Dropper posts are one of the most helpful pieces of equipment you can put on a mountain bike. It completely changes how you ride.

If I gave you a hardtail with a traditional post, then the same bike with a dropper, your opinion would change in minutes.

> Dropper posts I consider to be a gimmick.

I can't possibly see how you make this case. I just got a new bike and the dropper was definitely the part I was the least sure I'd care for, but the benefit was immediately obvious on the first ride. Being able to pop the seat up with the press of a button when I started a long climb was amazing.

Yeah, definitely for wider tires.

1.25in (32 mm) and 1.5 in (38 mm) tires were pretty common on the "sport touring" category of 10-speeds from the mid-70s bike boom to the early 90s or something like that.

Then marketing decided that everyone, even casual cyclists, should aspire to ride on "racing" road bikes with 23 mm (or even 21 mm) tires, even if the aero and acceleration benefits really didn't make any sense for them.

Really happy that wider tires are making a comeback and that the "gravel" category is in many ways a comeback of sport touring.

"Dropper posts I consider to be a gimmick." that's a pretty bold opinion. Might say more about the types of trails you ride than anything. Sure, you don't need a dropper post for a lot of simple beginner trail riding, start adding fast, technical descents with drops and such....that you also need to climb to, it'd farfrom a gimick. It allows you to have a fun enduro bike that you can climb comfortably in, and then descend like a wild-person on for maximum fun.

Not just any disc brakes, hydraulic ones, at a competitive price and weight. They are so much better than the old caliper brakes it’s silly even comparing them.

Suspension have received lots of improvements, both features such as lock-out, and also generally in terms of better properties, geometries and availability. Especially when looking at the rear frame. Forks are still mostly just forks :)

Finally you also have overall build quality. A mtb from the last decade just feels more rigid and lightweight, you get a sense of confidence the moment you grab the handlebar, whereas 20y ago shifters and handles have that flimsy feeling to it. Warped wheels and flat tires is also much less common problem today.

I just bought a bike with a 1x12 drivetrain and I’m quite enjoying it.