On Mon, 11 May 2009 00:32:55 +0100
Andy Key wrote:

Roadies normally ride with their hands on the rubber hoods of the
brake levers. It sounds like your handlebars are too far forward for
you to do this comfortably, so it may be worth replacing the
handlebar stem with a shorter one, to bring the bars nearer to you.

If the frame's too big for him or some other aspect of the set-up is
way out then changing the stem could end up with a bike that handles
strangely and still doesn't fit.