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As an MTB'er... would you consider one of these gravel bikes

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AdamBike

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Discussion starter · #1 ·
I'm more used to flat bars and MTB riding, but am curious about an all-rounder gravel bike type option.
One that is fun on commuting on pavement (some distance), gravel, and some light single track… also comfortable, and relatively playful where I don't feel glued to the bike or front end is a bear to lift (not worried about racing).
Some bikes that seem to fit this I'm considering, but lean one way or the other on the spectrum above, are:

All City Gorilla Monsoon (drop bar)
All City Space Horse Microshift (flat bar)
Salsa Journeyer 1x (drop or flat bar)

Drops would be new to me so I don't know how I'd get along with it, and am not a fan of likely toe overlap (but have learned to manage before), but am intrigued and am looking again for something ergonomic and comfortable (especially for my hands and shoulders) with decent visibility.
Trying to stay around $1,500. The GM is used for that price, while the other two fall about in that range new.
Any other bikes you like or would consider?
What's been your experience shifting from MTB to an option like the above (not to replace but something that can be close to a "quiver killer" for most occasions)?
 
#2 ·
I'm not too familiar with the All City options, but the Salsa is supposed to be a pretty good, versatile option.

I came into gravel with a lot of road and mountain experience, so for me it is a way to combine the two. Easy singletrack is a ton of fun with drop bars, and the long pavement stretches don't suck nearly as much as on a mountain bike.

I personally really like having drop bars because there are a bunch of hand positions to switch between. The downside is they are much narrower than flat bars. Going into the drops puts your weight forward and that's discovering when going down steep hills.

I suggest giving some serious thought to how you will ride it. Gravel bikes cover the full spectrum between road and mountain. If you want to do some trails, look more on the mountain side but you will sacrafice some pavement speed. Don't be afraid to experiment with tires since that can make a huge difference too.

I prefer 2x for gravel since you get a better range of gears and closer spacing. That matters more if you will ride on alot of pavement.
 
#3 ·
Look into the new crop of wide flared drops, like 50-52cm, with a shorter stem. They are stable and fun off-road and are way more comfortable than you might think.
I put the 52cm PNW 'The Coast' bar on my Salsa Vaya and it re-invigorated the bike on sketchier terrain, while still giving the hand positions.

There are some really crazy-wide bars like the Crust Towel Rack that are in the 60cm range, and they basically give you a mountain-bike feel. I would only use them on a true drop-bar 29er mountain bike like a Kona Sutra LTD or Salsa Fargo.

AllCity bikes are a bit heavy and solid, think of them like a Surly.
Looked at the Kona Rove?
 
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#4 ·
AdamBike said:
I'm more used to flat bars and MTB riding, but am curious about an all-rounder gravel bike type option.
One that is fun on commuting on pavement (some distance), gravel, and some light single track… also comfortable, and relatively playful where I don't feel glued to the bike or front end is a bear to lift (not worried about racing).
Some bikes that seem to fit this I'm considering, but lean one way or the other on the spectrum above, are:

All City Gorilla Monsoon (drop bar)
All City Space Horse Microshift (flat bar)
Salsa Journeyer 1x (drop or flat bar)

Drops would be new to me so I don't know how I'd get along with it, and am not a fan of likely toe overlap (but have learned to manage before), but am intrigued and am looking again for something ergonomic and comfortable (especially for my hands and shoulders) with decent visibility.
Trying to stay around $1,500. The GM is used for that price, while the other two fall about in that range new.
Any other bikes you like or would consider?
What's been your experience shifting from MTB to an option like the above (not to replace but something that can be close to a "quiver killer" for most occasions)?
Click to expand...
I have a friend with the gorilla monsoon, it is extremely heavy(36lbs for a med) and it just seems like the worst of both worlds for mtb and gravel. Not capable or light.
 
#5 ·
Gravel bikes are tough...

I've tried several, and always feel like there are too many compromises. They are either waaay to slow on the pavement, or waaay to outgunned in the dirt. This is 90% wheels, since IMO there's not a great tire option that can truly do pavement and dirt (let alone singletrack).

Now, the type of person that hasn't tried drop bars before probably won't necessarily feel bogged down riding gravel tires and lower gearing on pavement so that may not be an issue for you.

As for the bikes you're looking at, my $.02 is that All City bikes are overpriced Surlys and don't deserve the price they command. And if you do opt for a flat bar build, check the geometry closely and look at what you're getting. You can't really just put flat bars on a road frame and send people down the road. I'd anticipate sizing up.
 
