Originally Posted by
bikemig
The midwest is a hotbed for gravel rides. There are lots of gravel roads here and some tough gravel rides. Most are races and that's not really my thing at this point. A touring bike can work but a drop bar MTB or one with a trekking bar is a really good choice. You can run a 26 x 1.75 or 2.0 tire and those old MTBs have lots of gearing.
Yes, I've seen a lot of pictures on this forum from all over the country. The rides I'm thinking of have some road so I would a drop bar bike would be an advantage. I wanted to use the touring bike to see if I would keep at it and maybe buy something later.