Originally Posted by
catonec
Um, my post spells out the complete opposite of this statement and explains in pretty clear English why I said that for this situation.
just a recap: .....I cant imagine that your ride quality would differ much considering your on 4 inch wide tires, its going to be bouncy no matter what. that much cushioning will negate any frame material characteristics....(catonec)
I feel the same way about full suspension mountain bikes. Once the frame is designed to "bend" then the tubing has little to no effect on shock absorption.
When talking about a road bike that runs its tire pressure rock hard (ie <100 psi) then the frame material characteristics absolutely come into play.
When you're buying a bicycle with motorcycle tires on it is all about utility and accessibility, not high performance or efficiency.
I completely understand your comment about no difference in the ride quality on the fat bikes, but for me the the weight different seemed to make a difference... Maybe it was geometry differences or just in my head, but i definitely preferred the test rides on the aluminum frame fat bikes vs steel... the steel bike just felt more sluggish, definitely felt the weight difference... IMHO.