Originally Posted by Akak
Note that Tomac's bike also had cantilever brakes.
Just because they worked for him doesn't mean it's a better option today. Anyone out there interested in swapping out their V's or Disks for canti's since Tomac used them?
Bikes have evolved through years of riding and revising. Just because something worked 10 years ago doesn't mean it's a good option today.
I don't think anyone is arguing that drop bars are superior to a flat bar. Just that THEY DO WORK just fine for 99% of XC riding. Flat bars are virtually non-existant these days, but I don't see anyone going nuts as soon as someone asks about swapping a flat bar onto their bike. If it worked 10 years ago, it will still work as good today as it did 10 years ago. It may not perform as well as more modern equipment, but it WILL work just as well as it used to. I ran a NORBA course with drop bars, a rigid fork, one gear and cantilevers, and lived to tell about it.