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Deciding to keep my old bike, but a few things need to be improved. First off, I think that the reach from the seat to the handlebars is a little too stretched out, at least for the kind of riding I want to do, which is long trips at a leisurely and comfortable pace. I think this because I feel very far forward when I'm on the hoods or in the drops, like I would fall forward if I didn't hold myself up, and it's tiring to hold any part of the bars except the tops. I think this happened because the bike originally had flat bars and I replaced them with a drop bar I found in the garbage but kept the original stem which goes forward too much. Therefore I will buy a stem which goes forward less. So my question for the thread is, how do I exactly know HOW far my reach should be from the seat? Is there a way to determine the optimal length by measuring my limbs and torso, or should I just figure it out by feel? Is there even an objective answer to this question or can I just have it be however I want?
