Thoughts on Beach Riding?

[rpr]

We’re headed down to Cape San Blas for a beach vacation. We’ll be near the state park on the northern portion of the peninsula which has paved roads that (I think) would be good for riding…my understanding is it’s a pretty sleepy section of the peninsula and doesn’t have much traffic.

It’s really tempting to bring the e-bikes but even if we don’t ride on the beach itself the sand/salt blown all over the paved roads has to be brutal on e-bikes. I couldn’t really find much discussion on this.

Any thoughts? Just don’t do it?

 

[PDoz]

You bought the bike to use it.

Thirty years ago I did a motorbike trip with my wife to cape york - far north Australia. We had an opportunity to ride a 120 km section of beach that was about to be closed to the public. It was one of the most amazing days of riding I've had ( and I've been to some spectacular places on motorbikes) . At one stage, I got lost on the beach! ( they have massive tides, measured in metres , with estuaries winding across beaches that are km wide - you literally go around in circles trying to work out safe ways to cross them ! )

I was worried the bike would crumble into a rusty mess afterwards, especially since I'd ridden it through seat deep tidal estuaries ! It was another 2 weeks until I had the opportunity t9 rinse the salt water off. Fifteen years later I sold that motorbike to a friend - no problems.

If your bike can't cope with the beach, it's probably not a long term prospect anyway.

 

[fauconnier]

With our first mountain bikes, 40 years ago, we were 3 friends doing beach biking on rather flat rocks at low tide. It was more like "trial" biking; very slow, precise and very jumpy. Going through salted water was common. We just hosed the bikes after our rides and sprayed plenty of lubricant. I stil have this bike and it's not rusty at all. The pedals, the chain ring and the derailleur guard look like they went to war...

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

1. Tires: With some difficulty, I can ride in damp to wet beach sand at low tide with the marginal 2.3" hybrid tires shown. Have to pay attention, though, as there are always soft pockets you can't see.

No-go on loose, dry sand, but the people I see on 4" tires seem to have little trouble with sand at lot drier than I can ride.

2. Sand+gravel mixes: My SoCal beaches vary greatly in their mixes of loose sand and rounded gravel. Roughly even mixes like the one above make for easy riding on the tires shown. Too much gravel, and it's like riding on ball bearings. Too little, and you're back at No. 1 above.

3. Drivetrain protection: Member @m@Robertson, who has years of experience riding beaches and coastal dunes near Monterey, CA, recommends a quick drivetrain rinse with plain water in a low-pressure garden sprayer after each sandy/salty ride. No drying necessary. No other countermeasures.

I'm following his advice. Too early to tell if that's really sufficient, but he's generally a pretty good bet.

Have fun!

 

[Tars Tarkas]

I love Cape San Blas. I haven't been since the hurricane, but it's a great place to ride an ebike. I rode on the beach from the park campground all the way to the Point, and on to the riprap on the south end of the peninsula, then took the people ferry on to St. Vincent Island, and rode the trails from one end to the other. I stayed out of the water. Fantastic!

Wash and lube. Don't stay there for years and you should be fine.

TT

 

[chunk]

Bike paths that run along the beach. I wouldn't run any kind of vehicle I owned in beach sand. Talk about abrasive grit, yikes.

 

[Tars Tarkas]

Bike paths that run along the beach. I wouldn't run any kind of vehicle I owned in beach sand. Talk about abrasive grit, yikes.

I've ridden my bike and my truck on a lot of beaches and I haven't had any problems. Regarding rust and abrasion, there's a big difference between spending a few days on the beach and living there for years. Even so, people do live there and enjoy their bikes and autos.

Taking a bike to the beach while on vacation is fun and, at least in my experience, totally harmless as long as you rinse it off and do normal lubrication. "Yikes" is paranoia based mostly on myths. If you bought your bike at least partly to have fun with it, ride it!

