Why Mountain Bikes Suck as Gravel Bikes 

Kind of a black and white comparison, using such a Plus tire trail bike. But consider comparing a XC-racer style 29er mountain bike. They have vastly lower rolling resistance, a bit racier aero riding position, and tire widths more similar to a gravel bike. Also can be extremely light weight too.

I ride a Norco MTB for everything, including a week long 700 km tour on pavement last year. No that was not ideal but I ride a lot of gravel, backroads and trails so that bike is a Swiss Army Knife ride for me. I love your channel and everything you do, thanks.

Since I got my gravel bike, I really miss the comfortable well controlled feeling of flat handlebars with bar ends. I want my mountain bike back !

Tired of “drop bar” always preceding “gravel bike.” Anything wrong with a flat bar or alt bar gravel bike? That might have been the perfect bike for this ride. Too bad the choice is always the drop bar bike vs something else.

I use xc style tires on my mtb. They have alot less rolling resistance.

I gotta be real with you Russ. I used to own two steel gravel bikes. I tried really hard to like gravel and just couldn't ever find an exuse/opportunity/reason to ever use them. Both bikes weighed 30 lbs, which is the same weight as my hardtail mountain bike and 5lbs heavier than my vintage rigid mountain bike. I started riding the vintage mountain bike on gravel roads and found that bike to be excellent both on road and on gravel roads in my area. I lost one mile per hour overall on my gravel route, but finished the rides less gassed in more comfort than on my gravel bikes.

Russ, you just made our day! Mountain bikes are excellent gravel bikes if you don't have a dedicated gravel rig.

I am in Wyoming and the verdict for me is I need two bikes, a hard tail mountain bike for two tracks and bookie roads, and for open plains with gravel and silt roads, a straight bar gravel bike. One bike/all road and trail doesn’t work for me. Nor does “under-biking” (grins)

A few years ago I bought a Giant FastRoad, at that time promoted as a "flat bar road bike," because I've been 'broken & repaired' a few times too many and find drop bars uncomfortable. I've since converted it's Tiagra drive train to GRX 2x11, upgraded the scratchy OEM wheels to DT Swiss running 38mm tires, and voilá, I have a flat bar gravel bike, without the weight of a suspension fork, and with narrow bars and bar ends.

That looks like a perfect ride for your Jones SWB. Thanks Russ for all your efforts.

I have had a hard tail a dual suspension and I ended up getting a giant revolt and I love it. The thing is there isn’t a right and wrong answer it’s just whatever your preference is. I have to admit there is something I just like so much more about gravel bikes and I do lots of road too in our routes.

I sold my gravel bike and built up a kona unit steel 29er with a rigid fork. It does great on any terrain, if i want to tackle harder trails, i switch out the rigid fork to a suspension fork. I also have another wheelset with xc tires for all day riding and another wheelset with knobbier tires when riding technical trails. I do miss my gravel bike, but my 29er is a blast to ride. I have more saddle time on the steel rigid than my full squish enduro. Thanks for the awesome vids.

I use my mountain bike as a city commuter and it works great on the crappy roads of Philadelphia.I swapped out the tires and added mirrors.

I ride a Salsa Fargo with 27.5 x 3.0 inch tires. It's technically a mountain bike, but has drop bars and its fully rigid. Works great for these types of mixed rides as it handles intermediate level singletrack and dirt roads great. Even does pretty darn good on pavement if you add some tire pressure. Wildly enough, air the tires down and it holds its own on winter fat bike trails as well, so its the ultimate quiver killer, as long as you are not into the hardcore ends of the MTB or road spectrum.

A rigid mtb would be ace for this kind of riding imo. I'm biased though that's what I ride. It's a really cheap and easy conversion for an old hard-tail too. You have to have a curtain attitude for it though when it comes to riding pavement. Under-biking on the road lol.

