Handlebars on early bicycles were actually bars of solid steel. Solid handlebars became obsolete before the end of the 19th century with all modern bike handlebars being tubular, but, the name persists.
Conventional handlebars are divided broadly into two styles: "drop" and "upright". Drop bars are the style found on road racing bikes, whilst upright bars are found on BMX, MTB and City/Hybrid Bikes. Within each broad category a plethora of styles exist to accommodate cycling specialities, such as aero bars for TT and triathlon racing, and flat bars for XC and Fixie usage.
Most handlebars today are made of lightweight tubular aluminium alloy, whilst many high end bike bars are now constructed from carbon fibre, which is renowned for it's strength to weight ratio, and it's ability to absorb vibration.
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