Why did bar ends go away from mountain bikes?

Re:Why did bar ends go away from mountain bikes? by PostThisTooFast on Monday May 24, 2021 @12:33PM (#27266407)

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.

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Re:Why did bar ends go away from mountain bikes? by rconti on Monday May 24, 2021 @04:46PM (#27269502)

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.

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Re:Why did bar ends go away from mountain bikes? by LAC-Tech on Monday May 24, 2021 @06:21PM (#27270380)

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.

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Re:Why did bar ends go away from mountain bikes? by kybernetyk on Tuesday May 25, 2021 @12:10AM (#27272514)

>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 ;)

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Re:Why did bar ends go away from mountain bikes? by petre on Monday May 24, 2021 @04:53PM (#27269567)

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.

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Re:Why did bar ends go away from mountain bikes? by lostlogin on Monday May 24, 2021 @05:15PM (#27269804)

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.

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