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I'm a casual rider of a mountain bike, almost always on streets. So I'm no expert. But this guy's reasoning doesn't make sense. I looked up what a "drop bar" is

I'm a casual rider of a mountain bike, almost always on streets. So I'm no expert. But this guy's reasoning doesn't make sense. I looked up what a "drop bar" is, and it goes DOWN; this lowers your posture profoundly and is NOT a substitute for an extension that goes UP from your handlebars. Then the idea of only going downhill. Is this really a thing? That seems lame. I get approving comments on my early-'90s Trek 920 every time I take it out. I was curious as to why, and a guy at a bike shop said that nobody makes an all-purpose bike like that anymore. To me the over-specialization is antithetical to the go-anywhere promise of a mountain bike.

rconti 5y ago
Drop bars also have brake lever hoods that function sort of like bar ends. Most my road bike riding is done from the hoods. Both give you a neutral hand position.
petre 5y ago
Surly still makes a lot of all purpose bikes. The big brands also have a model or two, Trek has the 520 and the current 920 but they're drop bar models, also Giant with their Tough Road line. But they're not really that marketed since then one wouldn't need multiple bikes.
lostlogin 5y ago
There are some great tyres out there now too. Pretty slick in the middle and knobbly on the sides, so both road and trail work. I am mystified by standard gearing on newer bikes though. It may be due to my height or a dumb riding style, but I basically only use the top 4-5 gears.
- PostThisTooFast 5y ago
  I had to replace all my drive components and the new ratio is lower. I spend way more time in the upper gears than before. It was pretty cool learning all about the various components. Less cool getting through only one step per day before finding out I had to order ANOTHER goddamned special tool to unscrew something. In the end, the bike works great. But I didn't expect the gearing ratio to change.
LAC-Tech 5y ago
They do make all purpose bikes, they're just called 'hybrids' now. Giant Tough Road feels a lot like a modern take on a 90s mountain bike.
kybernetyk 5y ago
>Then the idea of only going downhill. Is this really a thing? That seems lame. Going downhill is a lot (A LOT) of fun. Way more fun that going uphill (for most I would say). So many people just want to skip the uphill part and only go downhill. I have an eMTB so going uphill for me is fun. But there's people who would never drive an eMTB so they use bike lifts ;)

rconti 5y ago

Drop bars also have brake lever hoods that function sort of like bar ends. Most my road bike riding is done from the hoods. Both give you a neutral hand position.

petre 5y ago

Surly still makes a lot of all purpose bikes. The big brands also have a model or two, Trek has the 520 and the current 920 but they're drop bar models, also Giant with their Tough Road line. But they're not really that marketed since then one wouldn't need multiple bikes.

lostlogin 5y ago

There are some great tyres out there now too. Pretty slick in the middle and knobbly on the sides, so both road and trail work. I am mystified by standard gearing on newer bikes though. It may be due to my height or a dumb riding style, but I basically only use the top 4-5 gears.

PostThisTooFast 5y ago
I had to replace all my drive components and the new ratio is lower. I spend way more time in the upper gears than before. It was pretty cool learning all about the various components. Less cool getting through only one step per day before finding out I had to order ANOTHER goddamned special tool to unscrew something. In the end, the bike works great. But I didn't expect the gearing ratio to change.

LAC-Tech 5y ago

They do make all purpose bikes, they're just called 'hybrids' now. Giant Tough Road feels a lot like a modern take on a 90s mountain bike.

kybernetyk 5y ago

>Then the idea of only going downhill. Is this really a thing? That seems lame. Going downhill is a lot (A LOT) of fun. Way more fun that going uphill (for most I would say). So many people just want to skip the uphill part and only go downhill. I have an eMTB so going uphill for me is fun. But there's people who would never drive an eMTB so they use bike lifts ;)