What is a crossbar on a bike? What is it for?

When you sit on a bike or about to sit, the first thing you touch is the handle and then the saddle. Immediately after sitting on the saddle, you grab the handlebar with both hands. The handlebar allows you to steer the bike and the saddle supports you, the rider, to sit upright.

Ever wondered what is that bar in the middle of the bike? Yes, that bar that connects your saddle with the handlebar. That is called a crossbar. No one talks about it, but in this article we will discuss it. You will be surprised to learn that this part of the bike is just as important as the other parts of the bike.

After this article, you will have no query on this question “what is a crossbar on a bike?” In fact you will be able to recognize bikes just by their crossbars.

What is a crossbar? What is its purpose?

A crossbar is the horizontal bar that starts from the saddle and touches the head of the bike. The bikes back in the 1970’s or 80’s had this bar in the middle. This bar provides strength to the bike frame and also keeps the rider safe. It makes sure the riders legs stay on each side and keeps the knees face forward.

Now in modern times, only men’s bikes have a horizontal crossbar. Women’s bikes have crossbars too, but the ones on women’s bikes are curved. Most women’s bikes nowadays don’t even have a crossbar. The strong bike frame does the job perfectly in keeping the bike together.

What is a crossbar made of?

A crossbar on a bike is mostly made of steel. Back in the days the most common material to make a strong bike frame was steel. Steel was considered a strong metal for literally everything. In modern time, there are many variations of steel. This is why bike manufacturers don’t just use plain steel in bike frames, they use stronger variations. 

Depending on the cost of steel, the steel used in bike frames have different qualities. The most affordable of all steel grades for bike frames is carbon fiber steel. It is very common in most average bikes as these bikes are affordable.

The high quality steel grade is the chromium molybdenum steel alloy. This is the strongest and the most costly steel for bike frames. 

Crossbar on men’s bike

Crossbars on men’s bikes look like a horizontal bar. Basically, it was the first model of the bicycle that had a horizontal bar with a trapezoid kind of frame. This frame is considered to be the original frame of a bike, but when women’s bikes were introduced, it became the men’s bike frame.

Now that the trapezoid frame is very common in modern bikes, with slight variations. Women’s bikes have a curve in the crossbar, which we will talk about in a minute. Some modern bikes have angular crossbars, starting from the very bottom of the saddle to the head of the bike.

Crossbar on women’s bike

Crossbars on women’s bikes look curvy, like a U shape. Back in time, there was the generic bike model with the horizontal crossbar. When the need for women specific bikes became urgent, the generic model took a change. The bike manufacturers took the horizontal crossbar and curved it. They placed it in the frame in such a way that would help women mount the bike easily. Kind of like a step through in the middle of the bike.

Back in the day women used to wear dresses and if a woman wanted to mount a bike, she would have to lift one leg up and over the bike. This would have easily caused her to expose her legs, unless she was sitting on the back seat where she could keep both legs to the side. For this problem, bike manufacturers designed the women’s bike crossbar in this U shape. This U shape crossbar would help women mount their bike while keeping their dignity.

Nowadays most women don’t even wear a dress. Jeans have replaced the need for a dress and to be frank, jeans are easy to wear. For this reason, women can even ride bikes with horizontal crossbars, mainly men’s bikes. But the U shape crossbar design still continued throughout the generation and it is kind of a symbol of women’s bike now.

Why do women’s bikes have a lower crossbar?

Women’s bikes have a lower crossbar to help women who are wearing dresses mount easily. Not only easily mounting the bike, but also keeping their dignity. As back in the 1970’s showing a woman’s legs in public was considered not appropriate, arrogant and indecent.

Now in modern time it is a different thing. Women’s jeans, trousers and shorts are very easy and comfortable to wear for women. These clothes do not hold their legs together and allow mobility of their legs. For this reason, women can ride bikes with horizontal crossbars. 

Although women can now ride bikes with horizontal crossbar or even men’s bikes, the U shaped curvy crossbar bike frame has become the symbol for women’s bikes. Still, many women prefer the bike with a lower crossbar, even though they are not wearing any dress.

Crossbars on mountain bikes

Crossbars on mountain bikes are literally the same as other bikes. Mountain bikes, cruiser bikes, road bikes, city bikes all have the same type of crossbars. Men’s bikes crossbars are horizontal and women’s bikes crossbars are curved and lower. The class difference in bikes doesn’t bring changes to the crossbars. The rider’s sex determines which crossbar type he or she will choose.

Difference between men’s bike and women’s bike crossbar

The only difference between men’s bikes crossbar and women’s bikes crossbar is the crossbar placing and the shape. Men’s bikes have horizontal crossbars. They are straight and start from the saddle and go all the way to the lower part of the handlebar.

Women’s bikes have U shaped crossbars. They start from the top of the pedaling disc and end at the lower part of the head, under the handlebar. These two distinctive features make both genders’ bikes stand out. Even the colors are different for both bikes.

Bike without a crossbar

A bike without a crossbar is called a unicycle and frankly, it is not even a bike. The ‘bike’ word comes from “bicycle” meaning two wheels. The unicycle has only one wheel and has no steering. There is no reason to have a crossbar on it because it doesn’t even have a proper frame. It is just balancing on one wheel. You need to keep pedaling back and forward when you are on a unicycle.

The bicycle is a type of transportation that requires balance to move forward, but actually it is moving forward that gives balance to the bike. This means that in order to keep the bike steady, you the rider must keep moving forward. When the rider stops the bicycle, it loses balance and tilts to the side. This connection in balance and momentum created by the rider from pedaling is crucial.

Unicycle takes this theory to the next level, in a funny way. This type of cycle is not even a bike for the normal life it is for show businesses or circus events.

F.A.Q.s

How do I choose the right crossbar?

You can choose the right bike for you based on your gender. The right bike will have the right crossbar. You can buy a unisex bike if you want. That way you won’t have to worry about crossbars at all.

What if I broke my crossbar?

The crossbar is part of the bike frame. If the bike frame is damaged, you cannot ride the bike anymore. It is wise to buy a new bike if you have broken your crossbar in your old bike.

How do I replace the crossbar on my bike?

It is not possible to replace or change the crossbar of a bike. You will have to change the entire bike frame, which is like buying a new bike.

Final thoughts

We hope the long awaited question, “what is a crossbar on a bike” has been answered. The topic that is not discussed too much, as crossbars are not really a product. It is not a separate product. Other parts of the bike like the handlebar, the grip, the wheels, the pedals, the brake disc etc. can be bought separately and replaced anytime. The crossbar is not like them. As it comes with the bike frame, it holds most of the cost with the bike frame. It cannot be replaced when broken and repairing isn’t really effective.

Even after all these negative facts about the crossbar, it is a very important part of the bike. It provides strength and balance to the bike. Most importantly it identifies the gender of the bike, mainly the rider’s gender. It is not something to be ignored.