Fat bikes on beach

[The Bear]

Just watching Countryfile on TV and they are riding Fat bikes on the beach, the idea being the fat tyres leave less imprint on the sand and cycling becomes easier.

They were riding below the tide line so that any tracks they do leave will be washed away. But surely the bike would suffer corrosion due to the salt water in the wet sand?

 

[flecc]

Indeed, and some of our members have posted about the damage that does to their bikes. Even those living near the coast suffer salt corrosion damage.
.

 

[oyster]

Just watching Countryfile on TV and they are riding Fat bikes on the beach, the idea being the fat tyres leave less imprint on the sand and cycling becomes easier.

Drat - missed it, I feel an iPlayer session coming on...

 

[The Bear]

It was only a short clip involving the bikes, here's a link to a blog from someone taking part..

http://coastkid.blogspot.co.uk/2018/03/coast-riding-on-bbc-countryfile.html

 

[oyster]

It was only a shot clip involving the bikes, here's a link to a blog from someone taking part..

http://coastkid.blogspot.co.uk/2018/03/coast-riding-on-bbc-countryfile.html

Thank you.

 

[anotherkiwi]

Indeed, and some of our members have posted about the damage that does to their bikes. Even those living near the coast suffer salt corrosion damage.
.

I ride regularly on sand covered roads and the beach is a 2 minute walk from home. I have no corrosion issues to speak of, maybe some that are hidden away inside? My GF lives a little further from the water and her bike rusts in the shed! I mounted SKS mudguards on both our bikes the same week and on hers the stainless stays are pitted with rust.

My conclusion is it depends on where you store the bike. Riding on the sand will destroy chains and gears, fat tyres or not...

 

[mike killay]

My experience of riding pedal and motor bikes on sand is that corrosion is not an issue, but rapid wear from the sand getting into all moving parts is.

 

[oyster]

My experience of riding pedal and motor bikes on sand is that corrosion is not an issue, but rapid wear from the sand getting into all moving parts is.

My experience of an old Range Rover which had been used in a very sandy location supports the impact of sand. The transfer box was utterly unusable by being absolutely stuffed with sand - until taken apart and cleaned out. And almost everything about it was damaged by sand one way or another.

Luckily, when I get around to it, some of the local beaches are totally sea-washed and remain firm and damp pretty much all the time. So, though a lot of sand, very little blowing up and around.

 

[Nealh]

Dry dunes / sand be ok but anywhere near the surf then wet sand /moisture will eventually affect electrical connections and if any saline moisture gets in to the battery then you might be binning it. Saline is the batteries worst enemy as well as everyday rain.

 

[Deleted member 22539]

Just stay away from the beach
Sand wet or dry is nasty stuff corrosion wise and wear wise

 

[Deleted member 4366]

Electric bikes and beaches should be kept well apart.

 

[Danidl]

My experience of riding pedal and motor bikes on sand is that corrosion is not an issue, but rapid wear from the sand getting into all moving parts is.

... And it's not just bike parts it happens to, as anyone who has had a romantic session can testify.

 

[Woosh]

dry sand is not much of a problem.
this is my experience with salty water:

salt attacks both steel and aluminium. Just remember that.

 

[Deleted member 22539]

dry sand is not much of a problem.
this is my experience with salty water:

salt attacks both steel and aluminium. Just remember that.

Nasty
But what do you think sand is full of if not salt

 

[Woosh]

Nasty
But what do you think sand is full of if not salt

sand is not a big problem, most of it is stopped by a bit of grease on the motor's axle or the rubber seals on the ballbearings.
The damage is done by the electrolytic effect of salt in water. It eats away at the steel on the rotor and the alu on the shell at the rate of knots and continues for as long as there is humidity inside the motor.
BTW, the motor in that picture was cleaned up and is working fine.

 

[Deleted member 22539]

sand is not a big problem, most of it is stopped by a bit of grease on the motor's axle or the rubber seals on the ballbearings.
The damage is done by the electrolytic effect of salt in water. It eats away at the steel on the rotor and the alu on the shell at the rate of knots and continues for as long as there is humidity inside the motor.
BTW, the motor in that picture was cleaned up and is working fine.

Cleaned
You were lucky

 

[Danidl]

It is probably one of those occasions where a central drive motor is superior . It would tend to be more protected and the shaft from the motor is spinning at a higher speed.

 

[Deleted member 4366]

Nasty
But what do you think sand is full of if not salt

There's no salt in sand except residual crystals where it gets washed by the sea on the beach. Normal sand has no salt at all. It's mainly quartz (silicon dioxide).

It's no problem to ride a fat-bike on sand, but you don't want to take it anywhere near the sea or the beach. Saltwater will get into every crevice, where it's highly corrosive. It's hygroscopic, so even after it dries out, it'll re-absorb any moisture in the air to carry on its corrosion.

 

[Deleted member 4366]

dry sand is not much of a problem.
this is my experience with salty water:

salt attacks both steel and aluminium. Just remember that.

Somebody been using one of your bikes for bait digging?

 

[Deleted member 4366]

It is probably one of those occasions where a central drive motor is superior . It would tend to be more protected and the shaft from the motor is spinning at a higher speed.

You must be joking. Even Bosch motors aren't waterproof and the electronics are inside the motor case, so not only do you get the problem of corrosion, but one drop of salt water on any of the electrics would make it a very expensive terminal case.