Considering a flat bar gravel/fitness bike for next year. At times I feel it is a totally great decision adding another “category “ bike to my fleet, other times I think I’m over thinking the hell out of it too much internet time can do that!! I have too be honest with myself and ask “how important are the subtle differences?” I have 2 specialized full suspension MTB’s one turbo EMTB, another non E mtb, both can lock out the shocks making them basically a rigid bike, both are relatively heavy, both have wide aggressive tires, both are incredible on dirt, both can ride on roads for miles in comfort. I also have a vintage steel frame hybrid bike with 700x35 multi use tires, comfortable flat bars and although it is heavy like steel frames are, it rides road and gravel pretty darn good……so why another bike? I don’t race, I’m a intermediate recreational rider and other people don’t seem to care what I ride they only focus on what they are on and as long as we all get along it’s all about the fun. I suppose the itch for the “perfect “ bike for the exact conditions of my ride is all about my love and desire for the most amazing experience I can have, even though rolling along a sweet trail/road/path in itself is what it is all about even if on a Huffy Walmart cruiser ( no offense intended), it’s my thinking that tells me I MUST HAVE! Understanding this my addiction to bike riding will still in the end win. The carbon framed “ideal” bike will be rationalized some how in a hundred different inner self dialogues until I spend X amount of hard earned dollars and then I will be setting my sights on the next biking must have as I continue my love affair with 2 wheels. It’s all good as long as no mortgage payments are sacrificed, no divorce lawyer is needed and I continue to be a better person to all as a healthy and happy bike enthusiast. We must pick our passions in life and feel gratitude along the way.

This test would have been way more interesting if the mtb actually had a chance by having similar tires on it as your gravel bike. I think you're underestimating the impact of tire choice and instead you mention weight a lot even when you rode the flat section which is kinda silly tbh. Your position on the mtb is very upright which it just doesn't have to be.

I think your reasoning is spot on! That being said, I'm curious what your thoughts are on considering a fully rigid mountain bike for gravel. I have a rigid Singlespeed Trek Superfly that I'm considering converting to a gravel bike by swapping to drop bars, putting skinner tires (2.1") on my 29" wheeset and adding a derailleur for some gearing.

I love this channel, every day it grows my hunger for riding! Thanks for keeping up such good content and frankly, I most of all value your honesty when stating "this is me" , "this is when it gets subjective", all that follows those spoilers is great input right there. I was about to sell my chromoly hardtail and now you've pretty much made me change my mind! So thanks, Russ!

I'd be interested to see how some "alt bars" fare when put on a Timberjack or on a traditional drop-bar gravel bike - Koga Denham, VO Crazy Bar, Surly Moloko, Jones Loop come to mind - Combining wide options with "narrow/aero" options.

I use full suspension, 27.5" MTB for both singletrack/trail and gravel riding and use 2 different whelsets; 2.25" or 2.4 with 11-46 casette for singletracks and 2nd lightweight wheelset with 2.1 semi-sliks and 10-42 casette for gravel rides. Even in gravel setup the bike is not light (about 13kg), and yes, it is a bit sluggish on smooth gravel/tarmac roads, and at about 35km/h I start to overspin, but stil a lot fun (and comfort). I wouldn't mind having a gravel bike, but MTB with 2 wheelsets is really a great option for an allrouder bike. If you have only 1 bike, MTB (especially on semi slicks) is much better on gravel than Gravel bike on singletracks/trails.

Am I the only one who thinks that Timberjack is too small for him? It looks at least one size too small. Simply my opinion.

A 29er with a rigid fork would be a good option for me. I’ve never been able to get comfortable with drop bars and I like a more upright riding position. But that’s my opinion and everyone like what they like and that’s why there are lots of different options out there. I like the non competitive video aspect. So many people just want the fastest bikes out there but that’s not for me.

2 stems & 2 wheelsets. the 2 big complaints that I heard were the increased windage of the (more) upright MTB riding position, and the rolling resistance of the 2.8" trail tires. If the goal is to avoid having 2 'spendy' bikes, and rider is willing to make some compromise for that goal ,,, then having a separate stem & wheelset for using the Timberjack as a gravel/all-road bike makes sense. Both can be (relatively) low cost, and can be easily swapped out with a mini-tool. all-road wheelset: 700x50c tires on 17-19mm IW wheels. Almost same diameter as 27.5x2.8". 29er 17-19mm IW wheels are cheap & plentiful on used parts marker (as 29er folks upgrade to 23+mm IW wheels to use wider tires). 50mm all-road tires are as spendy as you want them to be. The skinny 29er wheels & tires will be less weight than the 2.75plus. Geometry doesn't change. XC stem: change riding position using a longer stem, with negative rise and/or spacers above the stem. Not nearly the same as drop bars, but less windage.

I ride the gravel roads in Vermont-lots of really steep rough sections where the mountain bike really shines. Just don't understand why it is so hard to get truly low gearing on a stock gravel bike.

I’d love to see a vintage Specialized or Bridgestone MTB build. 26” isn’t that much smaller than 650b and there are some good tire options. If you size down you can do a drop bar build or don’t and do a Jones bar. Depending on the model, the geo is close to today’s gravel bikes.

Edit: I didn't realize that the timberjack came with a 2.8" Vigilante High Grip on front. I would use (a skinnier version) of that tire for laps at the bike park. That's ~ 1200 grams of rotational, unsprung weight. For comparison, my 29x2.35" Mezcal's weigh a little over 700 grams. I run those things into all kinds of sketchy New Mexico rocks at relatively high speeds and they are just fine. I vote that you put a decent 29er wheelset on it with ~2.25" xc tires and see what you think. Timberjack is a cool bike, but plus rigs are not how I would go for gravel. On a mixed route with very little singletrack, my Epic full suspension is at least as fast/easy/fun as my Trek CrossRip LTD with tubeless G-Ones. There is such a huge range in mtbs now, I wonder if your review would shift if you compared using a mid-level 29er xc bike.

After 30 years of mountain biking I just fell out of love with flat bars. As I got older and a sense of my own fragility kicked in, my mountain bike trips took me on easier and easier terrain until I found myself often over-biked on an MTB. Enter the gravel bike. Any bike with knobby tyres will suck on tarmac but an MTB adds to the misery because of aerodynamics, particularly in a headwind, as Russ discovered. I use an aerobar for bikepacking for that very reason. The weight difference, however, beween a gravel bike and an MTB is minor in the real world in my opinion and anyway a top-drawer MTB will weigh less than a nasty gravel bike. I also prefer the weight distribution of the gravel bike and of course the different hand positions offered by drop bars. Definitely agree that underbiking can be fun, much better than overbiking, which is often unchallenging.

This is purely my own opinion and I can only speak for myself here but the mountain bike trumps all. I have been riding mixed terrain (including road [paved], gravel, and singletrack etc.) for years on a mountain bike (full-suspension no less). I am not even remotely interested in the idea of a gravel bike. The mountain bike is more of a Swiss Army Knife which can competently handle any task thrown at it. Of course it is a bit of a compromise in some situations but just like you stated, I often like to use what most might consider an "inappropriate" bike for the task. I've used mine for road centuries, a few double centuries, loaded bikepacking, weekly trail rides, running short local errands to USPS and FedEx, and just all-around general purpose riding. They key is to have the right build and setup - a bike that is light (mine is sub 24 lbs), with the right gearing (no 1x here), and the right choice of tires. Did I say TIRES? You need a tire that is lightweight and offers minimal rolling resistance, so mostly a cross-country race-oriented tire. As for fit I always have chosen a long stem and flat bars to provide a low-forward bar and upper body position that is very similar to that of a road bike (when holding on to the tops of the bars). As for gravel riding only I don't see any gravel specific bike out there that holds any real advantage over my MTB.

I would argue that by far the biggest difference you will FEEL across a mountain and gravel bike is going to be the tires. This plus tire MTB could only ever feel sluggish on gravel, but it certainly would have confidence inspiring grip I'm sure. My solution is not to have two bikes (Mountain and Gravel), but to have two wheelsets for my XC/Trail (and now gravel) bike. I built it into a mullet with 700c up front and 650c in the rear, swapped the rear hubs to both 650s and the fronts to the 700s, and put on wildly different tires. Super hard, fast-rolling XC tires (2.25" Aspen front 2.1" Crossmark rear) on one allows me to ride it on hardpack trails and gravel, big knobby (2.3" DHF and 2.4" Dissector) trail tires make it a better mountain rig. A light (30 MM stanchion Manitou Markhor that actually came off a high-end Salsa Timberjack) Air fork with lockout gives me a great blend of capability and weight out front too. I love drop bars on my road bike/distance commuter, but the wide flat bars (mine are cut to 740mm so they aren't massive by modern standards) are so confidence inspiring on everything outside flat asphalt where road bikes live. To each their own, always, but this is mine and I have a blast. Happy trails.

There is one bike that suit for this kind of Terrain. Use the Hybrid Bike, the Dual sports like (TREK DS4). the DS has he suspension and lock out, what you just need to do is replace the factory tires into something like Gravel Bike tires.

If you're on a budget, building up a rigid MTB style bike with alternative handlebars can be a great option for getting started with gravel. One of my favorite "gravel" bikes is an aluminum frame I found in a scrap pile. It checked all of the boxes, but I had no idea what it was originally supposed to be. It was like a blank canvas. Drop bars? Flat bars? 700c? 650b? Who knows? Built it up with a set of Surly Moloko bars, parts from the coop, and slapped some 700x42 tires in there and took it on a 420 mile mixed surface tour around Vermont. Ride whatever is fun for you!

I’d use my Jones LWB. Normally ride 29x3” XR2s but have a set of wheels set up with Vittoria Terrenos in 29x2.1 But with that chunky double track probably stick with 29x3

If you're doing a lot of mixed riding with your MTB, and don't want to change out tires, I suggest maxxis ardent 2.2". They're pretty good for everything, and you can inflate them according to what you're riding.

Really good analysis. The grey area where an individual feels adventurous is different for each of us, just like a tent is more adventurous and fun than a house (but not everyone likes camping!). For me a hard tail instead of full suspension gives my mtb enough adventure on all roads!

i know this video is a little dated, but i am riding a lot more gravel now that i live in Alaska. i am modifying an existing mountain bike to be more of an adventure bike. i am starting with a Specialized Rockhopper 29er. i ditched the fork for a surly fork. i did go with bigger heavier maxxis tires, changed from a 2x8 drivetrain to a 2x10, and upgraded the cheap mechanical disk brakes to a bit better bb7 braking system. i am still going to change the bars and add a bunch of bags but i think it will be fun

Randomly recommended on my feed. I'm more of a runner than a cyclist, but I still love watching outdoor trail content. Your straightforward production quality, competent narration, your tag line at the beginning (if you enjoy the non-competitive side of riding, you found your people), and soft smooth speaking voice earned my sub right away. Good stuff. Keep it up. :)

I ride a fairly standard (for the time) early 90s 3x7 all steel rigid MTB on the kind of tracks featured here. Pretty similar geometry to a gravel bike. Use raised, swept back bars (can't get on with drop bars). Have no probs riding, even in the wind. I just change my thinking. The slog is the challenge. The quest is the reward.

it depends on the setup, when you setup you're mtb into xc it make's more aerodynamic similar to the gravel bikes with dropbars

Great video. The question seems to be where and when do you want to sacrifice? On rocks or on pavement. The gravel bike is a compromise by design, not a full-on mtb, not a roadie. The rider has to be truthful answering what % will be smooth or rough, gravel lets you strike a balance.

I bought a mtb (29x2.2) and a few months later a drop bar gravel bike (700x40c, my first ever drop bar bike). Love them both but I have done ~350km on the mtb and ~2000km on the gravel bike. That says it all, really. For me the mtb is great for technical single track and the gravel bike is great for everything else.

My new bike is a Reid Alpha "Fat Bike" with 7 speeds and 26x4.8 tires, 5 inch raised handlebars and a 1000W Bafang with 48v21aH battery, I think that makes a very good gravel bike too.

Apart from the "masochistic" adventure/thrill of hey I can ride this rough stuff on skinny tyres I am inclined to think the supple life would be best served by XC MTB 29er - short travel suspension and hey if you like drop-bars fit a set of drop bars. I suspect it will ultimately head this way. Without favouring any brand as a starting point have a look at the niner MCR or even the Trek Supercaliber. They are yet to have a bunch of mounting lugs, but already have "mullet gearing" - just fit drop bars (no need with the niner). A project for you?

