If anyone comes up with a formula for this (I know that formulas are only
starting points) I'd like to hear it. I want a wider bar on my Matthews 1
for riding narrow ditchbank trails but as soon as I get on firm straight
surfaces I hate wide bars. Perhaps there's some perfect combination of stem
I, too, am interested in flaring out the drops in a noodle after seen Ronny
Romance do it on a video.
Thanks for all the insights everyone. I know I like the feel of 54cm for
hand position on my Choco bars, though they are a lot closer to me. I feel
just a little wobbly with 48cm Noodle bars
I'd be interested in seeing an example of the 54mm Noodle bar. I've been
considering them after breaking in my old MTB musculoskeletal system to be
more drop bar friendly using the older models of Crust Towel Racks starting
at the widest and now the most narrow. I'd still throw the Noodle in a
If you like the reach with 9cm stem, I would just swap out the 48's for the
54's.. not a huge difference in width (1 inch per side?). In fact, I just
made this exact switch about a month ago on my 65cm Homer and kept the same
stem with no ill effects. I think this 54 noodle bar strikes a
I'd be inclined to try the stem you have first IF you hadn't mentioned it
already feels a smidge long to you. In this case it's probably not worth
sliding your brand new bars through a stem you're very likely not going to
be happy with, then do it again. I'd get something 2cm shorter at least.
Well that's why riding a bike, let alone Life Itself, is by no means
theoretical . A change of bars, for example, is literally a fresh
perspective unlike any other. So is each and every "blink" of the
eye(I-nfinity). teeheehee
Each "blink" is "play". . . . and in "play" everything
It depends on how wide your shoulders are in relation to the bars. If your
arms are straight out, or angled out now (on the ramps or drops), then your
assumptions are probably correct. If your arms are angled in now, then
maybe you are good with your existing stem or maybe even need a longer
Personally, yes, I would expect to want a shorter stem with wider bars. I
would probably try it with the existing stem, but I'd anticipate going
shorter.
Which also makes me realize that, since I'm pretty sensitive to the impact
of stem length on handling, there's probably some setups where my
