Plenty of good gravel options out there with flat bars that aren't hardtail mountain bikes - they're different beasts.
Sizing/geo is definitely what you'd need to think the most about before you went swapping, though.
In my first look I said "But beware, the first person to joke about how “gravel bikes are just 90’s XC bikes” in the comments owes me a beer."
I think the equivalent in this piece (especially in the wake of Mike's Wide Handlebars on Wednesday) is "Anyone who says 'Why don't you just get a hardtail?'" owes me a beer." ;)
June 10, 2022, 8:37 a.m. - Cooper Quinn
Plenty of good gravel options out there with flat bars that aren't hardtail mountain bikes - they're different beasts. Sizing/geo is definitely what you'd need to think the most about before you went swapping, though. In my first look I said "But beware, the first person to joke about how “gravel bikes are just 90’s XC bikes” in the comments owes me a beer." I think the equivalent in this piece (especially in the wake of Mike's Wide Handlebars on Wednesday) is "Anyone who says 'Why don't you just get a hardtail?'" owes me a beer." ;)