2026 - Our Rides in Words, Photos, Maps and Videos

[Jeremy McCreary]

Thats not riding on sand, its parting it like moses

No experience with fat tire bikes, but I know what it's like to ride in the loose, dry, deep beach sand that @RabH showed with 38 mm (1.50") and 60 mm (2.35") gravel tires: It's hopeless. Can't imagine any skill level making it rideable at those widths.

Q1. So how wide a tire do you need to ride that stuff comfortably on a reasonably powered ebike?

Once saw a guy really struggling on 4" tires. Got bogged down a lot. But I think the late Matt Robertson got 4" knobbies to work well on this kind of sand on a 2 wheel-drive ebike he built himself. (Miss that guy.) Makes sense.

Q2. Would 5" be wide enough with RWD only — without kicking up a rooster tail?

 

[Chargeride]

At least 4inch and running low pressure, you can make 2.6s do it, but at practically flat.
If I overinflate the 4.8s for the road, they are useless in super soft sand.