Quote:
Originally Posted by OtayBW
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.
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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.