aka Tom Reingold
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: New York, NY, and High Falls, NY, USA
Posts: 40,506
Bikes: 1962 Rudge Sports, 1971 Raleigh Super Course, 1971 Raleigh Pro Track, 1974 Raleigh International, 1975 Viscount Fixie, 1982 McLean, 1996 Lemond (Ti), 2002 Burley Zydeco tandem
Mentioned: 511 Post(s)
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Quoted: 7352 Post(s)
Wind resistance isn't the only thing to think about. Swept back bars also make your legs work harder. And they usually offer no variety of hand positions. As for numbness, that varies from person to person. You may find they're delightful even though flat bars don't work for you. Or they may be just as bad or worse.
If you change to swept back bars, it's more likely you'll want a longer stem, not a shorter one.
With all that said, it's not a crazy idea. You have to try it. Plenty of people have toured with swept back bars.