Originally Posted by
SoSmellyAir
A small rotation of the handlebar relative to the stem would only raise or lower the position and angle of the hoods. To reduce the reach to the hoods, the handlebar has to be rotated so that its ends are closer to the rear, and the STI levers have to be repositioned further up on the handlebar closer to the hoods to shorten the length of the ramps, which requires (at least partially) undoing and re-wrapping the bar tape.
Rotating the handlebar up brings the hoods both up and back (center of rotation is the handlebar clamp), this results in requiring less bend at the waist to reach the hoods. The net effect is shortening the reach. I've always been surprised how a very small change in bar rotation can make a noticeable difference in feel/fit (to me). It's just another variable in the multitude of different adjustments. Best part...it's free to experiment with. I'm talking about very small changes. If you have to resort on a significant amount of rotation to get comfortable, the problem is bigger than something handlebar rotation can address.
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