The question that Bermstyle author, Jason Van Horn, poses is a relevant question. Is the Droptimator a Monster Gravel Bike or is it a Drop Bar MTB? The bike is designed to ride fast on the gravel but also take on fast/ flowy singletrack with ease.
There are a set of trails here in the Portland area that are part of the Rocky Point Trail network. This trail network has two distinct sides to it: The South side is for Freeride (jumps, features, steep sections, tech trails) while the North side is for the XC purist (flowy singletrack that begs to be ridden fast). When the Droptimator was being brought to the life, it was the North side trails that appealed the most to me as being the perfect place for this bike. A gravel road through the spine of the trail system allowing easy access to multiple trails as well as the ability to do loops. It is this combination of terrain that made sense for the bike.
Knowing that bit of information, I met up with Jason at the trailhead and we went for a ride together. When the ride was complete, he took the bike home with him to give it a more in depth review as well as to ride it on some of his other local trails and areas to get a better sense of the bike overall. It is with that knowledge that he wrote the review that he did.
The Droptimator is a very personalized bike that is designed for the individual rider. Not everyone will choose the same component spec or have the same requirements of the bike. It is a very versatile platform that does straddle the line between Monster Gravel Bike and Dropbar MTB. The choice is yours and yours alone.