The main reason mtn bikes have the lever on the bar is to allow the rider to keep their hands on the bar. Even grabbing a water bottle can be tricky in certain situations. Back when forks had the lockout on the fork, there were times I forgot to unlock the fork - after the climb; starting the descent - and was *$^@#ed. Going 15 mph down a rocky switchback (worsened by a locked-out fork) eliminated the option to take a hand off the bar.
Last edited by Zaskar; 07-14-21 at 10:46 AM.