Quote Originally Posted by goldfinch View Post
What I might get if I rode on sand and rutted roads a lot is a Salsa Mukluk. I am smaller than you and the smallest size fit me. I loved trying out that bike. The price may be just out of your budget though. But maybe you could get the frame and have it built up as a single speed for a reasonable price.

http://salsacycles.com/bikes/mukluk_3/
What a cool bike! Thanks for the pointer. It has a rigid front fork, but maybe with the humongous tires, having front suspension wouldn't be as much of an issue?

For the short term, I am probably just going to consider a Thudbuster seatpost as it's a much less expensive "fix" than a brand-new bike (especially since I'd have to pay even more to have said bike shipped here, plus customs duty, which would be significant on a new bike -- used would be a lot less since they charge based on current/resale value). But it's cool to know that these fatbikes exist -- I'd seen photos of the Pugsley in Adventure Cycling magazine, but was otherwise ignorant of such a thing.

It's always fun to look at bikes even if just "window shopping"!