#6 ·
Personally I cannot ride the drop bars because of arthritis, they lean me too far forward, so I always ride flat bars with upright seating position. I have gravel tires on a 29" hardtail and it works great on bike paths and easy trails, I don't ride it on trails with lots of roots and rocks. As an example, my hardtail with gravel tires can average almost 20 mph on asphalt bike paths with the same amount of push that gets me a 15-16 mph average on a FS bikes with heavy trail tires. The road bikers will say 20 mph is slow, and compared to a road bike it is, if you are looking for maximum speeds. If you just want to go outside and pedal where ever, then they work fine.

Granted, a cheap hardtail with QR135 dropouts and fast rolling gravel tires, is 95% of the way to a gravel bike. For example, go compare those bike geometries to a GT Aggressor you can buy on Facebook Marketplace for like $200 and then throw all your old left over and undesirable MTB parts on that used Aggressor. For my do whatever bike I'm OK with people laughing at me.
 
#8 ·
AdamBike said:
I'm more used to flat bars and MTB riding, but am curious about an all-rounder gravel bike type option.
One that is fun on commuting on pavement (some distance), gravel, and some light single track… also comfortable, and relatively playful where I don't feel glued to the bike or front end is a bear to lift (not worried about racing).
Some bikes that seem to fit this I'm considering, but lean one way or the other on the spectrum above, are:

All City Gorilla Monsoon (drop bar)
All City Space Horse Microshift (flat bar)
Salsa Journeyer 1x (drop or flat bar)

Drops would be new to me so I don't know how I'd get along with it, and am not a fan of likely toe overlap (but have learned to manage before), but am intrigued and am looking again for something ergonomic and comfortable (especially for my hands and shoulders) with decent visibility.
Trying to stay around $1,500. The GM is used for that price, while the other two fall about in that range new.
Any other bikes you like or would consider?
What's been your experience shifting from MTB to an option like the above (not to replace but something that can be close to a "quiver killer" for most occasions)?
Click to expand...
Lots of misinformation in the replies so far.

Of the bikes you listed the Space Horse would be my pick. All-City make sweet frames! This frame will ride like butter.

The Gorilla Monsoon is solidly in the "Monster Cross" category, think of it like a drop bar MTB. Heavier and more for loaded bikepacking with 2.2" tires.

The Kona Rove is much more like a Surly. Non specific butted 4130 tubing. The All-City is going to ride much nicer.

The Salsa is not really my style.
 
#10 ·
spinkleswexler said:
I have a friend with the gorilla monsoon, it is extremely heavy(36lbs for a med) and it just seems like the worst of both worlds for mtb and gravel. Not capable or light.
Click to expand...
Do they have a lot of junk on it? My medium Monsoon is 28 lb stock. That's not light, but it's not too far off xc bikes.

I absolutely love my Monsoon, and I think it's the perfect ATB/exploring bike. Even with XC tires (Teravail EhLine) I can comfortably hold 14-16mph on the flats, on pavement. It's not road bike fast but that's not what it's for. It's an extremely comfortable frame that has huge tire clearance, which helps with singletrack exploration. If you're buying it with the stock gearing, the 38t chainring with 42t cassette can be tough if you're used to riding mountain bike gearing, but I just figure it makes me stronger in the long run. It's my ideal bike for leaving from my front door and riding all day, hitting lines or roads I find interesting.

I'm of the opinion that there's two types of "Gravel" bikes, the first being more road oriented with 35-42mm tires. These are endurance road bikes with bigger clearance and some small geometry changes. Then you have the ATB/Monstercross/Drop Bar MTB depending on geometry. These have clearance from 47mm to 2.6" tires and are used closer in line to a hardtail mtb than a road bike. They're typically a lot heavier too, closer to 30lb than 20lb. It's really up to you to figure out which is better suited for your needs. If you're strictly on hardpacked gravel and roads, then the first category might be better. If you're envisioning hitting singletrack with occassional road use to get to gravel/singletrack, then you might like the second.

The only thing I'd say about All City is that their sizing is a bit weird. A 52cm has a top tube of 54.5, so fits closer to a traditional 54. Their 55 fits like a 58 etc. Be sure to ride it before you buy so you know if it fits.

