Happy Feet

Anecdotal experience will always vary.

I quite like my fat bike and see it as the logical extension of an old school rigid mtb that can also do sand and snow. A four season rigid mtb. The sweet spot for me would probably be more 3" plus tires but what I have works. This does the trick up until technical terrain.

I don't think people think fat tires replace suspension. Who knows, I can only speak for myself. To me it just add a bit of cushion and float for certain terrain where traditional mtb tires bog down.

If I wanted to downsize my collection of bikes, I would go with a plus tire size and ride all conditions rather than a traditional mtb tire and miss some conditions. For truly technical terrain I would choose a FS.

It all comes down to how many bikes one wants or can afford factored against what conditions one actually rides factored against how much challenge one wants from the platform. People intentionally choose anywhere between SS rigid and CF FS depending.

For maximum comfort a FS e MTB is the ticket! All fun - no work. If that sounds sorta wonky then so does suggesting a certain type of suspension is better because of comfort. I don't seek comfort as a goal when mtbing. Rather, I seek challenge.

If my platform provides challenge then it is a good thing. If it provides so much comfort that I get into riskier situations because of it then maybe I can either dial the terrain or platform back. It is a common observation that FS allows riders to do trails they aren't ready for because the bike protects them from physical feedback.