Good review. The MTB does have a weight penalty as you note. The tire contact patch or footprint is another issue folks have to sort out. Where terrain is sandy and soft, a lower pressure tire with a greater footprint is often required and so that pushes the choice toward the MTB. If the trail 'tread' is firmer and the rocks are more in the gravel size than in the river rock size, then the gravel bike's 40 +- tire width is an advantage for rolling resistance. It the rider in moving on and off of surfaced roads then the gravel is a better choice. I have road, gravel, MTB and snow bikes and the gravel provides me with the greatest dynamic range for the region of the country where I live. Single track with drops, rocks and roots > MTB. Smooth single track through to surfaced roads > Gravel. Smooth roads > Road Bike. Soft beach sand and snow > snow bike. Any chance of ice > snow bike with studded tires. One last feature you may have reviewed and I have just missed are the stem shock absorbing technologies like the RedShift Stem. After I put that on my gravel bike I have not missed my MTB's front shock for single track without drops and rocks. Consider also a shock absorbing seat post. Keep it up!

How about hybrid bikes?

Use both MTB (29er) and Gravel/Cross bikes for long gravel rides, if there are significant technical rocky descents then front suspension makes the ride more comfortable - but must be able to lock out for climbs. On the other hand more climbing, gravel descents and really long distances I would recommend working on skills and (a lighter) riding gravel bike (drop or other bar). I also use H-bars which allow leaning into a more aero position (and give more hand positions for long rides)

You're looking at a modern MTB -- which are heavier because they are designed for pretty serious drops, etc. What you want is a high spec late 90s hardtail with 'gravel bike' geometry and a lightweight (

Don't forget to lock that suspension when on flat roads :) If you're about to choose a hardtail that will double as gravel bike, make sure you get one with suspension you can lock a 100% (make it completely stiff) for excellent dual usage!

My Xl 11kg full suspension XC Mountainbike with 2.4 inch low thread tires and with a lockout on the suspension is awesome for gravel riding. Position is nicer and a lot safer for making corrections when suffering from loss of frip in a corner.

Simply add a pair of aero bars to your your mtn bike and you get the perfect position to ride into a head wind. The bonus is that it adds great attachments points for bikepacking. My wife and I ride our fat bikes this way for bikepacking and love as it is also a most comfortable riding position and with the tire pressure changes to smooth out or firm the ride. If you are not in a hurry this is the best way to bikepack from my point of view. Still love my gravel bike when the route is roads, gravel or tarmac. How many bikes do you need, Just One more!

The solution: Mountain e-bike. Motor helps equalize the slog of pavement and headwind. Dial back the motor if you want more workout. More motor when you bonk. I find that I have to custom adjust the “ECO” mode to around 10% assist which “feels” like it erases the weight penalty of trying to do *anything* on a 50 pound bike! No motor IS A WORKOUT! Sometimes you want that!

I never thought I'd want drop bars on my MTB but I do. I considered putting bull horns 6 inches from the bar ends to simulate the hood position. It messy looking. Grips, brakes, shifters, bull horns. We need a transforming straight bar to bull horns. A company actually made a bull horn bar that smoothly transforms into the aero position.

If you want more aero on your MTB then try out the SQ Lab Innerbarends 411. Also for tires there are plenty of options for better rolling resistance. no need to buy an extra gravel bike

My opinion is just the opposite. I have a drop bar on my road bike and love it but much prefer the flat bar for gravel roads and single track. My mountain bike makes a great gravel bike by changing the 2.2 inch tires to a more narrow 700x45 gravel tire. I also replace the 28 tooth chain ring with a 32 tooth. Love it.

To get more aero on an MTB, add bar-ends/horns or aero-bars. They've fallen out of fashion but can still offer good utility, maybe even wrap them in bar tape if they feel to slim or slippy.

What would your thoughts on a MTB bike with alternative bars. Like the Surly Corner Bars? To give some of that gravel feel.

I hear all your points. Main point is ride whenever you can. Regularly clean and lube chain

So what you are saying is............. there’s still a chance for the Chamois Hagar??!!??😌

I have a cyclocross and a 26” full suspension mtb, the latter being lighter. I agree with the “conclusions”. I do tricky singe tracks on both but totally different mindsets. The part that I detest more is to do long stretches of flat in the MTB, whereas with the other it’s kind of fine.

