Riv Facebook Buy/Sell group. It came >>>> with: >>>> >>>> • Albastache bars >>>> >>>> • Silver bar-end shifters >>>> >>>> • A short quill stem >>>> >>>> • A setback seatpost >>>> >>>> • A Brooks B17 >>>> >>>> >>>> Honestly, I assumed this was just a temporary setup. My plan was: enjoy >>>> it for a bit, then swap to drop bars and make it my comfortable all-day >>>> drop-bar Riv. >>>> >>>> >>>> ⸻ >>>> >>>> >>>> *Surprise: The Albastache Felt… Great* >>>> >>>> >>>> To my surprise, the Albastache setup felt immediately comfortable. >>>> Multiple hand positions, easy out-of-saddle climbing, stable handling, an >>>> aero-ish on the hoods position—just a great overall feel. I didn’t expect >>>> it. I wasn’t super confident descending with the Albastache, but it was a >>>> new type of bar for me. >>>> >>>> >>>> But I still had this idea in my head that the Homer “should” be my >>>> drop-bar bike. So I kept going. >>>> >>>> >>>> ⸻ >>>> >>>> >>>> *My Proportions Complicate Things* >>>> >>>> >>>> I have *long legs and a short torso*, which has always made drop-bar >>>> setups tricky. I usually need: >>>> >>>> • higher bars >>>> >>>> • shorter reach >>>> >>>> • more upright torso angle >>>> >>>> >>>> But I also want the bike to *look* proportionally right. (I imagine >>>> many of you understand that tension.) >>>> >>>> >>>> ⸻ >>>> >>>> >>>> *Attempt 1: The Nitto Noodle (Because Riv Says It’s the Comfiest Drop >>>> Bar)* >>>> >>>> >>>> My first thought was: *If Riv says the Noodle is the most comfortable >>>> drop bar in the world, I should start there.* >>>> >>>> >>>> And immediately felt: >>>> >>>> • the reach was long >>>> >>>> • the drop was deep >>>> >>>> • the bar put me farther and lower than I expected >>>> >>>> • the whole bike suddenly felt stretched and aggressive >>>> >>>> >>>> I hadn’t ridden a classic-shape long-reach bar in years, and coming >>>> from Albastache, or the compact drops of my gravel bike, it was a shock. >>>> >>>> >>>> Even with a 50mm stem, it felt like too much bar for my body. >>>> >>>> >>>> ⸻ >>>> >>>> >>>> *Attempt 2: Modern Compact Drops + 31.8 Quill* >>>> >>>> >>>> Next I figured: >>>> >>>> *Maybe a more modern compact drop bar will fix things—shorter reach, >>>> shallower drop, smaller radius.* >>>> >>>> >>>> So I bought an 80mm Vélo-Orange 31.8 quill stem and installed compact >>>> drops (Ritchey Butanos in silver, but I could have used Salsa Cowchippers, >>>> Cowbells, or Ritchey Venturemax >>>> >>>> >>>> This helped some things. But new issues showed up. The reach still felt >>>> long even though the stack and reach numbers of the Homer are taller and >>>> shorter than my Black Mountain Cycles Monster Cross Disc. I swapped to a >>>> zero-offset seatpost- still felt long. I slammed the saddle all the way >>>> forward. The bike did not feel great this way and it looked like a kludge. >>>> Even the handling felt off. >>>> >>>> >>>> The fit was becoming a battle. >>>> >>>> >>>> ⸻ >>>> >>>> >>>> *The Real Problem: I Was Fighting the Geometry* >>>> >>>> >>>> What I realized (slowly) was that I was trying to set this bike up as >>>> if it had a much *steeper seat tube angle* and more “modern road” >>>> geometry. >>>> >>>> >>>> But the Homer’s seat tube angle is a shallow *71.5°*. My MCD is 72.5. >>>> >>>> • this pushes the saddle back >>>> >>>> • effective reach gets longer >>>> >>>> >>>> I was trying to override all of that with: >>>> >>>> • zero-offset post >>>> >>>> • shoving the saddle forward >>>> >>>> • short stem >>>> >>>> • compact drops >>>> >>>> >>>> It seemed none of those adjustments were harmonizing with what the >>>> frame wants to be. >>>> >>>> >>>> And the handling told me immediately every time I pushed in the wrong >>>> direction. >>>> >>>> >>>> ⸻ >>>> >>>> >>>> *The Epiphany* >>>> >>>> >>>> Once I let the saddle sit *where the geometry puts it*, >>>> >>>> and raised the bars enough to restore balance, over an inch higher >>>> where I had them, >>>> >>>> the bike started feeling like a Riv again—stable, calm, >>>> quick-but-relaxed. >>>> >>>> >>>> Which made me realize: >>>> >>>> >>>> *Stack and reach don’t tell the whole story on Rivs.* >>>> >>>> *Seat tube angle and saddle height can completely reshape the effective >>>> cockpit.* >>>> >>>> >>>> This was a big lesson for me. >>>> >>>> >>>> ⸻ >>>> >>>> >>>> *Where I Am Now* >>>> >>>> >>>> After looping through Albastache → Noodles → compact drops → >>>> experiments with stems, bar heights, and saddle positions… >>>> >>>> >>>> …I’m honestly thinking the Albastache setup might be the best fit for >>>> me and the Homer. >>>> >>>> >>>> It works with the geometry instead of against it. >>>> >>>> The handling feels right. >>>> >>>> The posture feels natural. >>>> >>>> And aesthetically it suits the frame better than raised compact drops. >>>> >>>> >>>> I may still experiment but I can feel myself gravitating back to where >>>> the bike began. >>>> >>>> >>>> ⸻ >>>> >>>> >>>> *What I’d Love to Hear From You* >>>> >>>> 1. Have you ever tried to make a Riv behave like a modern drop-bar >>>> bike? >>>> >>>> How did that go? >>>> >>>> 2. For those who run Noodles or other classic drop bars on Rivs: >>>> >>>> where do you put your bars (height, rotation, stem length) to make it >>>> work? How can such a long and deep bar be considered the comfiest? >>>> >>>> 3. Has anyone else discovered that slack STA made drops complicated? >>>> >>>> 4. And who here rides Albastache or moustache bars as their main >>>> cockpit on a Homer or other Riv? What do you love about it? >>>> >>>> >>>> I’d really appreciate hearing your stories, successes, failures, and >>>> the setups that ultimately worked for you. >>>> >>>> >>>> Thanks for reading — and thanks in advance for sharing your experience. >>>> >>>> >>>> —Taylor >>>> >>>> -- >>>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google >>>> Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. >>>> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send >>>> an email to [email protected]. >>>> To view this discussion visit >>>> https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/5071eebb-af42-4c49-9263-75b56b4e3535n%40googlegroups.com >>>> >>>> <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/5071eebb-af42-4c49-9263-75b56b4e3535n%40googlegroups.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> >>>> . >>>> >>>> -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. 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