Instead of dropping thousands on new gravel bikes, if we build up bikes from our MTB spare parts bin and stick 40c tyres on them, we can join a whole new lifestyle genre, with bikes better suited for taking off road 😁
I used to run 1.5" Continental Cross Country tyres BITD!
#aheadofthecurve
Pretty much!
Drops tho.
I used to run 1.5″ Continental Cross Country tyres BITD!
I used to use those, they were great, so knobbly and yet so thin.
with bikes better suited for taking off road
It would be better suited to taking off road if you left the MTB tyres on. Putting on 40c just makes it a slightly slower bike than a gravel bike on terrain suited to a gravel bike..
I have a gravel bike. I was thinking of making an old hard tail 650b as a sort sightly rougher terrain option. So yes why not.
Gravel bikes exist for all kinds of reasons. Mine is just a versatile drop bar bike . But one of the reasons they exist IMHO is that alot of modern mountain bikes aren't that great for riding for the sort of riding most of us do from the house. The older MTBs were better for this. So yes build yourself a parts bin gravel bike
PS so far my gravel bike hasn't actually been faster than my MTB with Slicks..