Originally Posted by Jameth

I can't even begin to understand this mentality. I'm a born dissenter, so appealing to the status quo and suggesting I do the same perhaps isn't the best argument you could make.

If 95% of the restaurants in my area serve cheeseburgers, fried chicken, or pizza, am I to assume that those are healthy, wise meal choices?

If all the convenient stores sell gasoline, cigarettes, and Red Bull, should I stop in to see what I'm missing out on?

Mainstream society has chosen plenty of things that don't work well or that are wrong. Drop bars make it more difficult than flat bars for me to ride in the most comfortable position possible for my back and arms...leaned back with my hands off the bars. They're heavier and bulkier and reduce the stability of the front end. Derailleurs are far more expensive and far less reliable than the single-speed and IGH drivetrains I prefer. It's as simple as that.