New to fatbikes, looking to buy
Hey there, I'm coming from an a very old Trek 8000 SLR (so old that I can't even remember when I bought it) but have been intrigued by fatbikes for years now after watching people around here on them in the winter. We have long winters here and though I'm not a super frequent rider, there are lots of days in the winter where I've thought, "hmm, today sure would be a great day to ride in the woods if I had a fatbike...". So I want this year to be THE year where I get one.
I'm going to visit some local stores soon and take a look at some bikes but I think my main reservations/questions are as follows:
- Can I realistically get rid of my old Trek and just use the fatbike year round? Are there any scenarios where I might want the Trek if I'm just doing short stints on pavement to get to dirt/woods? I really don't want to keep a second bike and would sell or donate the Trek (though not before I remove my Spiderflex seat!)
- The Trek is a hardtail with RockShox suspension in the front (though truthfully, nowhere near as cushy as when first purchased). For folks who were used to full or partial suspension, how much did you miss that going to, say, a fatbike with neither? Maybe this is where the fatbike tires come into play and soak up the bumps?
Thanks in advance.
EDIT: if anyone is in/near the Ottawa, Ontario region and has good (or bad) experiences with local shops, I'd love to hear about it. The shop I last bought a bike (Aware Cycle & Sports, if anyone knows) is long gone.