For the route that you showed here, I would definitely choose a gravel bike. In the PNW, the trails are way more technical (at least the one's I find myself on) and have enjoyed using a hard tail over my gravel bike on them

Your logic seems to imply you would like the mtb on the smooth climb and pavement because you are under biked for those on the mtb. Me personally I would use a hardtail mtb on really rough gravel ride if I had a really light (expensive) mtb, otherwise I will make do with my trusty all the roads drop bar bike.

In 99 I bought a 2000 GF Marlin… Rode every where bike messenger,75 mile charity rides,heavy bike. I cracked the head tube…Soo in 2015 I bought a TrekDS 8.4 , hybrid….nice balance of best of both styles [mtb/road] . Depending on what my mood I may run conti touring slicks or throw my cyclocross wheel set on for gravel, trails [NOT serious MTB though ,trails.]

I know what you mean about the adventurous fun of riding a bike that makes a challenge. I ride the types of trails shown in this video on a road bike with narrow tires. It’s something I can’t even recommend, but I do it.

Love the videos! Looking forward to the review of the Timberjack, I am looking to purchase this exact model.

For more gravel and asphalt bases roads, i take a 90s mountain bike with the Michelin Country Rock tires: Very low rolling resistance, light aero position and narrow handlebar. With rocks on the route, we have this "underbiking". For very long tours in the mountains or wet fireroads and smaller trails, i take the full-suspension trailbike with Schwalbe Noby Nic: More rolling resistance, but more comfortable position and very plush ride.

My 23lb XC bike works great as a gravel bike. Dual suspension, fast light. I do see the gravel bike addicts using their gravel bike for everything no matter the ride.....cause gravel is so amazing.............."smooth" being the key word here.....rough fast roads reward suspension.

Playing off Lord of the Rings: "One Bike To Rule Them All." Not being (any longer) a multibike guy, I ride my Trek X-Caliber as my one steady steed. Not the fastest or furthest or even sometimes the most comfortable, but I get where I want to go. I've made a few mods, but it's mostly still a stock bike. Now I'm a big guy ("clydesdale") and 67yo, so that probably impacts my assessment of using an MTB. I do road, gravel, trail, errands and lite touring. I'm not really a "mountain biker" if doing technical riding or tricks or whatnot is included in your definition, but I go off-road and from what I see of your videos of Montana, I'd be happy there. Except for climbing, but that's another story. Good luck and keep up the good videos. I appreciate your viewpoints. And ... I have recently been motivated to pick up a small sketchbook and pencils (including colored) to reawaken my younger-days' drawing skills and supplement my camera while out on the trail. I conincidentaly saw some of your illustration work recently and that reinforced my urge to get sketching.

I´m on my hardtail 26 inch MTB. The front fork with lockout makes it perfect. I also fitted barends. it´s light and I don´t need an other gravelbike. Fit slightly narrow handlebars if you want. Ride on!

Whoa! Nicely done. I like your tendency to understate things. Those production values are super-good. I wish you luck and I’ll tune in again.

Big fan of mountain bikes for gravel. Many make the mistake of using tires that are way too wide for gravel. It's not against the law to put 35 or 40mm tires on your 29er. Just saying. The tough part is the smooth pavement you will inevitably encounter on your ride. And mountain bikes do really suck against the wind aerodynamically but it's only an issue to me when I'm riding with someone with a drop bar bike. When we're alone or riding with other flat bar riders we just slog through it, no big deal. One issue that is not mentioned nearly enough is the maintenance issue of fork and suspension seals in dusty and muddy conditions. Why this is not addressed more often in videos is beyond me. Any bike with suspension has to have timely regular maintenance, even more so in dusty conditions. The rigid gravel bikes have a decisive advantage in this regard. Many suspension forks have a recommended 50 hour service interval. That is a month or less for some of us. We really need to consider dust boots on forks and suspension shocks to protect the seals and adjusting our daily maintenance habits and it is not mentioned nearly enough.

Try changing the tires on a MTB for more of a hybrid setup the knobby tires will slow the roll speed down compared to say a comp h5 type tire that's a road tread with knobs on the edge so if you go off road you can get traction. I know many of us can't ride drop bars due to back or hernia issues so a hybrid or MTB is ideal to sit up right and pedal

Get a full-sus 29er, something like Decathlon XC500s, put some gravel tires on it, adjust / change handlebar grips and you have ultimate XC / Gravel bike with waaaaay better comfort and safety, for similar price. Gravel bikes are very niché and I would recommend it only as 2nd bike for very specific trips (from my own experience).

