In the broadest sense, these are any bicycle designed to be ridden primarily on pavement. Usually, the term "Road Bicycle" is used to refer to a sport bicycle with drop handlebars and narrow tires.
Road bikes dominated the bicycle market in the 70's and 80's prior to the mountain biking revolution. Because of the recent popularity of mountain bikes, road bikes are almost solely built with the advanced cyclist in mind. If you ride long distances or compete in road competitions, these are the bikes for you.
These bikes are also referred to and categorized as:
