A women’s style bike in a mountain bike is almost worthless as any rough terrain and the frame will buckle. The drop-tube unisex is almost 75% the strength of a conventional straight tube men’s bike. Even though I wear a fiberglass cup I’ve still injured myself on my straight-tube Mountain Trek. So, my next bike will be a drop-tube.
My Specialized Hard Rock is nearly 21 years old, and quite heavy. I would like a composite bike, but, jeeze, the price. I’m picking up a 1200cc Goldwing for less than what a new Mountain Bike would cost.