[Closed] Sand and ebikes.

Not at all. Unless you plan on spending every subsequent hour cleaning it.

(Not an ebike, but my favourite LBS request was ‘yeah, it’s been creaking ever since I went in the sea with it a few weeks ago, can you have a look and see what’s wrong? ‘We don’t need to, it’s everything’)

Salt water WILL get into all the nooks and crannies of the frame/fork/bearings/electrics and corrode them. You would have to fully strip down everything, thoroughly clean and re grease and refit everything, then only to find you’ve missed something.

Geex will be along in a minute to tell us how he rode his across the sea, with naer more than a quick wipe down after.

Hello there mate and welcome to the forum!

I don't own an ebike so can't really answer your question.... But there are a lot of owners on here that will be online later that can give you a good idea of the do's and don'ts.

Might be helpful to mention which e-bike you own too?

you honestly enjoy riding miles and miles of flat sand? Can't think of much worse myself.
but if you must I'd steer towards a hub motor hardtail and away from mid motor FS's. this should save you money too.

That sounds like exactly the kind of application I'd by a fatbike for if I lived near a beach. My approach would be buy simple and cheap, (no suspension) give it a bloody good rinse with fresh water after every ride and lubricate generously. Calibre Dune might fit the bill, treat it as fairly disposable.

edit - Bloody hell, I didn't spot the e-bike bit. It'll be ****ed after the first week. Beaches are fairly flat, get a proper bike unless you are riding with people much younger and faster than you, or you are an invalid.

Tom
I've no idea what that massive chip on your shoulder is all about. And don't really care but my reality is quite the opposite of what you suggest. Just last night I had to strip the motor cover off my E8000 and remove each connection, clean every plug and connector, grease and silicone it all, re-fit the cover and silicone that too. the muck actaully gets forced in from behind the motor rather than through the cover. I wouldn't really want salt in there with it for obvious reasons and hence my advice above on choosing a rear hub motor over mid drive amd HT over FS.
it's only a 20 minute job but needs done roughly every 500miles or so as if left dirty connections will become poorer and the motor will throw up error codes and go into safe mode.
I'd left it longer and during yesterdays ride got a W011 error.

Many fatbikers manage to ride beaches all the time just fine with just a good hose down afterwards and regular maintenance/re-lube/greasing etc. on moving parts.

get a proper bike unless you are riding with people much younger and faster than you, or you are an invalid.

and so the cycle begins...

*sigh*

[EDIT - excuse the unintentionally shit pun]

It's a horse you need, not an ebike.

I did used to have a fat bike and lived on the beach. The sand and the odd salty splash never seemed to do it much harm but I certainly stayed away from riding through sea water wherever possible.

Yep horse needed.

Riding thru salt waters gonna need a seriously regular maintenance regime to clean an relube or stuffs gonna creak,scrape grind, squeak and generally wear out pretty quick.

It’s doable thou but depends your take on maintenance and how much your willing to do yourself or pay for servicing.

Hope it’s okay to ask a newbie question about ebikes here.

Yeah they love ebikes here 🙂

In the olden days I used to beach race motorcycles . I gave up because it wrecked the bike. If you failed to completely clean it after race day you were left with a lot of rusting metal. I shudder to think what the toxic mixture of sand and salt water would do to an ebike.

Yeah they love ebikes here

Have a look here op, https://www.emtbforums.com/

you honestly enjoy riding miles and miles of flat sand? Can’t think of much worse myself.

Haha, I'm a long time roadie really, so that might explain it. Only really was moved to buy the emtb because I moved to rural scotland and it seemed a shame to waste the miles of beach. Though as you might guess every week that passes living with an emtb in rural scotland, I'm starting to stray to the other side.

Lots of dunes also. Riding an unpowered bike on sand doesn't really hit my bells, but I can certainly see/imagine the appeal.

So anyway, after a few months, it's a bit noisier but no obvious degradation in performence but will definitely have a go at stripping the bike (if i can get the bloody tyres off, whats all that about).

I've avoided wet sand until now, but there are a few trails however that are pretty hard to navigate without going on the beach on wet sand (not actual puddles) so it would be a shame to have those routes cut off completely.

ETA, it's a mid drive hardtail powerfly.

dunes are fun. but nowhere near as much fun as when snow lies on them 😉
and yeah I find a normal fatbike boring as hell to ride on a beach.
I love turns though.

what part of Scotland? I'm pretty close to Fatbike Nirvana (and the legendary Subs) on the East Lothian Coast.

you honestly enjoy riding miles and miles of flat sand?

Yes, I do.
Well, when the mood takes me. Hey, we are all different. One of the best days biking I've ever had was taking these two on the beach in Norfolk.
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My fatty turned Cornwall from a no mtb zone into some of the best days I've had on a bike.
Yes beach riding is boring but you are linking bays or exploring cliffs.

When it comes to riding in salty water, Coastkid's the expert, so read his blog.

