Originally Posted by canklecat

BTW, before swapping stems and retaping, try a cheapo-ugly trick to see if it helps.

Add some thick foam padding to the bar. Pool noodles, pipe insulation, whatever's cheapest. Just slit it lengthwise and tape it on top of the existing wrap. Try it for a couple of rides and see how it feels. It will effectively reduce the reach a bit.

That's what I did last summer after first getting this '89 Centurion Ironman. At the time it felt like the reach was too long, but I suspected it was mostly my back and neck getting accustomed to the road bike. Heck, I'm 60 years old with a busted up back and neck, and hadn't ridden a drop bar bike in 30+ years. So before swapping stems, etc., I tried the foam trick. I actually used some fairly stiff handlebar padding from a BMX bike, since I already had it in a box. Used it for a few weeks, while also working on my back and neck conditioning. After about a month I was able to remove the padding. Turns out the reach was fine. It was mostly my creaky old back and neck. So it motivated me to do more stretching and strengthening to regain what I'd lost from years of inactivity.