Originally Posted by unterhausen

I think that's the bottom line, drop bar bikes are not really made for mountain biking and it takes a pretty good mountain biker to use them well in ways most appropriately ridden on a mountain bike. I'm planning on putting a dropper post on my gravel bike, it's pretty scary on a lot of the double track around here, and forget it on singletrack. The main trail down out of the mountains near here takes me less than an hour on my mountain bike, and I have never done it in less than 2 hours on my gravel bike.