Building my first Riv (Roadini).

[Andrew So]

I posted a long post here on IG but the Roadini's be a work-in-progress for almost half a year now.  https://www.instagram.com/p/DJh4_-MBaAya1wn_GyYcBPanEw_3S9w0G9N13E0/

I have a feeling I'm not going to enjoy the reach on the Noodle bar.  Mostly, I'm thinking about switching to a Crust Towel Rack and was wondering if anyone tried using it. The stem is already set to the highest, so I may have to switch to a Tallux stem.

[Jason Fuller]

IG post is not visible without being a follower, but I'll say the Noodle does require a shorter stem than typical for me - I use a 5cm Tallux on my Hillborne, I'd probably use a 6cm on a Roadini in my size - it's a pretty long bike!  In my opinion this is better than running a shorter reach bar with longer stem because it gives you more fore-aft real estate for your hands to migrate as you vary your output / effort.  Unless you need to go shorter than 5cm I would suggest keeping the Noodle in play! 

I used to have a Towel Rack bar but it was the first generation, so quite different. I didn't like it. 

[Jason Fuller]

Also worth considering at the extreme end of the spectrum is the Nitto / Crust BJ stem. It has 25 or 30mm reach?  I have it on my Bombadil to make that frame work with Noodles for me (it's a 583mm ETT and i'm 5'8" with shorter arms).  I really like this setup. It might look weird at first but it rides well. I prefer a longer bike with a short stem for a couple reasons, namely reduced/eliminated toe overlap and also getting the front wheel further forward for 'underbiking' over roots and such.  Its quill is not as long as the Tallux, but longer than the regular Technomic by a decent margin. 

[Patrick Moore]

I’d guess that another benefit of a minimum-extension stem is that it makes steering less affected by heavier front loads, esp on higher trail bikes. Is this true?

Speaking of no-extension stems, I recall my frustration (and doubtless there were millions of others) with the rod-brake roadster with handlebar on top of quill and tiny top top tube (despite the ~69* angles): there was no way to stretch out except by contorting yourself: chin on stem bolt, arms folded praying-mantis style so you could grip the bar adjacent to the stem. Holding the grips, your hands would just about hit your knees. Weird design, for one that has probably outsold any other by a magnitude of 8. Pennyfarthing holdover, I think.

On Mon, May 12, 2025 at 5:38 PM Jason Fuller <jtf.f...@gmail.com> wrote:

Also worth considering at the extreme end of the spectrum is the Nitto / Crust BJ stem. It has 25 or 30mm reach?  I have it on my Bombadil to make that frame work with Noodles for me (it's a 583mm ETT and i'm 5'8" with shorter arms).  I really like this setup. It might look weird at first but it rides well. I prefer a longer bike with a short stem for a couple reasons, namely reduced/eliminated toe overlap and also getting the front wheel further forward for 'underbiking' over roots and such.  Its quill is not as long as the Tallux, but longer than the regular Technomic by a decent margin. 

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Patrick Moore

Alburquerque, Nuevo Mexico, Etats Unis d'Amerique, Orbis Terrarum

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