TT

 

[Tars Tarkas]

I should say this: I have 4" tires and even at 5 psi, the loose sand above the high tide line can suck you right in. The packed, damp sand closer to, but not in the water, is great for riding on, but probably not with narrow tires. As for salt and grit, see above regarding rinsing. A battery operated tire pump or CO2 cartridges are essential for reinflating after being on the sand.

There are plenty of places on Cape San Blas, and the general area, including dedicated paved bike paths along the main road but off to the side.

TT

 

[chunk]

I've ridden my bike and my truck on a lot of beaches and I haven't had any problems. Regarding rust and abrasion, there's a big difference between spending a few days on the beach and living there for years. Even so, people do live there and enjoy their bikes and autos.

Taking a bike to the beach while on vacation is fun and, at least in my experience, totally harmless as long as you rinse it off and do normal lubrication. "Yikes" is paranoia based mostly on myths. If you bought your bike at least partly to have fun with it, ride it!

TT

It's your equipment brother. You paid for it, and it's yours to use or abuse. Sand is indeed an abrasive and will work its way in between the chain and sprocket, bearings, etc. and just grind away, like lapping compound. Just not my cars, motorcycles and bicycles. Just how I roll.

 

[rich c]

It sucks in so many types of dry sand. Riding on the wet isn't bad at all.

 

[Tars Tarkas]

It's your equipment brother. You paid for it, and it's yours to use or abuse. Sand is indeed an abrasive and will work its way in between the chain and sprocket, bearings, etc. and just grind away, like lapping compound. Just not my cars, motorcycles and bicycles. Just how I roll.

Getting out of bed in the morning is risky. Most people still do it, but as you say, to each his own.

Dueces, bro.

 

[chunk]

Sure, noses, like opinions, everyone has one. We can always agree to disagree.

 

[ElevenAD]

We’re headed down to Cape San Blas for a beach vacation. We’ll be near the state park on the northern portion of the peninsula which has paved roads that (I think) would be good for riding…my understanding is it’s a pretty sleepy section of the peninsula and doesn’t have much traffic.

It’s really tempting to bring the e-bikes but even if we don’t ride on the beach itself the sand/salt blown all over the paved roads has to be brutal on e-bikes. I couldn’t really find much discussion on this.

Any thoughts? Just don’t do it?

Im not saying to do it but you asked for thoughts so if it was me and i had access to an area like this heck yeah im taking my E-Bike but i would only take my big ugly Fat Bike, no way am i getting sand or water on my Cruiser lol.

 

[AHicks]

We ride occasionally on a "barge canal" road that parallels/runs 8-10 miles along a barge canal that leads out to the Gulf Coast. Nice easy ride, and I've never seen anything that drew my attention afterward.

That would be WAY different though, from a ride blowing dry salt/sand under an on shore wind/breeze back over the bikes?

 

[Tars Tarkas]

Riding on the beach.

 

[ElevenAD]

Some vintage EBR beach riding, looks like a blast as long as your running bigger tires.

 

[Old-tool-guy]

You can buy a new bike, or maintenance parts. You can’t buy memories.

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

You can buy a new bike, or maintenance parts. You can’t buy memories.

Of course, budget has to enter the picture at some point. HOWEVER...

Any time spent on any beach in any weather short of a hurricane is well spent in my book. Adding even a little exercise to the equation only adds to the exhilaration of communing with the ocean up close and personal. Add a bike on top of that, and you have an experience far greater than the sum of its parts. Hard to explain, but for me at least, undeniable.

The OP's facing a fantastic opportunity with a containable maintenance risk. I say, go for it. Think of the drivetrain rinse afterward as a chance to bask in the afterglow.

Just one cautionary tale: The bottom endcap in my downtube's battery compartment turns out NOT to be watertight. A sloppy rinse once ended with water running down to my bottom bracket on the inside. The bottom bracket bearings went on to fail at only 1,500 miles.

Probably not a coincidence, so think surgical rinse, not a blast with a hose. A small garden sprayer with a fan spray is perfect for the job.