Volatility of bitcoin is the best feature of it. That's why many people want to invest in bitcoin to earn much bigger than a gold in just one night if they are lucky. But Gold is a safe investment compared to bitcoin that you can earn big but if you don't have knowledge about it you will also loss big.
I'd still pick Bitcoin over Gold though.
Gold doesn't have the volatility Bitcoin has, with the recent changes I could take advantage of that and use that time to sell, reinvest, or trade to other cryptocurrencies. But as you said, if you don't have knowledge about it, you will be screwed. We are also taking big risks by investing in Bitcoin, that goes with other investments or assets as well.