What stem length you run depends on where you want the bars to end up. If you've never ridden a bicycle with drop bars, or have never felt like you have had a drop bar bike fit you well, then maybe get a fitting. If you have a bike that you think fits, and want to figure out what stem length you will need to get a Noodle bar into a similar spot on a new Rivendell, then it's mostly a matter of comparing numbers on a geometry chart or from measurements of your own. You mention the Gallop, which is a bicycle designed NOT to run drop bars. One can do it, but it'll need to be an unusually long-torso person plus a stubby stem.
Generally speaking, there was a time when "everybody" ran a 10cm stem. There have been times when undersized frames and long stems were kind of fashionable. The Lovely Bicycle quote is very odd, particularly for implying that men will look at your stem length and judge you for it. That's just gross. So, what problem are you actually trying to solve? Are you shopping for a bike? Do you have a bike? Do you think you have a bike that fits? I'm sure you can get good advice, based on the context. As-stated your question reads like: "What is the best size for shoes to work with wool socks?" It depends! Bill Lindsay El Cerrito, CA On Sunday, March 9, 2025 at 5:56:58 PM UTC-7 jkel...@gmail.com wrote: > Rivbike has a stem comparison page > <https://www.rivbike.com/pages/nitto-stem-comparison> that starts, *"We > get asked a lot (once a week or so) how much higher this stem can put the > bars compared to that stem."* Height? Great, but I'm looking for guidance > on stem reach, specifically with the Nitto Noodle. The copy for the new > Charlie > H. Gallop frame <https://www.rivbike.com/products/frame-charlie-gallop> > says, *"they’re good with drops and stubby (5cm to 6cm) stems, too. [...] > Personally, most of us here who ride drops at all, now ride them with > stubby stems."* But I'm curious how much that is specific to the Gallop > vs. standard guidance for stem reach with drop bars. Looking at Blue Lug > builds with the Noodle > <https://bluelug.com/bike-catalog/?post_type=post&s=nitto-mod177-noodle-bar-silver>, > > they list the stem type but usually don't specify the reach. (But most > don't look very stubby to me.) And, for good measure, I also found a Lovely > Bicycle post > <https://lovelybike.blogspot.com/2016/10/its-not-length-of-your-stem-its-what.html> > > where she says, *"For most male cyclists I know, a stem length of > 110-130mm seems to be the desirable range, with anything shorter considered > suboptimal, if not outright weird,"* and she bucks the trend by going > with a 8cm stem reach, albeit not with a Noodle. > > What say you? I know 'preferred' reach will vary by bike and rider and > will be impacted by head tube angle and stem height and and and... but... *Is > there a reach that generally works well for most bikes and most riders with > the Noodle? *Thank you > -- 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 rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/e73e278f-655b-443c-a13a-703469c55312n%40googlegroups.com.
