Road Cycling - Road bike with sand on the floor

I was riding along this road that had very very very small patches of sand on it. The sand is no more than 1/8 of an inch thick.

Each time I ride across it, I felt like I was going to fall. I didn't have control of the bike. Is this common?

What do you do in situations like these (except to avoid the sand)?

Note: I have 700x25 tires (Michelin Axial Pro to be exact)

Never had to deal with sand, but "puddles" of gravel are a similar problem. If I can't avoid them, I try to hold my line and utilize momentum to take me through. It's definitely a bad idea to try to adjust once you've hit them.

sand on corners scare the hell out of me!!

You answered your own question, avoid the sand. Road bikes are very dicey around any surface that isn't solid. That's what make the Paris-Roubaix so special.

CHEERS.

Mark

If you have to go through sand stay off of the brakes and steering. Either one will put you down in a heartbeat.

Originally posted by Cadd
Each time I ride across it, I felt like I was going to fall. I didn't have control of the bike. Is this common?[B]

Yes, this is very common with sand, silt and ice -- And no, you can't turn or brake while you're in it. If sand or silt is of any measureable depth your front tire will "snow plow" the material which will cause an immediate slowing effect on your bike and can wrench the handlebars in your hands. The deeper the sand or silt the more dramatic this effect. Therefore, if you're riding with a group allow more spacing between your bikes to prevent tire bumping by the following riders -- see below regarding "anticipation".


Originally posted by Cadd
[B]What do you do in situations like these (except to avoid the sand)?

Anticipate it. If you're riding in unfamiliar territory be very cautious in areas or when conditions would likely create this types of hazards:

a). If you're riding in mountains with switchbacks shortly after a heavy rain expect to encounter sand or silt that may have washed out into the apex of turns.
b). If you're a cold weather rider be cautious on shady roads and overpasses when ever you see a discoloration in the road surface -- a damp road and black ice look the same.
c). If you are riding through on-going or recently completed construction zones anticipate sand and silt.
d). In urban areas recognize that sand, silt and grit will collect where cars don't sweep the road such as close to the shoulders of the road (one of the reasons riding to the right of the fog line can be less than desireable).
e). If you're riding along coastal highways or in areas where sand is prevailent (Florida, coastal areas & the US Southwest) expect to encounter sand that has blown onto the road and then been pushed towards the fog line and shoulders by passing traffic.

On your local routes, just be mindful of new construction or construction vehicle traffic.

Once you realize you're going to have to deal with this stuff as others suggested, try to steer around it. If you have to ride over it try to stay relaxed and don't initiate any steering inputs or hard braking -- just apply enough steering pressure to counter the snow plow effects on your front wheel which may or may not track straight through the debris depending on how deep it is. If you're leaning hard into a corner and find yourself staring at sand, silt or wet/frozen stuff in the apex you may be in trouble if you're bike handling skills aren't sharp since you'll need to decelerate rapidly enough to stand the bike up to cross the debris field and then overcompensate with an aggressive countersteering input to get yourself back into your riding line once you've cleared it. Add too much speed on a two lane mountain road with on-coming vehicle traffic and you can see where this gets dicey. See comments above regarding "anticipation".

When you are just riding along, you dont need much traction to keep on course, but around a corner, your tyres need traction to turn the bike. With sand, you lose most of your traction, so try and avoid turning on the sand patch. If you do hit it and slide, there is some recovery you can do, turning your bars into the direction of slide, it takes some practice.
On one club ride, a whole bunch of us on assorted bikes hit a sand patch around a corner. Almost everone recovered, including roadies, touring bikes, even a tandem + tow-along rig, but a newbie guy on a full-sus MTB wiped out. As Lance says, its not about the bike.

Originally posted by Cadd
Each time I ride across it, I felt like I was going to fall. I didn't have control of the bike. Is this common?

Here in south jersey, there is sand EVERYWHERE. in fact, this is how i fell and broke my wrist last august. sand is scary no matter what. i always give sand a wide swath now.

Originally posted by livngood
If you have to ride over it try to stay relaxed

Good point, which reminds me of another... If you have to ride through it and things go awry, stay cool, try to ride with it and keep your head. I've been surprised at some of the messes I've recovered from. Granted, some nearly required a change of shorts afterwards.

Originally posted by Dutchy
That's what make the Paris-Roubaix so special.


and often times painful :p

anyhow in regards to sand/silt/gravel/ice if you ever ride in a big group or an organized ride, 'most' people call out hazards if they see them first, so be aware of what people are shouting out, or if you are in the front call it out for others :)

Thanks for the suggestions, I will keep these in mind the next time I encounter sand patches.

I've also found out accelerating while on sand won't do you any good either (I almost found out the hard way)