Originally Posted by
Bikedued
Yeah, I've never taken a truly vintage mtb with thumbies, offroad. I imagine not having your thumb around the grip where it belongs, was probably kinda spooky in certain situations. Never ridden one on anything worse than a dirt road. I actually like long rides on a dirt road, more than actual "mountain" biking anyway. Something about being alone "out in the middle of nowhere" works for me. I will definitely miss that when I am back in Houston.,,,,BD
Shifting with thumbies isn't bad at all, in the early 90's when Rapidfire etc. showed up, there was actually a bit of resistance for many people to make the switch. As far as riding dirt roads, I agree. Certainly enjoy riding challenging terrain that really tasks you mentally and physically, but there is something to be said for getting on a nice logging road and going for hours. On those days I tend to grab this:
