it feels most comfortable when i have my handlebars turned up so the bottom of the bars point to the rear hub.
it looks a bit silly so i wonder if it is because im a novice rider or the stem is too long for me? or perhaps its just ok to be comfortable
i believe i have the right size bike, im 5'7 and have a small frame giant road bike.
is there a seat-handlebar distance that is related to arm length?

Comfortable on the hoods or in the drops?
If it's the hoods, you can change the position of the levers on the bars, and return the bars to a less silly angle, although you'll have to unwrap then rewrap the bar tape in order to do it.

But a good LBS employee could take a look at you on the bike and instantly come up with good suggestions for stem length etc. Everyone has different arm lengths, and torso lengths in relation to their height.

Comfortable is good, but watch that your hands don't slide off those angled drops when you go over a bump.

flip the stem up and level the bars out, see how that feels.

yes there is, but it's a combination of body flexibility, arm length and torso length, called cockpit length.

some guidelines, but the chart is for "average" body proportions.

the fit calc should give you a better idea, try the eddy or french fit which is more relaxed.
https://www.competitivecyclist.com/za...LCULATOR_INTRO

Weird, I thought I already posted this, maybe cross-posting???

If you really wanna higher bar, They got steerer tube extensions. I'm guessing you need 1 1/8"

https://aebike.com/page.cfm?PageID=30...and=108&type=T

EDIT: definitely a cross post, I seem to remember more specifics in the other post...

When I had my Giant I was never comfortable on the stock bar. Width, reach, drop, and shape play an important part for comfort.

if you feel comfy riding long distances/times with your hoods as they are..then just move the hoods(and return the bar to a more normal looking pose)...not that anyone should really care how your bar looks on your bike. but if it does make riding the drops difficult then yes, sort the position out. my guess is that you do not normally use the drops?

Depends on the shape. IIRC classical bend bars are "supposed to" have the bottom of the drops horizontal and ergo bend bars are supposed to have the bottom point toward the hub. With my bars I have the flat top portion parallel to the ground so that I have a smooth transition to the hoods, and the bottom of the drops angles down. The levers should be perpendicular to the ground, regardless.

Flip it.

There's nothing "supposed" to be anything. It's whatever combination of lever positioning (how high on the curve it is) and drop angle works for you. It also affects the angle of the section on top that leads to the lever, so that matters too. Most experienced riders would try to get it in a way that they are reasonably comfortable in all handlebar positions, and most comfortable in the one they use the most, while at the same time ensuring that the brake levers are easily reached from the drops (this changes as you move the levers up or down). I have my drops angled towards somewhere halfway between the rear brakes and the hub, with the levers positioned so that the hoods are angled slightly upwards. I am more comfortable in the drops when they angle down a bit, something like 10-15 degrees.

Do you want to look at the bike, or do you want to ride it?

cheers guys

i guess some people are fiddlers and some leave things alone.
i cant help but fiddle with evey adjustment there is.

i moved my seat a little forward which has changed the feeling/hand position on the bars.
so, the fiddling continues

all the replys have been helpfull
cheers

A picture would be helpful

In adjusting your fit, the first thing you need to get down is your saddle position relative to pedal position (basically knee-over-spindle) and leg extension. Do a search on the forums for more info on this, as that is a very cursory explanation. If this is set up wrong you run a decent chance of developing knee issues. Do not try to adjust reach issues from saddle to handlebars by moving the seat around.

You can shorten your reach (1-2 effective cm) by flipping your stem up (so that it is angled up rather than more or less parallel to the ground), or by putting a spacer under the headset if your have room on the steerer tube. Doing more of an alteration tends to mean replacing your headset, which is relatively cheap and painless.

As a previous poster said, pictures would help.