handlebar

English

Handlebars on a bicycle.

Etymology

From handle +‎ bar.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈhændəlbɑː/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈhændəlbɑːɹ/

• Audio (UK):

  (file)

Noun

handlebar (plural handlebars)

1. (chiefly in the plural) The bar used to steer a bicycle, motorbike, or similar vehicle using the hands.
   • 1963 November, Popular Science, volume 183, number 5, page 185:

     The bikelike steering handlebars are bent and welded from pipe or conduit.

   • 1981, H Ross, Single lever 10-speed bicycle shifter - US Patent 4,279,174:

     Briefly, in the invention, the shift mechanism is incorporated into the handlebar stem, a positive push-pull type cam mechanism is provided for actuating the rear derailleur, undershift and overshift is prevented to eliminate chain "jump off", and the device can be shifted with the bicycle standing still.

   • 2003, Christopher Phillips, Socrates café: a fresh taste of philosophy, page 103:

     A pleasant, dapperly dressed man with a handlebar moustache that he regularly twists and tugs...

2. (chiefly in the plural, slang) Xanax.
   • 2023 May 5, “​superstar” (track 11, 0:04 from the start), in Destroy Lonely (lyrics), If Looks Could Kill‎^[1]:

     Got a stick in the passenger in my car
     She ride on the dick with no handlebars
     Came a long way from poppin' them Xanax bars

   • 2022 June 27, “Swing Ya Pole” (track 7, 2:05 from the start), in Summrs (lyrics), FALLEN RAVEN‎^[2]:

     I want a big double R, no, I don't pop handlebars

Derived terms

• drop handlebar
• handlebar moustache

Translations

bar for steering

• Afrikaans: stuur (af)
• Arabic: مِقْوَد (ar) m (miqwad)
• Armenian: ղեկ (hy) (ġek)
• Basque: please add this translation if you can
• Belarusian: руль m (rulʹ), стырно́ n (styrnó), стыр m (styr)
• Breton: barrenn-stur (br) f
• Bulgarian: велосипедно кормило n (velosipedno kormilo)
• Catalan: manillar m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 車把 / 车把 (zh) (chēbǎ)

• Danish: styr (da) n, cykelstyr (da) n
• Dutch: stuur (nl) n, fietsstuur (nl) n (of a bicycle), motorstuur n (of a motorbike)
• Esperanto: please add this translation if you can
• Estonian: please add this translation if you can
• Finnish: ohjaustanko (fi)
• French: guidon (fr)
• Georgian: საჭე (ka) (sač̣e)
• German: Lenker (de) m, Lenkstange (de) f
• Greek: τιμόνι (el) n (timóni)
• Hebrew: הגה (he) m (hége)
• Hindi: please add this translation if you can
• Indonesian: setang (id)
• Irish: hanlaí m pl, lámha (ga) f pl
• Italian: manubrio (it) m
• Japanese: ハンドル (ja) (handoru), ハンドルバー (handorubā)
• Khmer: របារដៃ (rɔɔbaa day)
• Korean: 손잡이 (ko) (sonjabi)
• Lao: ເຂົາລົດ (khao lot)
• Latvian: please add this translation if you can
• Lithuanian: please add this translation if you can
• Malay: please add this translation if you can
• Maori: hānara
• Mongolian: жолоо (mn) (žoloo)
• Norman: manchelles f pl
• Occitan: guidon m
• Polish: kierownica (pl) f
• Portuguese: guidom m, guidão (pt) m, guiador m
• Romanian: ghidon (ro) n, mâner (ro) n
• Russian: руль (ru) m (rulʹ)
• Spanish: manillar (es) m, manubrio (es) m
• Swahili: please add this translation if you can
• Swedish: styre (sv) n
• Thai: please add this translation if you can
• Tibetan: ལག་འཇུ (lag 'ju)
• Turkish: gidon (tr), yönelteç (tr)
• Ukrainian: кермо́ (uk) n (kermó), ру́ль m (rúlʹ), стерно́ n (sternó)
• Vietnamese: tay lái (vi)
• West Frisian: stjoer n
• Zulu: please add this translation if you can

Further reading

• bicycle handlebar on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• motorcycle handlebar on Wikipedia.Wikipedia