I do everything with my hardtail MTB with Cross King tyres - From Asphalt to gravel/farm roads (mostly) to medium difficulty MTB trails. Is it as fast as a gravel bike on asphalt and gravel? No. Can I ride bike park style downhill with it? No, I'm not skilled enough for that anyways. A well built hardtail is an incredible allrounder.

Recently asked myself these same questions on a new plus size hardtail, tubeless. Mixed conditions route on day rides it usually comes down to tires and ability to wind tuck for the smoother stretches. Liking Jones bars for their multiple hand positions. A less aggressive front tire will follow to balance rolling resistance. I slog therefore I am. The MTB is a great tool to mellow out the sketchy bits of rough terrain so overall makes for a more relaxed trip.

Have you tried a hybrid bike with front suspension I was amazed how well 32mm wide tyres coped off road although the tracks were firm with gravel and dirt but no mud

my two off-road bikes further narrow the dilemma discussed here. I have a steel, gravel bike with a steel fork that clears 40c tires and I also have a steel, hardtail, RIGID Mtn bike (carbon fork) that clears 2.3. I do keep a suspension for around but mostly it sits in a box.

Coming from MTB, I built my gravel bike with drop bars, 1x setup w/ 40t chainring + 11-42t cassette, a dropper post, a small travel suspension fork along with the stock rigid carbon fork to switch back and forth, and 700c+650b wheelsets. This gives me flexibility, but my point is that a good gravel bike can fall anywhere in between that wide range of beefy tires/low gearing/suspension and narrow tires/high gearing/rigid frame. Just depends on who is riding and where.

You didn't mention the ergonomic aspect, drop bar for longer tours is really great I think. Can't ride whole days on a flat bars.

Little tip for clibling uphill with a mountain bike: If your mountain bike has a suspension lock ring, which basically locks the suspension you can use it to get more power on the climbs, and of course you can unlock the suspension again, it should the right ring on the suspension fork, at least thats where mine is.

Mountain bikes are perfectly fine on gravel especially if its rough gravel. I switch off between my two bikes all the time. I have 35s on my gravel, not too aggressive. I gave up my road for a parlee gravel bike. No regrets. I like the variety on gravel. Also it depends on your objectives for the ride. Definitely more work to ride MB but more comfortable absorbing bumps, stability...

Wait, you said it's okay for you to ride an inappropriate bike on the rough roads "underbiking" but you complain about using an inappropriate bike on paved roads? Using a mountain bike on paved roads would be underbiking too right?

I agree under biking is more fun and feels a bit more exploratory than riding an over engineered machine. Saying that love a fully rigid MTB as a off road touring (gravel Bike). I’ve ridden 700 miles of GDMBR which is really just a long gravel route and a Rigid MTB is less fatiguing and more capable off road. The big caveat is the 1x drivetrains they just don’t satisfy having a full range (my opinion).

it depends on the type of road... if lots of sand, you need fat tires and an MTB is more likely to work better even better with a rigid fork

Rugsack is better for MTB - you can add rear bikepack - but not on the front wheel! i ride with 26/36/44 and a 11-23 cassette i can go 50-55 km/h on the road - and easy climb on a rough gravel roads. since most of my weight on the rear i can ride in more agressive aerodynamic position.

