Bicycle Mechanics - Beach Riding Question

Well its the holidays and i'm going down to the Outer Banks NC! well.. last year i rented a bike to ride on the beach :) so i wouldn't ruin my bike lol. Next week when i go down i plan to bring my bike down and use it, and suggestions/precautions? I have Avid Disc's so i'm not to concerned about braking. On past trips to the river near my house alot of sand has gotten in the crank/bottom braket, is there a way to prevent this of the grinding noise? Thanks and happy holidays
- Kevin

Put simply, I'd never ride my bike on the beach, and I live right near it.

You're going to ride on the sand itself? :confused: Not loose sand, presumably. The one phobia I have with regards to bikes is getting sand in the bearings. I would not ride an expensive bike on sand under any circumstances. Most bottom brackets nowadays are not serviceable so you don't really have the option of cleaning/repacking. You might also get sand in the hubs. Of course if the sand is hard packed enough to ride on then presumably it wont spray everywhere. Am I missing something?

Rent a bike and let someone else deal with getting the sand out of the bearings, bushings and any other moving parts. Sand is just about the worst thing you can get in a bearing and it will find a way in, no matter how careful you are. Just think of all the places you find it when you are coming home...the car, your shoes, your hair. Unless you like to tear your bike all the way down for fun, I'd save yourself the hassle.

I must say this question surprises me a little. Personally, I think a better option would be to find something on the edge of the sand (maybe a fence or something) to which one could lock their bike, and just walk the 50 metres or so. I can't quite understand why someone would want to ride on the beach (i.e. the sand) itself. Correct me if I've misinterpreted this one.

I too would rent a bike, however if you must ride on the beach, ride on the edge of the water, where the sand is wet. Its much easyer to ride there rather then the soft dry sand.

Sorry, I don't see the attraction of riding on the beach, and I live 1 km from the Pacific Ocean. The best "bicycle" for this application is the Strida (www.strida.com) -- no chain, no major metal components to rust at the salt air/water interface, etc.

Another disadvantage to riding at the beach, especially on the hard sand near the water, is the SALT water spray, which can be very corrosive.

if you must ride on the beach (and I can see the attraction at low tide on firm sand) , get an old Al mountain bike, and adapt the hubs and bottom bracket for grease injection. You can purge any sand after a ride.

What I ment to say (sry you all) was that we have a semi *wood plank boardwalk* for about 2 miles then it reaches a dirst trail so.. i always run into problems before i even get too the trail.
- Thanks,
Kevin

Hell....I have ridden my klein through the dry beach sand, onto the wet shore, and then into the water. Once i was on a group ride and lake superior had the perfect depth for a long ways so a few of us went to ride in the water....its really fun!!!!