[Closed] Battle on the Beach 2021 Weapon of Choice

Gravel bike if you want to be fast on the long flat beach section, fatbike for the dunes and reg bike for rest..... Take your pick of the disadvantages of all three.

Thanks for the reply, I had figured the Gravelbike would be faster on the 3 mile beach section as the sand is hard pack but it’s how much faster than a light 29er HT ?Then it’s a case of how much faster ? ( If at all ) is the HT on the Singletrack ??
I’m not going to be jostling for a podium so it’s more a case of what previous entrants would ride if they had the choice.
Thanks though

I'd go hard tail with very fast rolling tyres if I was to do it again.

Hard tail for sure

Fatbike...it's what they're made for. Why would you use anything else?!

Mind you having seen the forecast for Sunday the beach bit is going to be horrible

50mph headwind up the beach...

The only time I ever rode a bike on a sandy beach was when I planned on riding from Burnham-on-Sea to Brean on my singlespeed. I got as far as the old Victorian lighthouse, about a mile or so, then turned around and put it back in the car. Even on the firm, damp sand it was sodding hard work with 2.1” tyres, and I had to replace the whole drivetrain - front and back cog and ring along with the chain was full of sand and just trashed.
My weapon of choice would be a fatbike with a Pinion gearbox and Gates beltdrive.

I think you'd have most fun on the fatbike.

Thats what its all about isn't it... fun?

the sand is sort of hard packed on the beach, but it's still a beach. Fatbike would be perfect and you'll be able to ride the soft sand on and off the beach, and in behind, on a fatbike. anything else you'll be pushing. I rode it all on my fatbike and only had to get off once on the first lap to get off the beach cos the crowds.

I honestly can't see the point of having a fatbike if you don't use it for this!

Fatbike…it’s what they’re made for. Why would you use anything else?!

Wrong. They're all still pedalling along the beach when the rest of us have reached the dunes. The one and only place they have an advantage is in the soft sand at the top of the beach, and that only lasts for 100m. After that they are just a MTB with unnecessarily wide wheels. There's a reason that the winners don't use fatbikes.

But if it's just fun your after....

fatbike for the dunes

and

I think you’d have most fun on the fatbike.

The dunes are almost all hardpacked, with only a few sections of soft sand that you can normally blast through on any other bike. Any hardtail would be at least equal in the dunes compared to a fatbike, but the singletrack isn't tough enough that a HT makes any difference in speed compared to a cross or gravel bike. If you think your fatbike is more fun than your HT on normal singletrack then ride that, and vice versa.

I've raced and ridden there plenty of times on all sorts of bikes. I've used a cross bike for two BotBs, and enjoyed it, and used my Vagabond for one event (Tide2Tide was it?) - that would be my choice for BotB these days. 2" fast rolling tyres with enough grip for the twisties, but it's fast enough on the beach not to be a chore.

But, any bike you use will be right and wrong all in the same few minutes. Just use a different one next time.

I've never actually raced BOTB but like IdleJon raced a bunch of other stuff there. I'm going for cx bike with filetreads.. purely because the way things are going it might be my only chance to race a cx bike this year, and also I can't really be ****ed to switch my mtb tyres over from aggressive trial tyres to fast rolling tyres for one day.

The pembrey singletrack is dream cx bike territory imo anyway and the amount of torrential rain we've had the sand will be pretty comapacted.

The best bike is the one you don't mind ruining, you'll have more fun that way.

I've done the De Panne Beach race (and hope to do it this year).Beach racing is huge in Belgium,
30 miles of flat beach.
They sell bikes just for beach racing - rigid MTB's, single ring up front, 2.4" almost slick tyres (with a herrigbone cut for tread), and very lightweight.
Fat bikes,fat tyres and CX bikes are banned for beach races there.
The sand at the shore is not too different to riding on grass, you need to go straight, a slight nudge of the bars causes a digging in, and a big wobble or a fall off.
I used my old 26" MTB, put rigid forks on it, and fitted Schwalbe Big Ben tyres.
Despite predictions, I didnt wear out anything, there was a lot of sea spray which needed cleaning off soon after, but I still have the same chain and cogs 2 years later.
It will ruin your bike if you dont wash it down soon after finishing, the salt gets everywhere. We're taking a portable pressure washer this year.

. They’re all still pedalling along the beach when the rest of us have reached the dunes.

I certainly wasn't!

Thanks for the replies, very helpful.
I think it’s the Hardtail with fast rolling tyres by the sound of things. I have looked at the weather and it looks horrific!!
I do like my Fatbike but I don’t think it’s anywhere near as quick as my Hardtail and it’s much harder work.
I have done some beach rides on it ( Formby area ) and I loved it but it takes some pedalling.
Good advice on the cleaning ASAP afters also.
Hopefully the wind goes 180 degrees ahead of Sunday fingers crossed