Fit question: shorter stem or shorter reach bars?
 

Hi,

Have a bike that feels a smidge (~15mm) too long, now. Current set up is a 100mm Nitto quill and Nitto Noodle bars.

What are the adv/disadvantages to going with:
(i) shorter quill stem (e.g. 90mm)
or
(ii) modern short reach bar (i.e. Soma Highway=75mm reach vs. Noodle=95mm reach)?

edit: 55cm top tube

Stems are far easier to replace and you won't have to get used to a different shaped bar.

or first you could try
 

moving your saddle up a smidgen and see how that feels.

I was actually feeling a bit uncomfortable as I was riding the new Domane today. And I wondered which thing needed a tweak. Got off the bike, moved the saddle back a couple of mm's and felt as if I might have found a sweeter spot.

definitely shorter reach bars.

Definitely don't scoot your saddle forward and definitely a shorter stem AND shorter bars (HWY1 bars are awesome).

I've always felt that the Nitto Noodle is, well, alotta bar in every direction. If you like to have the option for that amount of hand/torso movement you should try a shorter stem first.

I once went from a Noodle to a Highway One on a bike and the difference was night and day in terms of fit.

15mm appears to be a quite a bit of change, not itty bitty.

In addition to a shorter stem and shorter reach bars, you can also consider using narrower handlebars, or raising the handlebars.

The Noodle bars have a longer reach than modern short reach bars but there is a backwards bend on the tops, creating an effectively shorter reach. This creates more room behind the brake levers for your hands.

the nice big flat ramp behind the hods on noodles is really nice. I would go shorter stem, shorter reach bars feel funny compared to noodles

Looking Pro
 

Short stems don't look pro.
Compact bars look totally pro.
It's all about style.
Drew

Try them both. :beer:

The Noodles are deceiving in that while they have a long reach, they also sweep back at the top (above the ramp). I would try to keep the stem long and go to a compact bar as others have suggested.

I like to run a shorter stem and longer reach bars, as this gives a greater differentiation between the resting, cruising, and hammering positions.

The comment above about the "Noodle" bar is spot on: there is just a bit of a backsweep to the tops, so the tops / flats position is a bit further back - by a cm or so - than a conventional bar.

I might be missing something, but if your stem is a quill, raising it slightly should have the effect of shortening your stem. Have you tried raising your stem?

Personally, I prefer short reach bars.

I would suggest trying one or the other. Doing both at the same time may make things worse.

The backward sweep of the Noodles is precisely the reason a compact bar with the same stem may not significantly decrease reach. In fact it would increase the reach to the flats by about 10mm, which is about the backward sweep. With a bar with 10mm less reach, the reach to the hoods would be unchanged. So to decrease the reach with a compact bar you may still need a shorter stem. Additionally, you would have a restricted range of hand positions. I would definitely go with shorter stem if you like the Noodles. The bike does not know the difference; that is, the handling of the bike for a given reach is not dependent on short stem/long reach bar vs long stem/short reach bar.

Another complication is that the flats on the Noodles also drop down significantly. So to get the same height with other bars, the stem will need to be lowered, thus further increasing the reach.