This is a really weird question but it's one that I've been thinking about for a long time. We all know that when you go with a short stem the steering gets twitchy that's why you compensate by going with wider bars and vice versa for a long stem. But I've always wondered if you're running drop bars and you're running a short stem but you generally ride with your hands up on the hoods, does the position of your hands make the steering twitchiness feel like you're running a longer stem? I mean even though you're bars are attached to your steerer with a short stem, the fact that you're holding on to the bars 90 millimeters (or so) ahead of the stem, doesn't that mean you've got the same effect as if you're running a long stem?

The rate at which the bars move per given input, IMHO, is determined by the point at which your hands make contact with the bars regardless of how long the stem is. So I would think a set of drop bars would make a 60 or 70 mm stem react like a 120mm stem if your holding onto the hoods. Someone tell me I am right or wrong..