I converted a bike with drop bars to flat bar when I converted it to a commuter as I wanted my position to be more upright. I converted it from a 2x to a 1x system, so I needed to replace the shifters, rear derailleur, and I found a chainring that would work with the 105 crank I had. It worked beautifully and I put a lot of miles on that bike until I sold it in 2021. As far as helping the RA, no idea but mstateglfr has a lot of great suggestions I would check into first.



converted to the flat bar