Deep Sandy Roads
 

I live in an area with forest roads. I have a gravel/adventure bike that does fine on crushed limestone and packed dirt, but it cannot do deep sand. When I have tried the front tire sinks in and I just about fly over the handlebars. For reference the tires are 700 x 35mm with more of a tread for speed than traction. There is a whole other system of roads that are loose dirt with really deep sand in places (about on the level of sand dunes) that I can't ride with the gravel bike. I'd like to be able to since it would open up more opportunities. I'm contemplating getting a mountain bike (probably hardtail trail or cross country). My question is will this even be enough to get through the sand? If so, is there a tire size that would work? One bike I'm looking at has Schwalbe Racing Ralph Performance 29 x 2.25. Of course, I don't want to invest in mountain bike and find out it can't do the job. I'm hoping someone here with more experience might have an answer.

We have a lot of sand here in Long Island, best choice if that’s all there is to ride is get a fat bike.

This is a job for a fat bike

Deflating the tires helps a lot. However, you are going to want 2.6" or wider. Sometimes it helps to choose a line right near the edge of the sandy road.

Thanks all. I had thought about a fat bike. Might have to go back to that plan. I was hoping a trail bike might do since it would be more versatile and lighter. Some of these roads are really just endless sand with heavy vegetation on the side. No real way to avoid it.

Even 2.25"s get slogged down in loose dry sand.

Fat bikes were designed for loose sand and snow, and from what I've read do well on both. The people I know who own high-end fat bikes will ride them anywhere and on just about any surface - as long as they're not in a hurry. :)

Or get a bike that can handle 27.5 x 3.0 tires. I had a Santa Cruz Chameleon hardtail that had those and it did perfectly fine on fairly deep sand, especially since you can run low pressures. Good luck!

If this is sand you find crossing an arroyo or in an eroded part of a jeep trail, this is a normal desert obstacle you just deal with. Power through and if you can't, dab and walk it out. You don't need a fat bike unless you are going into the dunes or something. But expecting a 1.5 in tire to cope with it feels kind of willful

No. You want a fat bike with a minimum of 4" wide tires.

If your wallet is big enough there are sub 25 lb fat bikes...pretty much all carbon parts. My fat bike weighs in at 26 lbs...Carbon Frame, Bars and Wheels. The Onyx hubs are heavier though.

You can also buy a spare wheelset to use 29 x 2.5 - 3.0 tires when fat tires aren't necessary.

I'm in socal so not much help since we have mostly pretty hard pack with only occasional sand (even in the surrounding areas (UT, NV, NM etc) that I've ridden. It would be helpful if you could rent a bike or ask the locals about riding those areas, but those who mention fat tires seem correct especially since with wide enough "meat" you can run at 6 - 8 psi.

I went ahead and bought a Specialized Rockhopper Comp 29. I wanted to try out a mountain bike without breaking the budget. This was normally $950, but marked down to $675. Pretty good specs with Deore 1x10, Shimano brakes and RockShox air fork. Downside...no dropper post (might get later), QR (not thru axles) and I would have preferred 1x12. The tires are 29x2.35 (might swap out for wider tires later), which probably aren't going to cut it on some of the really sandy stuff. I decided to ride this one as much as I can in the area and if there are some roads I can't get through I'll just find others that I can. I think this will still open up more forest road opportunities that I can't do on the gravel bike. If I feel I'm really missing out I can get a fat bike in the future.
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...cb04bde247.jpg

I think the 10s is 10/46 and the front chainring 30 or 32t, so if you need lower gears, you could change the front to 28; cheap $20 mod that hopefully won't reduce top speed unacceptably. For me, 2.35 wouldn't be enough based on a few short sections of deep sand on some desert jaunts where I succumbed and walked.

So took out the mountain bike this morning. I purposefully picked a location, Caravelle Ranch WMA, I've done with my gravel bike for comparison. Obviously, heavier mountain bike and wider tires equals harder effort. I did appreciate the ability to just roll over anything like roots and loose gravel without discomfort on the mountain bike. There was some moderately sandy roads, but avoided them today due to the moist weather. Previous experience shows that under these conditions the sand stick to the tires and makes a big mess. I did go down one road that I had tried only once on the gravel bike but never tried again due to it being too rough and sketchy surfaces. No problem for the mountain bike. Overall, a successful day. The only thing I didn't try was some inclines and moderate sand. I'll be doing that later this week.

Hard to see, but some of the grass was up to the handlebar and extremely wet.
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...c39c9de9b1.jpg
Typical road in this area. Some gravel, sand and grass.
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...f77bcfb155.jpg

Before I had a fatbike, I rode the sandy trails on an old Schwinn klunker with 26 x 2.5 Maxxis Holy rollers. Wide tires aired down are your friends.

Since you rode at Caravelle Ranch WMA I assume you are in NE Florida. I am over in Tallahassee and haven;t found that any more than normal mountain bike tires are needed for the trails here. Even my bike with 2.1" tires seems okay on our sandier trails IME. My bike with wider 2.4" tubeless tires running lower pressure may inspire a bit more confidence, but the 2.1" with tubes are okay.

There may be more sand where you are, but I bet it is a similar range of conditions and you can choose to ride in any of them. I doubt it is worth going to a fat bike unless that is just something you really want to do.

Actually, in the Ocala Nat Forest.

Ride number two...also went in an area that I had done with my gravel bike for more comparison. This time with some hills. Not too bad, but takes some more motivation to get up the inclines. On the good side, felt more stable over the potholes, rocks, washboard and loose sand than my gravel. On the down side, tried some of the truly sandy roads and sunk right in when it got to the deep part. Some photos below are what I'm talking about. If this is a skill level thing maybe I can work on that. I haven't messed with the tire pressure. I assume the bike shop set it for nearly the max. If anyone has a suggestion re: proper tire pressure that might help get through the sand let me know. Or maybe its impossible without a fat bike.