The Monsoon in particular has some nasty toe overlap with 27.5x2.3" tires. Going down to 47 would help. I've not found it to be an issue, but it can be a bit annoying. The other thing is that it's got a sort of weird axle to crown and headtube combination. Straight steerer 395mm atc means it's not able to accept suspension, and finding a lighter/replacement fork is tough. There are some out there but they're not exactly cheap. On the flatbar subject, I do know that plenty of people run the GM with a flatbar, although I would look into sizing before buying so you can determine if it would fit for you down the line. I personally think dropbars are better for this type of bike, because if you need the leverage and control of the flatbars you're probably at the limit of what a rigid bike can do, and drop bars are better pretty much everywhere other than singletrack imo. Let me know if you have any questions about the Monsoon. It's probably my favorite bike I've ridden so I'm happy to talk about it all day.

It's never going to keep up with fast group rides, nor your buddy's enduro sled, but if you buy it knowing that then it'll be able to do everything relatively well.


Other bikes to consider include:
Salsa Fargo
Salsa Cutthroat
Any of the Lauf gravel bikes (they're priced competitively, and Reddit seems to adore them)
Poseidon's lineup if you're on a budget
Kona Rove
Surly's entire lineup
Canyon Grizl
YT's gravel bike offering
Cotic Cascade
 
Discussion starter · #11 ·
All really helpful so far. I like the idea of wide range of tire options/clearance (47c-2.4 or so). and as much comfort and all-round capability as possible, but still feel responsive on neighborhood cruises. so while i like in this case a mid range head angle and lower trail, toe overlap ideally is avoided. the long, straight line endurance rides would be low on the list.

Wider drops with shorter reach sound more appealing for comfort and leverage. i've also considered drop to flat bar conversion, but seems costly/complex and not sure if worth it. Maybe alt bars or jones style for a "hybrid" of sorts.

The Space Horse Microshift with the flat bar stock could be a good candidate for alt bars/jones and would take well to switching from slicks to more knobby for varying terrain/riding style at times... think $1500 is worth it for that build? Sounds like good steel for a production bike.
 
#18 ·
I smile at post that state a particular bike "will ride like butter". I assume they are talking ride quality and I'd state that after you throw on a pair or 44mm gravel tires and run them at 30-40 psi, you in no way feel frame material. As a mt. biker who is not used to riding a drop bar bike, you might find it different. I ride road bikes for most of my mileage so don't find gravel any different. Is gravel different than a single track x-country ?, of course, but something you quickly adapt to. As well I see no point in a flat bar gravel, might as well ride a hard tail. Using drop bars gives you more hand positions, you can generally hammer faster and they are generally better on the road than flat bars. One of the best things you can do with a gravel bike is get a 2nd set of wheels, install skinny road tires in the 28mm-32mm range and hammer on asphalt. Makes for a decent road bike, though typically a few pounds heavier than a dedicated carbon road.
 
#19 · (Edited)
It took me a while to warm up to a drop bar bike. The fit and handling of the way I want a drop-bar bike to behave is very different from a mountain bike. They are often entirely different species of bicycle. It might not be wise to expect a bike designed to handle well on gravel roads to handle like a mtb. "Gravel" bikes, as we all know, straddle the world of mtb and road, and some of them are closer to the mtb side than others. I picked a "road-adjacent" gravel bike because I didn't want a redundant mtb.

The reach and drop to the hoods is a little longer and lower and it causes me no problems. I think the saddle on my gravel bike is offset more rearward than on my mtb as well. I ride on top of the hoods most of the time, and get in the hooks when riding singletrack, which is a very low position that I can't maintain indefinitely, so I use it only for sketchy surfaces and to duck out of headwinds.

My 650b-47mm tires are not as fast on the road as a roadie tire, and not as confident on singletrack as a mtb tire. It's a compromise that's fun for mixing up my rides without going full roadie. I hope that helps.

I'm on a Twin Six Standard Rando. It's an often over-looked model and I love it.
 
#20 ·
Catmandoo said:
I smile at post that state a particular bike "will ride like butter". I assume they are talking ride quality and I'd state that after you throw on a pair or 44mm gravel tires and run them at 30-40 psi, you in no way feel frame material.
Click to expand...
Respectfully disagree, I've ridden a few steel bikes with 2.3" tires and you can absolutely tell the difference between them all. Hell, my steel gravel bike rides better on chattery gravel and rough roads than my carbon fatbike.

I do agree with you about the drops and the second set of wheels, however. Makes the bike way more versatile
 
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AdamBike
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