Originally Posted by
mstateglfr
I have genuinely never heard this about gravel riding. I havent done it and havent seen it done by others out on roads or at rides and races.
My gravel bike's saddle is the same height to BB as my road bikes. Thats because gravel roads are still roads. There isnt exactly much technical about it overall. And yes I get that gravel varies from state to state or even county to county.
I would think a 60mi ride with the saddle dropped with simply suck. No fun at all.
Perhaps I am not envisioning this correctly.
Lower saddle means lower center of gravity. Lower is more stable. Ever hear of a dropper post? There is a reason people are willing to pay money and endure complexity to have dropper posts. Perhaps you have noticed where trials riders or stunt riders put the saddle?
I don't own two bikes with same saddle height. And change saddle height from time to time just because. Bikes work fine with different saddle heights.
It gets technical the moment you start to slip and fall. Recovering from a slip is going to be mostly about rider technique. Having the technical aspects of the bike in easiest and most flexible starting position makes staying up much easier. OP broke a leg. Doesn't want to do it again.