I’ve been meaning to come back to this. I moved a spacer above the stem and re-adjusted the bars and levers. I’ve been on four rides like this now and not only do I feel much more comfortable on the bike but I’ve had very little numbness. And I feel like a good set of grips might help solve that.
My conclusion is that my preference is for a more ‘weight forward’ position. Good to know fo future upgrades.
From what I’ve read a weight forward position is more of an XC setup - not sure if that means I need to start wearing spandex again… 