Originally Posted by
polygon1
And this is why I'm confused. If there's a genuine safety issue here, why is the QR/disc combo still so common? I'm hoping my next bike purchase will be my last, and I'd like to have something that I can rely on for quite some time, as well as now being a little concerned about the safety of my Rockhopper.
There isn't a safety issue.
Thru axles are mostly about the industry selling new stuff. They have some minor advantages, but again, it's mostly about selling stuff. To do so, they have to champion the awesomeness of the new thing, whatever that is this year.
Even if you buy the latest thing, chances are good that it will be "obsolete" within a decade in some way.