I'm glad to hear a ride report. I was just thinking about this when I saw the thread was updated.
Originally Posted by
thirdgenbird
140mm stems, plastic spokes, 1in carbon steerers, or some combination of the three are quite flexible
I'm thinking all of the above. My main bike has a CF bar and 1" fork, but a modern 31.8 stem. I just rode it for the first time with the new bar today.
Previously, the bar was aluminum while the fork was CF; and befor that, the fork was steel. When I changed the fork, I immediately noticed that it flexed more easily, but didn't flex as far as the steel fork. But when I added a 31.8 CF bar, the perceived stiffness improved. The cockpit felt stiffer overall and the bike was even more confidence inspiring. it's probably
not actually stiffer, but it feels that way because the bar and the fork both flex easier but don't seem to bend as far overall, which seems to have the effect of better road holding overall.
I'm sure you are aware from chassis tuning on autos, that increasing stiffness doesn't always improve handling.