Originally Posted by halfspeed
Maybe it prevails because it sells bikes. Marketers generally are not in the business of flogging products in a manner that fails to move stuff off the sales floor.
Perhaps so. Bicycling advocates presumably have a different agenda: getting more people to consider riding a bike more often. Not necessarily the same thing as selling more bikes, more expensive bikes, and/or more bike accessories/clothing.
The marketers sold a zillion inappropriate (for the general public) uncomfortable, impractical ten-speed "racers" at all price ranges in the 70's to receptive adults and youth who became disgusted with bicyling after being sold a bill of goods.