I have both a gravel bike and XC mountain bike. If I have a good deal of smooth dirt/gravel and asphalt on my ride with a little bit of more technical type riding, I'll generally go for the gravel bike (although not always). If it is more of a mountain bike ride (technical single track or steep, rocky fire roads) with a little bit of smooth stuff... then it is the MTB. However, I do once in awhile take my gravel bike on intermediate single track mountain bike trails. On those trails, there is no doubt I can rip up and down way more efficiently and easily on the XC MTB, but as Russ said, there is also something to be said about the fun factor of being "underbiked." Suddenly, easy, pedestrian terrain becomes way more challenging. A rocky descent I can fly down on my XC MTB suddenly requires nursing the gravel bike through the area, picking the line carefully--of course, at a slower speed, but it is still way more challenging. Also, I've timed myself on smoother terrain and tarmac with my gravel bike and my XC MTB. Actually, although the gravel bike is faster, it's surprisingly not by that much. In fact, as a crazy experiment, I just ordered a set of aero bars for the XC MTB. I'm going to try it again and see how fast the XC MTB can be with me in a tucked "aero" position. Unfortunately, the XC MTB bike is nearly 5 pounds heavier than the gravel bike. So there is that unfair advantage... which brings me to my next point: I just put on layaway (should be able to get the bike within a month or so) an expensive, very light Scott XC MTB that is actually slightly lighter than my gravel bike (and the XC is a full suspension with full lockout capability!). My thought with this bike is that it will become my "gravel bike" along with the more typical single track trail duties. I'm betting that the light XC bike will be just as fast if not faster in general, even though it has a little bit wider tires. It's an aggressive bike that rides with an aggressive, more "aero" position for the rider. Again, I might try my aero bar experiment with that bike as well if it works with my current XC bike. We'll see! I'm excited to do these comparisons.

I agree on the fun factor of under biking. I take a flat bar rigid bike on Jeep trails in KY (clay, rocks, sandy bits) with pathfinder pro 38c’s on it and have an absolute ball. When heading back on the faster rolling tires I am grateful for having them

Would a hybrid with a 60mm suspension costing less than a thousand bucks, like the Trek DS3, made it any better on the way back via the paved roads instead of the slog on the mountain bike?

Whenever you have a ride with mixed surfaces, there is no one ideal bike. What's perfect for the tech sections won't be ideal on the pavement and vice versa. So the "best" bike for the route depends......how technical are the toughest bits, how much of the route do they actually make up, and what bike do you feel confident riding those sections on. Personally, I'd nearly always go for the gravel bike. Being underbiked on the tech is for me preferable to riding an mtb on the road.

I use my steel CX bike as a gravel/XC MTB. I love to under bike myself.

Do you think a 29” would have made a big difference in terms of sluggishness?

Fully loaded bikepacking is a small percentage of my total riding so it's a 120mm dually mtb for me. I travel light so the reduced storage capacity doesn't hamper me too much and suspension lockouts help with efficiency.

my MTB is set up fairly low , never used the drops on my gravel bike , watch cyclo cross they dont either ... change the tyres on the MTB to 1.7 and ride fully rigid and its more fun and easy to do turns than any bike with drop bars

I am going to be running tubeless on my ‘91 Stumpy this summer, and I think it will prove great as long as the ride isn’t too long. I definitely appreciate my drop bars on my A-C CS when I’m on the bike for hours at a time.

Good video, Russ! Having a Randonneuse, Gravel Bike and Hardtail Trail MTB (with light XC tires😉) I completley agree to your thoughts. Often times I feel even "overbiked" on my Kona Sutra LTD with 50mm G-Ones. Keep it up!👍

I have a UK Ribble hybrid bike with gravel tires WTB riddler 700c x45c. Has a 1x11 sram drive trail. Hydraulic disc breaks and a flat bar. Carbon fork . I Found this the best in between bike. And a cheaper option at £800 now discounted to £600 and weighed in at 10kg . Win win for me coming from mountain biking

I have a road bike and a dual sus 150mm MTB (27.5 x 2.3, not super chunky treat pattern), I don't have the space or funds for a dedicated gravel bike and I've done long gravel rides on the MTB. The lack of hand positions on flat bars suuuucks for long rides. And 1x 32-46 is great for spinning up steep trails, but 32-11 means you top out on anything fast and flat very quickly and then you're spinning your legs like a cordless drill 😀 And lugging 15kg of bike up a climb kinda sucks too. Still, it's better to be riding than not riding, so I just go with it 😀

You did "underbike" with a slightly less appropriate road bike when you were on the pavement with the mountain bike. You had to push it through to make it back.

@4:00: Rigid mountain bikes! @4:40: Jones H bars to the rescue!

could I change the flat bar of the MTB to drop bar that make it more air dynamic？ and will also have the fuction of the gravel bake.

Gravel bike: jack of all trades-master of none.