there's definitely a resurgence in interest in this kind of bike. several youtube channels devoted to refurbishing old bikes have popped up, bikes like this are suddenly a bit expensive on the used market, and people are sharing their old bikes online. check out the "x-biking" community on red_dit. [BR edited out the name of this popular site for some reason—stupid!] Rivendell, Crust, Velo Orange, Soma, and a lot of other companies continue to make bikes and components that keep older bikes like this going. See also: The Path Less Pedaled on Youtube.

are these bikes "the pinnacle of practical bike design"? perhaps. I worked in a bike co-op for a few years and regular shops for a long time as well, and these were always my favorite bikes to work on. it felt good to see something "old" and practical given some love. I prefer some modern touches like threadless headsets and disc brakes, and there's also a big market for "neo-retro" bikes that mix old and new tech. within mountain biking, there's a trend toward "under-biking" as modern bikes are often so plush and confidence- inspiring that a skilled rider finds some trails to be boring when the challenge is removed by over-biking.