Bars Q from new Homer owner

[Maeve Gately]

Hey everybody, 

New NYC Homer owner here! Long story short, I got my first Riv (a Roadini) last April secondhand in Philly, and wiped out on some streetcar tracks same day, broke my wrist, and was out of commission with surgery/PT for the next 6 months! Needed a reset so sold that bike and just got a Homer last weekend.

I want to swap out the noodle bars for Albatross, but not sure if I need a new stem? Or how to tell? See below and sorry for the basic Q. Would love to meet some NYC riders if there's ever a meetup!

Maeve

[Maeve Gately]

[ChuckB]

If those drops with that stem are working well for you, you'll probably want a longer stem with the swept back Albatross. Call Riv and they can give guidance. When I switched from Choco bars with an 11cm stem to Noodles, they suggested a stem of 6-8cm. I imagine the Albatross would be a similar change.

Chuck

[Brian Choy]

100% what Chuck said. Give the folks at Riv a call and they'll set you up right.

[Zac]

There is a helpful post on this very question on Riv's blog:

https://www.rivbike.com/blogs/news/how-to-upright-a-drop-bar-bike

You could run Albatross bars with your current stem, but you'll probably want something a little longer. Incidentally, they still have 85mm 90-190 stems in stock.

[Roberta]

Hi Maeve. 

Glad that you’re able and willing to ride again. I love my Homer. I have an extra tall Nitto 110 on mine with albatross bars. If they made the tall stems in 110, I would want that. You’d probably end up with regular height Nitto stem in 100 or 110.  

Roberta

[Jason Fuller]

I've used an 11, 12, and 13cm stem with Albatross on my Hillborne and settled on the 12, and for reference I use a 5cm with the Noodle - so a full 7cm longer worked best for me! Where your hands rest in relation to the stem clamp is even more than 7cm difference between the two bars. 

Another bar worth considering is the Choco - similar to the Albatross but designed to be more comfortable holding the front "hooks", which might be of value to you. The Choco needs a long stem - 12 or 13cm is probably right. 

[Lucia Matioli]

I have the Choco on my Homer. I love this bar. 
I recently swapped for an 85mm step as I felt a bit too stretched out. Had some back issues. 
So far so good and I love the second position holding the front on climbs and when I am stomping...

-L

On Sun, Mar 29, 2026 at 7:42 PM Jason Fuller <jtf.f...@gmail.com> wrote:

I've used an 11, 12, and 13cm stem with Albatross on my Hillborne and settled on the 12, and for reference I use a 5cm with the Noodle - so a full 7cm longer worked best for me! Where your hands rest in relation to the stem clamp is even more than 7cm difference between the two bars. 

Another bar worth considering is the Choco - similar to the Albatross but designed to be more comfortable holding the front "hooks", which might be of value to you. The Choco needs a long stem - 12 or 13cm is probably right. 

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[Kainalu V. -Brooklyn NY]

I’ve got stems between 50 and 170 you’re welcome to try out, maybe even buy…

-Kai, on the contested border of Williamsburg and Bushwick 

On Sunday, March 29, 2026 at 12:52:56 PM UTC-4 maeve....@gmail.com wrote:

[Maeve Gately]

Thanks for the feedback everyone! Psyched to join the community. Kai, would love to know more deets abt your stem collection!

On Mar 30, 2026, at 6:42 AM, Kainalu V. -Brooklyn NY <kaivi...@gmail.com> wrote:

I’ve got stems between 50 and 170 you’re welcome to try out, maybe even buy…

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[Brent Eastman]

I would also consider the billie bar! Riv based it on the albatross and 'improved' it in a few ways. I prefer them to albas.

also don't be afraid of being too upright. I have billie bars with a 9cm stem and love it.

[Maeve Gately]

FYI I emailed Riv and they suggested a 10 or 11cm stem. Appreciate everyone's feedback!

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/178a9490-da00-4f65-85c5-9bb28047961dn%40googlegroups.com.

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Maeve Gately