A Bike for All Seasons?
I live in Maryland and do most of my local riding on the NCR Trail (also known as the Torrey C. Brown Trail). And I always spend a couple of weeks every summer riding the C and O Canal (a 4 day tour from end to end as well as multiple day rides). I ride a 2015 Salsa Vaya. When I was touring the C and O Canal a couple of weeks ago, the trail was sloppy with multiple slick spots and washouts, creating a stressful situation and a ride that was less enjoyable than it had been previously. I met a guy who was riding a fat bike, and he rode through / across most obstacles without a problem. He let me ride his bike at one of the rest stops, and I was surprised at how smoothly the bike rode. It got me thinking about N+1.
I am not looking for a bike that I can use to go out and shred single track. I am looking for a bike that I can ride in the rain / after the rain without worrying about dodging mud puddles or bogging down in the ones that I cannot avoid. I think that I would ride in the snow if I had a bike that was capable of handling it. I have been researching fat bikes, and I am liking what I see. When I call the LBS's, none of them have one that I can test ride, and they downplay my interest in a fat bike, telling me that I don't want one of those, but that I really want is a "plus" bike - that they happen to have in stock, costing only $3k (roughly three times as much what I am looking to spend).
I do not ride fast, and I do not ride aggressively. I just want a bike that I can ride whenever the weather is not conducive to riding my Vaya. Is a fat bike that bike, or should I be looking at a "plus" bike?