Why Iconic Bike Brands Are Suddenly Putting Drop Bars on Mountain Bikes

January 16, 2026

Both Pivot Cycles and Pinarello have dropped new hardtail mountain bikes with heavy gravel influence as the lines between gravel and mountain biking continue to blur. But these brands aren’t the first to take a swing at the niche category. Many brands have been doing this for years, but with iconic names with so much heritage in the sport backing the trend.

The Pinarello Grevil MX and Pivot Les SL are just two of the latest MTB-inspired gravel bikes to drop this year, but we saw plenty of other brands join the fun last year. Ridley dropped the Ignite GTX, Moots announced the Scrambler, and Salsa teased a drop bar eMTB that we are still waiting for more info on. Pinarello, a newcomer to MTB, and Pivot, an established name in the MTB industry, both dropping carbon hardtail mountain bikes equipped with drop-bars from the factory, I think it’s safe to say we are seeing this become more mainstream. But are they considered an MTB or a gravel bike, or something entirely new (yet old)?

Some might argue that drop-bar mountain bikes are nothing new to the sport. After all, drop-bar bikes were the first mountain bikes, and over the years, many brands have offered drop-bar models with wide tire clearance and even suspension. But recently, there has been a significant uptick in the popularity of traditional modern mountain bikes equipped with drop-bars. We can blame gravel racing for that.

From the average perspective, these are both mountain bikes with drop-bars, but both brands are calling them gravel bikes. So which is it, and does it even matter? This bike category isn’t necessarily performance-oriented for winning traditional races; it seems targeted at alt-riders, adventurers, and explorers. Seeing bike brands develop bikes without the racer in mind is interesting, rare, and exciting. It would seem that the impetus for these ultra-versatile machines comes from the needs of the average user, not from top-level athletes, who often influence product development.

Why choose Drop-bar MTBs? They are rising as versatile, adventure-focused bikes, not strictly race-oriented. This hybrid trend aims to meet average riders’ demands for versatility and efficiency. BikeMag