My fatty turned Cornwall from a no mtb zone into some of the best days I’ve had on a bike.

eh? there's some amazing proper mtb riding in Cornwall

Yes beach riding is boring but you are linking bays or exploring cliffs.

I actually grew up in a house on the edge of a cliff. My advice would be to explore on foot, go whelk picking to make some money to buy a speed boat.

poor wee lad above trying his hardest to hide from the shame of a fatbike and crocs and his dad still shames him on the internet 😉

zippykona

Subscriber
My fatty turned Cornwall from a no mtb zone into some of the best days I’ve had on a bike.
Yes beach riding is boring but you are linking bays or exploring cliffs.

Funny you posted that!

Was thinking last night after I read this thread how much I'd have loved to explore the coastline of Cornwall on a bike.

Many happy holidays down there.

Unfortunately I live in the SE and the beaches here.... Well, they just aren't the same.

geex

Member
poor wee lad above trying his hardest to hide from the shame of a fatbike and crocs and his dad still shames him on the internet

One of the best reasons for having kids is embarrassing them.lol

Start thinking like a rich successful person which you have to be to ride an ebike and buy a new one each year so no worry about the salt 😁😁, no need to listen to all those haters who didn’t take notice at school so are still on clockwork bikes.........

I wouldn't take any bike I owned on a salt water beach. I would think very hard about a non salty beach. Sand and salt water is the probably the worst thing for a bike, let alone an ebike.

I have a fatbike. I would NOT go on the beach.
I have an ebike. I would NOT go on the beach.
I would not ride someone else's bike on a beach.
Madness...

So I stripped the bike this afternoon. No obvious visual damage. What kinds of things should I be looking for? It's a relatively new bike, about 9 months old, but i've only been beach riding for about 3 months. So perhaps the damage is not too loud at the moment.

I should point out a few caveats that might ease the horror.

- These beaches are tidal, the sand is compact and flat, and the water drains away pretty quick. So not a huge amount of moisture is kicked up. Some though is, of course.

I did ride through wave foam once and yes the impact was immediate and I didn't repeat that again.

The trails weaving in out of the bays and dunes are loads of fun, steep, technical, I fall off at least once a ride. However sand is very soft to land on, and i've never so much got a bruise or cut. So you can take more risks.

I've been riding this bike mostly in colder months, which further firms up the terrain. A light sprinkling of snow even makes the dunes quite ridable.

Re price, I actually think on a per use basis, for the average user (not champions like you lot) 🙂 an ebike may well turn out cheaper than the equivalent clockwork versin, simply due to more frequent use.

I made quite a comprehensive spreadsheet before buying the bike, including forecasted battery replacement, number of rides per week per season, and potential resale in a few years etc, to try and work out the cost per use. Turns out I MASSIVELY underestimated how much fun the bike is to ride, and how often I would ride through the winter. If I keep up this frequency over summer (it's been 9 months now) it will turn out to be a good buy.

If I have to replace the bike every year, that changes things, but I was hoping to get some reassurance that wouldn't be the case. Was optimistic thinking it seems 🙂

Re price, I actually think on a per use basis, for the average user (not champions like you lot) 🙂 an ebike may well turn out cheaper than the equivalent clockwork versin, simply due to more frequent use.

😂

I also live near a long expanse of sand. I've ridden the full 12 miles back to home stretch on a hardtail after heading out on the road.

killed the forks.
hurts your neck/shoulders.

never again.

Horses for courses. My Moonlander has been to the beach countless times and subjected to plenty of sea water dunkings, if not intentionally ridden in the water for long stretches. A quick wipe over with acf50 and a rinse afterwards with a hose has kept serious corrosion at bay.

No, beach riding isn't mile after mile of jumps and drop offs, but you get plenty of time and space to yourself once you're more than 10 minutes walk from a parking spot.

The Yak has a friend who rides his electronical fatbike on the beach. The Yak's friend hasn't experienced any issues so far. The Yak's friend has been riding on the beach for a year or so. The Yak suggests giving everything a good wash after riding on the beach, maybe using ACF50 or some other corrosion inhibitor of the areas your concerned about. The Yak doesn't recommend taking you're electronical bicycle into the sea.

I have a fatbike. I would NOT go on the beach.

I have heard the mermaids singing, each to each...

I'd be more worried about the sand. I made the mistake of riding on the beach once - sandy, gritty drive chain. You'll need to degrease and thoroughly clean and re-lube the drive chain after.

Sounds like you are having fun on a bike. So carry on. Fun on a bike is what its all about.

fluffypleasure

I made quite a comprehensive spreadsheet before buying the bike

You are officially single track approved now. Lol👍

As said just above, if you are loving the riding that's what counts. Just keep a close eye on the bike for signs of corrosion and keep on top of maintenance.

As for electrics, if you see a whitish or green powder forming on any electrical connectors or components that's a sign of water/salt corrosion and needs to be remedied fast.