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North Road bend
The style of handlebar used on most English 3-speed bicycles. This is a fairly narrow bar with a slight rise, grips nearly parallel to the frame.
This design was formerly associated with the North Road Cycle Club, north of London. It is a reversible design, most often used in the upright position, but quite serviceable in the dropped position as well, for a more aggressive riding position. In the reversed position, it resembles a Moustache handlebar, but with sharper bends and a bit more drop.
The North Road handlebar is most commonly seen on English three-speed bicycles -- and usually in combination with a very short stem extension. The result is "tiller" steering -- that is, the grips are even with the steering axis or behind it. With tiller steering, controlling the bicycle with one hand off the handlebar is difficult. The cyclist's weight, and deceleration due to light braking or road bumps, make the cyclist's hand push the end of the handlebar forward. It is necessary to tense the muscles of the back to prevent turning the handlebars and losing control -- and with the entire weight of the cyclists' upper body in play, this is awkward. With a hand position farther ahead of the steering axis, the cyclist's weight, pushing forward and outward -- away from the steering axis -- tends to stabilize the bicycle. A handlebar stem with a longer extension can help solve this problem, and so can placing North Road handlebars in the drop position. If the handlebars are then too low, the stem needs to be taller as well; if too far away, a frame with shorter top tube is in order. [This paragraph added by John Allen, April 20, 2010.]
