You absolutely can gravel with your mtb, as you pointed out. But it is difficult to mtb with a road bike, and not a whole lot of fun to gravel with a road bike. For me, gravel bikes are kinda what I want road bikes to be - more relaxed geo, a bit longer, a lot more comfortable. I don't think of them as drop-bar neo-retro mtbs as much as I consider them bikes to cover a lot of ground with, regardless of terrain. And when it comes to that, I prefer the extra hand positions of drop bars.
As for the lifestyle accoutrements, you don't have to buy into that jive if you don't want to. You don't have to practice public nudity if you ride one speeds, either, nor do you need to wear goggles on the side of your half-shell helmet whenever you ride your enduro bike.
April 17, 2024, 8 a.m. - Mike Ferrentino
You absolutely can gravel with your mtb, as you pointed out. But it is difficult to mtb with a road bike, and not a whole lot of fun to gravel with a road bike. For me, gravel bikes are kinda what I want road bikes to be - more relaxed geo, a bit longer, a lot more comfortable. I don't think of them as drop-bar neo-retro mtbs as much as I consider them bikes to cover a lot of ground with, regardless of terrain. And when it comes to that, I prefer the extra hand positions of drop bars. As for the lifestyle accoutrements, you don't have to buy into that jive if you don't want to. You don't have to practice public nudity if you ride one speeds, either, nor do you need to wear goggles on the side of your half-shell helmet whenever you ride your enduro bike.