Raising handlebar - basic question

[stephenMM]

I've never had any problems w/ adjustable H-bar stems (on the old style bikes). They're actually pretty neat because you can, well, adjust them to suit you. The caveat on this is, you shouldn't be putting a lot of weight on them, or on any street handlebars for that matter. I favor an upright, cruiser type of biking because its a lot better for my back. So an adjustable H-bar stem combined w/ an adjustable seat rake means you can dial in a comfortable ride a lot easier.

The only time I had a stem break was on an old steel frame Bianchi 10 speed w/ drop H-bars. That thing almost killed me when it snapped because the drop bars had me putting a lot of weight and stress on them. It was a fun bike, very light for a steel frame, but those bikes are fundamentally unsafe on city streets. The skinny tires can easily go into a rut and throw you, and the riding position is pretty crappy. Some big, slightly under inflated tires are much safer and ride a lot better. My wife calls the Spandex crowd the One Brain Bikers because everyone has what looks to be identical bikes, clothing, helmets, etc. I was never into that, and always thought those bikes were poorly suited for city streets. Style follows function, not the other way around.