Bicycle handlebar a steep U-shape from the base, so that the rider's hands rest above waist-level. This style of bicycle handlebar became very popular in the 1960s after the introduction of wheelie bikes such as the Schwinn "Sting-Ray", Raleigh Chopper, and other highly stylized youth bicycles that imitated the appearance of drag-racing or chopper motorcycles of the day. Legislation in the United States introduced during the 1970s limited the maximum height of manufacturer-installed handlebars to 16 inches above the lowest seat setting; European Union safety regulations use a similar limit of 400mm. The apehanger style remained common in the US through the
Swing Bike Swing Bike A Swing Bike is a brand of bicycle which allowed for steering at both the front wheel and the rear wheel. The design was patented by Ralph Belden in 1974, brought to market in 1975, and discontinued by 1978. The name has come to mean any bike with a second steering axis in front of the saddle. A new bicycle by the same name has been launched by Americas Bike Co. in San Diego, California. The original Swing Bike was in the wheelie bike style, and the Swing Bike company also offered a normally-steered BMX bike in 1977.