I had a couple drop bar road/gravel bikes in the fleet and a couple MTB riser/Alt bar mountain bikes with fast rolling rubber as well. After a few years I noticed I grabbed the mountain bikey machines 9 out of 10 times when riding on pavement/gravel despite having "better" options. So I sold the drop bar bikes. No regrets.
With smart tire choice the speed differential isn't important as long as you aren't racing \[real life or virtual phone racing\]. With fenders and a rack the MTB can be very functional not to mention when you turn off the road and are faced with a black diamond trail the MTB just keeps on trucking which I like a lot.
The versatility is the selling point for me. I can take one of my road/gravel biases MTBs on a trip and know that no matter what ends up happening I'll have a machine I can ride and have fun. If I brought a drop bar gravel bike or a shreddy FS enduro bike I'd have to seek out some specific terrain and stay away from some other stuff to make the most of the machine I had.
My GF has been making some rumblings about getting a "gravel bike" recently. I have pointed out her existing hardtail with fast rolling rubber is probably a better choice for her performance needs as well as her ergonomic needs \[she's never gotten along with drop bars\]. Her reply has been riding a MTB on gravel missions isn't stylish and/or cool vs. a dedicated drop bar gravel bike. I can't really disagree with that. I've made a mental note to get her a Rapha "gravel" jersey for her birthday and some Specialized branded leg shaving razors/shaving cream as a Christmas stocking stuffer! You can't fight stuff like this.
March 22, 2022, 7:53 a.m. - Vik Banerjee
I had a couple drop bar road/gravel bikes in the fleet and a couple MTB riser/Alt bar mountain bikes with fast rolling rubber as well. After a few years I noticed I grabbed the mountain bikey machines 9 out of 10 times when riding on pavement/gravel despite having "better" options. So I sold the drop bar bikes. No regrets. With smart tire choice the speed differential isn't important as long as you aren't racing \[real life or virtual phone racing\]. With fenders and a rack the MTB can be very functional not to mention when you turn off the road and are faced with a black diamond trail the MTB just keeps on trucking which I like a lot. The versatility is the selling point for me. I can take one of my road/gravel biases MTBs on a trip and know that no matter what ends up happening I'll have a machine I can ride and have fun. If I brought a drop bar gravel bike or a shreddy FS enduro bike I'd have to seek out some specific terrain and stay away from some other stuff to make the most of the machine I had. My GF has been making some rumblings about getting a "gravel bike" recently. I have pointed out her existing hardtail with fast rolling rubber is probably a better choice for her performance needs as well as her ergonomic needs \[she's never gotten along with drop bars\]. Her reply has been riding a MTB on gravel missions isn't stylish and/or cool vs. a dedicated drop bar gravel bike. I can't really disagree with that. I've made a mental note to get her a Rapha "gravel" jersey for her birthday and some Specialized branded leg shaving razors/shaving cream as a Christmas stocking stuffer! You can't fight stuff like this.