Handlebar style can make your bike ride more comfortable if you make a section based on your riding style and purpose. As bikes have evolved, more styles of handlebars have popped up to accommodate different desires. No matter your body shape or goal in bike riding, there's a handlebar set for you.
Drop
Drop handlebars curve under themselves. They start with a horizontal bar at the stem and, after extending out a few inches, curve away from the rider and then down and under. These are the handlebars you see on 10-speeds from the 1970s and 1980s and on competitive racing bikes. While the bars have multiple sets of brake handles and let you switch hand positions, they can be narrow and too far forward for the comfort of some riders.
Straight
Straight bars are just as they sound -- they extend out horizontally from the stem in a straight line. These are the basic mountain-bike type handlebars, and Sheldon Brown of Harris Cyclery says that because hand positions are limited -- two, with the only difference being whether or not you have your hands on just the grips or on the grips and brakes -- they might not be the best choice if you need to switch positions frequently for comfort. They occasionallyl have a slight curve upward in the middle that's a few inches long, with the remainder of the bars straight but a little higher up from the stem. This type is known as a riser and puts you into a slightly more upright position.
Cruiser
Cruiser handlebars are the wide bars you see on the retro beach cruiser bikes. The ends of the bars bend back toward the rest of the bike, and riders can generally sit in an upright position. Slightly narrower handlebars with a similar style are on many comfort bikes. Brown says comfort bikes are similar to older English roadsters and Dutch bikes and were created for riders who found competitively styled mountain bikes uncomfortable.
Specialty
If you are out for long touring and sightseeing rides, you can use drop or straight handlebars, or any of the numerous touring bars available. Trekking or butterfly bars are similar to drop bars in that they curve around, but trekking bars stay horizontal, forming large loops on either side of the stem and allowing you to change your riding position rather drastically. Mustache bars are mostly horizontal with a slight slant downward on either side, and they look like a curvy "M" when you look down at them. Ape-hanger handlebars are the ones that are so high up that you look like you're hanging down from them. These are more for show than anything else.
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