View source for Important Points on Handlebars

== Important Points ==

* The older flat bar is not flat at all, but it does have grips.

* The brake levers on the old road bar have extensions that point inward - these are known as extension levers or safety levers.

* The old flat bar has a thumb shifter - the black thing near the brake lever, used to shift gears.  The new flat bar has a shifter which is operated by twisting, labeled "[[Grip Shift]]" and located between the brake lever and the grip.

* On the old road bicycle, the [[shifters]] are on the [[downtube]]. On the new bicycle, the brake levers are also shift levers. This style is used on almost every modern road bicycle.  Shifters will either be on the downtube or attached to the stem on road bicycles.

* You will find old flat bars on city bikes and cruisers.  New flat bars are on all mountain bikes and some newer city bikes and hybrids.  Road bikes will look more like the old road bars here than the new ones, except that many will not have extension levers.

* The old and new examples are only provided to show that not all bars of the same type look very similar.  All road bike brake levers will fit all road bars, and all flat bar brake levers, shifters, and grips will fit all flat bars.