Gravel Bike vs Hardtail - Which Should You Buy?

Gravel bike or Hardtail MTB, which would you go for? Let us know in the comments.

The following companies (that you'll see in my content) support me either financially or with free stuff, so huge thanks to these guys for helping the channel thrive:
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fidlock,
Hutchinson Tyres
Sungod
Tailfin
GT85
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#cycling #bikes #bicycle

[Mincher]

One thing about Gravel Bikes that doesn't get much mention is that they are pretty much the ideal touring setup. Comfortable enough, fast enough.

[supervelomantrek]

After two year riding a gravel…..I came back to xc bike….so comfortable

[thebudgetcyclist]

All the videos Francis has been making are like creating the basics for people getting into riding and being a go to rather than someone like GCN, which I applaud him for. Different perspective for people and something that’s not just sponsor based

[georgeforeman]

The in-between is a full rigid mountain bike. You can put whatever size tire you want, and no extra weight from the squishy suspension. And they're great for bikepacking.

[FutureMark]

Speed isn't everything to everyone. Hardtail XC MTB is a comfortable commuter and excellent bike packing rig. Your choice should be based not only on what riding you'll mostly do but also which bike gives you the most confidence.

[odetocycling]

I was asking myself the same question only a week back.

I've ridden an awful lot on various versions of road bikes, and, inevitably, using them on gravel tracks and muddy trails (aka National Cycle Network). What gets me every time is the mud which just gums everything up and, with mudguards (fenders) on normally finds me grinding to a gritty stop. In addition there are the inevitable ruts from tree roots or from larger vehicles (cyclo-cross bikes and off-roader cars).

And so I opted for a hardtail MTB. Nothing too fancy - but not entry level - I've found the large nobbly tyres, super-wide straight handlebars and generous gear ratios a real epoc-defining change in riding experience. That coupled with the front suspension and more upright riding position (my back's not what it once was) has enabled me to just plough through and over everything. Indeed, where once I avoided ruts, puddles and divets, I now actively seek them out - it's just so much fun.

Finally, living in Chopwell (which has very similar terrain to Hamsterley, but probably more water and therefore mud, and certainly hills) I think that the MTB just lends itself to the terrain perfectly.

Finally, someone mentioned that I'd joined "the dark side". Seems like there is a different culture between roadies and MTB'ers which may be worth covering off in one of your fine episodes.

Loving the evolving channel guys!

[AndrewBrown-emti]

A big part of this comes down to “where” you are going to ride most of the time. Gravel bikes are designed to ride “gravel” and there’s not a lot of that in the UK. If you are riding “off road” - trails, mud, single track, rocks, downhill then the hardtail seems a better choice. For a mixture of Road and not very technical trails I can see the advantages for the gravel bike too.

[Iasthai]

Missed opportunity here is having a dropper seat post on the MTB, makes a massive difference in my experience

[jensthimmvalsted]

Its cool to see these kind of comparisons.
I bought a gravel bike 3 years ago after riding mountainbikes for years and years.
After about 2000km on the gravel bike i put on flat bars, and I love it even more now. And thats because it suits me and what I come from.
So it''s all about prefecene :D
Nice videos!

[ChrisMillerCycling]

Great explanation of the differences guys! So much of it comes down to the terrain you intend to ride. For me the ‘gravel’ riding is so light in Sydney you can easily manage it on your road bike, but then the jump to anything off road is dramatic … often loose sandstone singletrack. I’m leaving towards going the hard tail route, but like Francis alluded to its the compatibility and familiarity jump when going MTB that I’m afraid of.

[MAURITS_METERSMAKER]

One thing to consider is the strengt of the wheels. Gravel bikes are built lighter. If the bike gets a lot of rough handling off road the wheels are probably not strong enough.
I would ride an upright XC-MTB with a narrower handle bar and narrower fast rolling tires.

[briw]

with my old worn out body, with damage from accidents and age, i use a hard tail mountain bike with gravel tires. works great, upright position comfy for my back and wrists. gearing and crankset adjusted for better road/gravel riding, thats all you need

[blankroomsoup]

There’s only so much that fat tires can compensate for, and on longer rides it doesn’t take a very rough surface to get uncomfortable on a gravel bike, so the answer which bike to choose should be based entirely on where it’s going to be used most and not what tools and spares we have laying around.

[neilfox]

Something about Jimmy's face that always makes me smile, he always looks like he's enjoying himself and brings a boyish curiosity! Keep up the good work fellas

[JulianKent]

An XC bike with aero bars and semi-slick tyres is also really fast and capable. Particularly if it gets steep on the downhill, the gravel bike is going to run out of back wheel grip, and any front brakes will send you over the bars, while the XC bike will stay in control.

[theonemanopinion]

As someone who’s ridden and raced mountain bikes for around a decade, I’ve just switched to a road bike.. the sketchy feeling of a gravel bike on a trail is how I feel on the road lol! Everything feels too far forward and really unstable! But I’m loving the speed!

[oliverloveday]

Can I just say the quality of these videos is amazing, the shot of Jimmy at 11:26 captures the joy of cycling so well. Love it!

Of course, down to individual preference and where you're going to be riding most, but I love the versatility of the gravel bike on paths, trails, and roads and over longer distances the road handlebars are more comfortable. Definitely limited on trails and downhill but if you're choosing one bike that will kind of take you everywhere, I'd say gravel is the one.

[stop]

I use my gravel bike as a long distance road bike mostly. When doing really long rides I don't know the route beforehand, so there is a high chance to see some gravel/dirt roads. Also the more comfortable position, low gearing and bigger tire clearance works well for that. I tried taking it on gnarlier stuff too but did not like it at all, I much prefer a mtb for that.

[jackt]

I just recently turned my hardtail into a gravel.
With a 142mm rear hub spacing, I managed to fit 700c road wheel with 35mm gravel tyres. fitted SRAM XPLR groupset.
Kinda unique setup but it suit my use on road, light trail and jumping around urban kerbs.

[JiorujiDerako]

I'm a MTB rider myself, so it's super interesting seeing this comparison from more of the roadie perspective! Same definitely applies in reverse with your conclusion at the end; if you've got some trail MTBs already, something along the lines of an XC mountain bike is the easier transition because they likewise share so many parts from stuff you've already got. If I were to go for a gravel bike for example, I'd be starting from scratch, not necessarily having road bike tools or parts laying around. Though I think there's some gravel bikes that borrow more from the MTB parts bin? So there's that to consider as well.