Originally Posted by
plaucc
Ready to venture into the newer gravel/go anywhere/do-it-all bike and considering a flat-bar version. I currently ride 29er MTB and 26" MTB, traditional road bike and a rigid hybrid bikes. Would a flat-bar gravel bike perform better over a drop-bar on unpaved road and singletrack? Looking at GT Grade FB, Specialized Sirrus, Giant etc. Any recommendations? Thanks.
I have friend who is mostly a MTB rider, though he does have a drop bar road bike and a bike for gravel rides. His gravel bike is a Specialized Sirrus Sport with a 2.0" front tire and a 38mm rear. (the most he could reasonably fit in each case)
We rode together this past weekend on a mostly hard packed gravel ride and he did very well. I've ridden with him before on a ride that involved gravel, pavement and a few miles of moderate singletrack. No problems with the bike at all. While I am far more comfortable with drop bars on that kind of ride, he is equally biased toward flat bars.
It really comes down to what you feel better with.