Originally Posted by
Moisture
mack_turtle so you're telling me I should get a trail bike, but you use a gravel bike with drop bars ? I mean, there's nothing wrong with that, I know it is relatively common to do so.
sorry for the confusion. no, I generally use a flat-bar hardtail 29er for riding when it's primarily singletrack. I also have a gravel bike that is ridden on all surfaces, including
some singletrack. when the trails are in good shape and I just want to ride in the woods on rooty, rocky singletrack, I take the mountain bike. if I want to cover more distance exploring neighborhood paths and rural dirt roads, I take the gravel bike. on the gravel bike, I can ride much faster (and have more fun) on smoother surfaces like the neighborhood crushed granite trails nearby, but I have to slow down and sometimes carry my bike if I ride it on rough singletrack. but when I ride my mountain bike on those same trails that trip me up so much on the gravel bike, I can blast through the rocks and loose terrain like it's nothing. I happen to own just these two, whereas most of the people I know own 5-6 bikes with different formats to suit where and how they want to ride.
if you primary goal is trails, I'd stick with a proper mountain bike of any sort, even an old one. if your trails are very mild and smooth and you want to ride a mix of surfaces including non-pave roads, bridle paths, occasional singletrack, something like a gravel bike might be better. there's a lot of grey area between what's considered a mountain bike and a gravel bike, so it's a bit subjective. there's also the question of "how much bike" you want/need. for your preferences and your trails, you might only feel confident on a full-suspension bike with balloon tires and a dropper post. some people prefer to "under bike," riding a lighter, simpler bike that makes difficult terrain more of a challenge. I can't emphasize enough that it's subjective. since I have never ridden bikes near Toronto, I have no idea what kind of trails are available to you. I'd ask the locals where they ride and what kind of bike provides the best balance of challenge and capability. if you want to ride an undersized road bike with a 90% rear tire weight bias and slick tires on a downhill course where everyone else is riding a 160mm travel downhill bike, and that's fun for you, go for it. most people will not enjoy that.