I'd hazard a guess because he rides in the city? The only drop bar bike I've ever owned that's gotten any serious mileage was my Ti cross bike. It was Ti,so no rust or scratching issues. Had discs,full fenders,and reasonable tires. The fact that it had drops was pretty much moot;I rode it for what it was and spent like 95% of the time on the hoods. Drop bars aren't super useful in they city where you can't go very far without having to stop,so multiple hand positions aren't a big deal. And I won't ride anything less than 28's in the city,our roads are just too bad.