This past spring, my son joined the local mountain biking club. My heart melted when he decided to give it a try. Lately, I’ve been riding mainly on the road bike. So the bike club was an excellent opportunity for my son and reunited me with mountain biking. Before being a roadie, I felt at home on the mountain bike. It was also nice to know that a car wouldn’t turn me into roadkill. I already had a few close calls this year.
In the past, I took more chances. I saw no fear and loved the black diamond rides. But then, something changed in my mind, perhaps after breaking a few bones in my dominant hand and suffering a concussion from a mountain biking accident. What a bummer if you have a hands-on job like mine as a physical therapist. But, I still missed mountain biking. I wasn’t interested in pushing and tackling the craziest rides.
Since my mountain bike was older than my 13-year-old son, it was time to upgrade and consider all options. In the words of my wife, I was jonesing for another ride.
After hours of research online, my search boiled down to two main things. First, I wanted a bike that I could beat up and take on all types of terrain. Furthermore, I wanted to ride fast on all surfaces. Simple, right? Unfortunately, there’s not a bike that does everything perfectly well.
Gravel vs. Mountain Bike
In the ideal world, I would buy a bike specific to the terrain. In biking, N + 1 is the number of bikes you should own. But unfortunately, I live in the real world and have to make adult decisions. Besides, I like to keep my life minimal. My research kept pointing me back and forth from a gravel bike to a mountain bike. So, which bike is best?
Pros and Cons of a Gravel Bike
A gravel bike is similar to a lightweight road bike but with beefer tires. I loved the lightweight idea. A gravel bike would be perfect for dirt roads and green circle mountain biking rides. Heck, I may be able to ride the bike on some easier intermediate rides. On the negative side, I couldn’t take the bike on the more challenging mountain bike trails. Some trails near the Shenandoah Mountains where I live can get a little rocky. I’m not planning on riding the double black diamond rides, but I don’t want to be limited. Besides, I need a bike that I can ride with my son out on the trails. Memories are priceless to me.
Pros and Cons of a Mountain Bike
That leaves me to dive deeper into finding a mountain bike. A mountain bike would be perfect for most terrain. Riding on paved and dirt roads would feel sluggish, but the real adventure happens in the woods. So, how can I make the paved and dirt roads a little less painful? Introducing the lightweight cross country (XC) mountain bike.
My current mountain bike is a full suspension bike. I love the dual suspension on those rocky and more technical rides, but the weight is a killer on the flat. A lightweight XC bike is perfect for most situations. Nowadays, you can find XC mountain bikes that weigh nearly the same as gravel bikes. You got to love bike tech. If I were planning on riding black diamonds, I would have to reconsider my thinking.
Conclusion
In the end, my decision was based on the following two criteria:
- I want to ride as fast as possible on a variety of surfaces, but not the most extreme trails. A lightweight XC mountain bike would be the best for off-road. Mountain bikes are not the best for the road, but I’m planning on keeping my time on the road short-lived.
- Most importantly, I want a tool that allows me to be with my son.
It’s funny how being a dad, wanting those epic memories with the family, can dictate which bike you decide to purchase. So, I will keep my eyes open for the lightest XC I can buy. Currently, I have my eye on the Canyon Lux World Cup CFR. What’s your next ride going to be and why?