Doing okay here with some tree debris ground cover.
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...31ab26d165.jpg
Once that was gone I was in trouble and turned around.
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...f70bd6759f.jpg

That is the sand that will be challenging on a normal mountain bike. It is easier when it is damp, but not wet. Here, it gets drier and deeper all summer, and can be defeating. Again, wide tires aired as low as you can without pinch flatting, and momentum is your friend. Come into it spinning along at over 10mph, and you will float on top. Try to steer with the front or slow down, it will dig in and suck all momentum away. Just on the edge of the grass will usually be easier, but you better have sealant in your tires.

A few years ago I was mapping a route and I saw it went over something called "sand mountain" I didn't think much of it until I got there. It started with a little sinking here and there and soon progressed to full blown walking for miles. It was a point to point ride so I needed to get through it, I couldn't turn around. It was awful.

That was on a gravel bike with 38's. The same bike currently has 43's and I wouldn't go back. My mountain bike has 2.5" tires and I wouldn't go there either. It's too steep and sandy to really ride a fat bike, it might not sink, but I doubt it would be rideable. The only thing I'd consider for a return trip would be a fat tired e bike or an ATV. Interestingly, I hear sand mountain is lovely in the spring for a week or two after the snow melts.

For truly sandy riding, my suggestion is to not do it. Just skip the entire thing and find somewhere else. I'd rather take a spinning class at the rec center than ride that ****.

If it's just a patch or two, low gears and as much weight on the back as possible helps. Don't stand up. If you can, try to hit it after a rain. The sandy sections of the White Rim trail are very doable if a little unnerving on a gravel bike using that technique.

there's probably as many different sand situations as there are snow. I did the same w/ a mountain bike & 2.25 tires. opened up lost of opportunities. but there are limits. I just work with what I have & go where I can. getting a MTB was easy to add to the stable. a fat bike is a whole other animal. thanks for sharing, looks like a fun area!

as for tire pressure, the lower the better. for me, if I remember correctly, 25psi rear 21psi front works for the softest stuff I try
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...1e37d053c8.jpg

for forest roads & narrow dirt trails, 30 rear & 25 front is good
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...9f0f29e523.jpg
now that you have this bike you may be tempted to go places you've never tried. probably not hilly & mountainous w/ roots & rocks & no ice like up here. I didn't start falling & crashing until got a MTB. be careful if you get tempted to ride the edges where the sand is mixed with other stuff. yes you can ride on it but you might fling a stick into your spokes or derailer & down you go :innocent:

approaching beach, I'm good to a point & then I have to walk it
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...c7a75df650.jpg
and good luck cleaning the sand from your drivetrain ;-)

I have ridden the Dunes at Monahans on my fatbike. That is an original Surly Pugsley before the even wider tires became available. Could not climb the steep side of the dunes, but that is the side you want to go down anyway. Just plan your way around the bowls and work your way the big ones so you can enjoy the downhils. I have video somewhere... need to look and see where.

Ride number three...I had a pretty good experience on some sand the last time I was out. I've watched a few YT videos for some tips. Three things I got out of it was lower tire pressure, keep the hands loose on the handlebar (let the front wheel find its way through the sand) and move your weight back as much as you can on the saddle. It seemed to work. If I'm honest though this was not the super deep sand, but several levels above packed dirt. In my head I was thinking "this is going great this looks like it goes on for miles...just what I wanted a mountain bike for."
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...7397e0c831.jpg

Reality quickly set in. I had gotten around a few puddles when there was room on the side, but this was a bit much. Might have to try again when rainy season and hunting season ends in the winter.
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...39ca8ce0fb.jpg

I've read the correct tire pressure is just above where it would get unseated. so if the tire falls off the rim at 15psi, that's too low, if it falls off at 18psi, that's too low, if it stays on at 20psi, there ya go!

looks like a beautiful area but those are some BIG puddles to get around!

I've been trying even deeper sand with encouraging results. I'd say my tire pressure is around 30 psi, since I also want less rolling resistance on the harder surfaces. Seems to work okay for the terrain I've been riding on. I also forgot two other important things. Make sure to be in a easy enough gear before entering the sandy part, so you can keep spinning and don't lose momentum. Also if you can find a groove to follow, or in my case a tire track, do that. I've been getting better. First time out on some of the more sandy stuff last week I got stuck three times. Mostly because I didn't start in a low enough gear going uphill. The front tire turned sideways and I had to hop off the saddle to keep from falling over. I did have some success though. Next time out did much better. Didn't have to stop once in the sand. Yesterday did have one problem, but it was a fairly steep section/deep sand that I didn't have enough run up to build any speed. Overall, feeling pretty good where I'm at. Whenever I get into the sand I repeat to myself "stick with it" . Been exploring more roads in the forest and have some new ones to try. This is exactly what I was hoping for when I got this bike. One thing I have learned is I don't mind doing several yards of sand, but would not be happy trying to do miles of it. Too hard. :) I have a couple of months before hunting season gets going. Ugh! That will limit some of the roads I can feel comfortable going on.

Went really offroad. This started as a truck wide road that became more narrow. I thought it would lead somewhere, but just kept getting smaller. Someone also put up barriers to keep wheeled vehicles out. I turned around since I had no idea where I was going.
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...59b4bc85dc.jpg

Typical forest road in the area. Some solid hard surface mixed with sand.
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...539e97fd33.jpg

Got out at sunrise. Nice ride except for the heavy logging in the area. Depressing. Had to contend with some dump trucks preparing the next area for clear cutting.:mad:
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...6b2b00294f.jpg