Originally Posted by
non-fixie
I guess they thought it the best way to mount a rear rack. These semi-race models have been part of the race department's line-up for a long time. They always came with upright handlebars. Even when the rack was not yet standard, the plate was already there:
Makes sense. It does make a great platform for brake and rack combinations. That is a great looking upright.
On my Belgian Rapidix, it came with a tubed brake bridge but had the flat piece bolted on as an accesory for a rack. This one came as a drop bar model but they had it on the bike if the new customer wanted to convert it to upright. My thinking, guessing.