Are you torn between a gravel bike and a flat bar XC mountain bike? Which is faster? Which is more versatile for bikepacking trips? In this video, Anna & Doddy are out in the Forest Of Dean to spend the day comparing the two options as they look at the pros and cons of gravel Vs flat bar XC bikes!
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42 Comments
UNFORTUNATELY with the cost of good bikes today, it’s all I can do to have a good Mt Bike & a good Road Bike… LET ALONE A GOOD GRAVEL BIKE AS WELL 🥴🫤😒
as a women of limited means I prefer to have one bike for everything..I just purchased for me, a sick mountain bike that I use for everything and I love it.
Magnificent countryside. Fun video. Thanks
one of the best review videos about these bikes. It really depends on what the rider wants. I prefer the all around purpose mountain bike.
More of Anna in the future
I routinely train on flat gravel – fast 50-100km loops for base km – race xc marathons on an old carbon 29er XC bike. Funny thing is there are always gravel bike riders on my training loops but most only do one or two loops tops – 25km – which they could easily do on a real XC bike – I wonder if gravel is an industry driven hype beast designed to sell stuff that most folks probably don't need. If you actually do the work and routinely ride a lazy 200km plus base km each week on flat gravel (on any bike) – your fancy pants gravel bike has very little points of difference – I would go as far as to say perceived gains of bike types actually reduce over distance with a dialed in XC marathon rig – in the real world, wind, and weather tend to cancel out any individual aero gains – and its all about legs and lungs – big difference with gravel riders is most ride in pristine lycra clad packs and know how to tuck-in and work together, where as drafting is typically a no no for MTB. Yes, I have been known to jump on the back of a gravel pack, and get a free ride on a breezy day- my old flat bar 29er does just fine.
I love orbea but 6k+ for that thing 😬 I'd take Anna's bike and buy a canyon lux with the Change ! Two for the price of one and use each as intended 🤷🏾
: )
Everyone knows that gravel bike drop bars are the best because it's the latest fad. How can anyone use flat bars when they are so old? Trends rule the components one wants. And if you don't agree with these gravel bike influencers, they will respond like you called their children ugly
that's an amazing frame on that orbea!
I'm putting a flatbar on my cyclocross for the winter time double and green blue single track rides with 41mm knobbies.
That's successfully put me off buying a rigid MTB! 😂
"It's not the wrong bike, it's the wrong trail."
That's a great quote.
Put drops on a quality 90s MTB and you've got the best of both worlds — that's what I ride in Devon, England, and it outperforms both of these, especially for bikepacking. I also think that 1x drivetrains cost you a lot of options for finding exactly the right gear over longer distances — so I've got a 2x CX drivetrain on the bike.
i had a shot on my mates on one gravel bike and the diferance was like chalk and cheese compaird to my hard rock it was a speed machine!! was so much easyer to ride, and my hard rock is faster than my s works carbon stump jumper on thr flat stuff although the hard rock has faster rolling tyres on it than my stump jumper so guess i can see the point if you just want to do gravel rideing and stuff like that.
The flat bar looks so much better.
I love those new school/old MTB 👍
Gear ratios?
I am with Doddy on this one..That Orbea is making me drool🤤
Anna is just fine as hell ! real babe 😘
"Look at my old mtn bike worth 6,500 pounds without a custom paint job and see how it compares to a new bike" I'd say pretty effing close.
you just cant beat the efficiency, versatility and speed of a gravel bike. truly an all-rounder.
Actually a city bike with wide tyres would be even better there at low speed
Well I only have one budget mountain bike so I guess it is going to have to do lol
Thanks for this as I am looking for a new steed and am torn between the two.
Secondly – I want a girlfriend like Anna!
PS: I still think its a hardtail MTB for me!
But in many places there’s no endless smooth gravel roads so xc makes more sense regularly IMo
I use my Gravel Specialized Diverge with flat handlebar I think it very comfortable and maneuverability
His bike control is amazing!!
What about a flat bar gravel bike ??? My sirrus X rips
When I ride my enduro bike around town or anywhere off the trails I veer off to hit a feature from big stairs, little stairs, curbs, and all sorts of fun stuff.
I put an aero bar on my rigid mtb with niner fork for more loads and water bottles. Aero bar beats drop bar anytime of the day. 😅 the combination of a flat bar and aero bar are surreal
A bike for all your needs or a bike costume made for specific day, ya easy choice..
If you dont mind destroying your back vertebrae at an early age, ride a gravel bike on rocky and bumpy terrain. Have fun with back surgery, doctors approve of gravel bikes, lol.
My bike came without a seat, how can I contact the seller to ask for it to be shipped to me
i prefere flat bars with some horns (outside or in the middle)
Narrow flat bars with aero bars.
3:20 my favourite part 😂
She refuses to yield a single point, dumping on everything Doddy says. Why not be gracious and compliment what someone else likes, even if it doesn't fit your narrow perspective.
J’ai trouvé la vidéo sympa et amusante, merci pour votre bonne humeur, cependant ça manque cruellement d’objectivité. Vous comparez deux vélos qui n’ont pas la même géométrie et qui ont deux tailles de roues différentes.
Je crois qu’on veut trop donner une image unique au gravel alors qu’en réalité la bonne forme du guidon c’est celle qui nous convient, comme la taille des roues ou encore le choix d’un double plateau ou d’un mono.
Je vous rappelle la victoire de Sofiane Sehili au tour divide( entre autres) avec un cadre très sloping et un cintre plat avec prolongateur…
Back in the late 80’s early 90’s I had a Scott sawtooth rigid mountain bike and had the best time doing trails , canals, woods, road . Much like the modern day gravel bike . I use a trek Crockett now , still as much fun
The mezcals make it noticeably slower. With a proper gravel tire, it would be night and day (I just did this upgrade towards the mezcal to gain downhill performance on trails).
my gravel bike is ,cheap a hybrid frame with disk mount , with mtb 29er wheels , long rigid fork drop bars and sti shifters , dual mtb crackset , work just fine ,