Recommended E Bikes for riding on the Beach

[Ralph]

I recently bought the Dash and while it is a great bike for the street, tires are too narrow and hard for the beach. Additionally I wonder how it would hold up with the salty residue that inevitably finds its way in every nook and cranny on the bike.

I wonder if any out there have any actual experience riding on the beach: Which bike? Need for power? How do you keep it clean?

 

[Admin]

Great question Ralph... There is a new movement of "Fat Tire" style electric bikes that are meant to work well on sand and snow. I've reviewed a couple of them here. Despite their enhanced ability to navigate softer terrain I'm not sure they will fare any better with salt. I'm really not sure how to deal with that... though Eddie's cleaning skills may come in handy here

None of the fat bikes I've tested were actually used on the beach or snow, there just wasn't any around. I can't say one way or another how well they work but I'd love to hear your thoughts if you end up getting one (or from someone who has one already).

As a side note, here are a couple of pictures and video of this neat ski thing you can attach to the front wheel of these fat bikes to help them navigate snow.

 

[James]

I agree with Court, I'm not sure there are any ebikes out there that would stand up real well to the increase in salt and humidity that is found on the beach

 

[Ralph]

Thanks Court. Here on the island, I see beach cruisers with 2" tires on unpowered bikes. It is slow going for the riders. There are some carbon bikes with massive fat tires that are super light that some say do well, but how they metal parts hold up is unknown to me. I have seen the carbon and light weight aluminum bikes in the shops but not on the sand.

My guess is that the Tracker at low tide on hard pack would do ok, but probably corrode quickly. I suspect that is why we don't see much on the subject. Salt and just about everything don't mix well!!

 

[Brambor]

the Surface fat bike is really well priced. It will do well on the beach.

salt = rust

 

[Admin]

the Surface fat bike is really well priced. It will do well on the beach.

I really liked the Surface 604 bike... Fun fact, 604 is the phone area code in Vancouver where they are based (and where all of the fun surfaces are: snow, sand, dirt and pavement)

 

[Ravi Kempaiah]

Very interesting question, Ralph.
Almost every manufacturer quotes hydroformed 6061 aluminum for their frame and this 6061 is supposed to be aircraft grade and should resist corrosion (sorry, I'm a material scientist)
In theory, frames should hold up but stuff like spokes, bottom bracket cups, bearings etc that are made of steel could be prone to degradation. If cleaning is done after every ride, the salt deposition should be minimal right?

 

[Chris Nolte]

Some

Very interesting question, Ralph.
Almost every manufacturer quotes hydroformed 6061 aluminum for their frame and this 6061 is supposed to be aircraft grade and should resist corrosion (sorry, I'm a material scientist)
In theory, frames should hold up but stuff like spokes, bottom bracket cups, bearings etc that are made of steel could be prone to degradation. If cleaning is done after every ride, the salt deposition should be minimal right?

Some corrosion is inevitable, but if you wash it after each ride you'll get a pretty long life. I have ridden my Bionx converted Surly Pugsley on the beach and in the snow and it's held up well, but I keep it clean and I grease it down pretty good. It's quite a cool experience riding a Fat Tire bike on terrain otherwise not possible.

On another note, the Surface bike looks cool, but many already heard my spiel about working with companies without proven track records. It's nice that they included a derailleur though. I'm hoping Felt moves forward with their Bosch powered fat bike, but it probably won't be till next season if it ever happens.