Gravel trend deluxe: Mountain bike with racing handlebars - sense or nonsense?

Mountain bikes score points for riding safety and comfort, even on difficult terrain. Gravel bikes offer better aerodynamics. For this combination, professional cyclists now often use a hybrid of gravel and mountain bikes in extreme races such as the Tour Divide.

Gravel manufacturers have also reacted and are putting more and more gravel racers with mountain bike features such as wide tyres or smooth-running geometry in the shops. Even tuners like Dangerholm have recognised the concept for themselves. The categories are becoming increasingly blurred. An analysis.

>> Home round or tour divide: Salsa Cutthroat with MTB genes put to the test

>> Chasing records with the Monster Gravel: Sebastian Breuer and the European Divide

>> "There is still room for another gravel category": Tuner Dangerholm experiments

Reader enquiry: Why gravel handlebars on a hardtail?

"Dear BIKE editors, there was a time when bikers bolted single gears to their 26-inch MTBs in a fit of modernisation mania. They thought it was cool, but were surprised that they were overtaken on the left by grannies with rollators. Recently, I've noticed that some bikers are fitting gravel handlebars to their hardtails for similar reasons!

Does such a "hermaphrodite" have any driving characteristics worth mentioning?

A sight to be ashamed of. The handlebars can't match the frame geometry in terms of looks alone. Does such a "hermaphrodite" have any riding characteristics worth mentioning? Otherwise, it's better to leave the bike as it is. The MTB is already perfect, best regards" - André N., Bernau

Assessment by BIKE editor Jan Timmermann

Hello André, thank you very much for your message. I'm a big fan of classic mountain bikes, but I have to admit that I fitted gravel handlebars to my hardtail ten years ago and called it "monster gravel". Technically speaking, this only makes sense on gravel and easy forest tracks if an extremely short, flat stem is involved. This can compensate somewhat for the longer reach and shorter head tube compared to a gravel bike and provide aerodynamic advantages (e.g. Salsa Guide Stem 60 mm / +25°). However, the steeper the descent, the greater the advantage of conventional MTB handlebars.

...only makes sense if an extremely short, flat stem is involved

In my eyes, mountain bikes with gravel handlebars are a fad that aims to circumvent the shortcomings of gravel bikes and the "moderate coolness factor" of hardtails. We don't currently have a specific article on this topic in the pipeline, but we recommend our three-part Gravel vs. hardtail concept comparison from BIKE 10/25 Best regards - Jan, Editor Test & Technology