Been pondering over some kind of winter, xc, commuter bike which could bimble down a fire road and then take on a short road ride and to be built for around 300.
I have a Daewoo Genius which is rigid and has V brakes, I have thought of converting it to single speed and throwing on drops. But would selling it and going to 29 be a better option? I already run 29 on my mtb so tyres could be swapped and so on.
Or just buy a road bike for commuting around and use my mtb for everything else and clean it religiously?

I tried doing the same thing several times over the years; never worked out as I imagined. Save yourself some time, money and effort by buying a gravel bike instead.

This might sound a bit crazy because I don’t know what I am talking about but…
Could I get an old steel CX or road bike (I’ll compare geometry to modern gravel bikes) and put chunky bar tape and new tyres, maybe 1* to convert it?

Some food for thought around my original idea:
https://www.bikeforums.net/classic-vintage-bicycles-whats-worth-appraisals-inquiries/1090748-building-gravel-touring-older-bike.html