A winter bike on the beach
 

It may not be winter biking, per se, but it is a winter bike, ridden on the beach. And there aint no fatbike forum here, so this is the best spot for it, I say.

Nice ride. I'm wondering though - with such big, soft tires riding through those rocks, isn't a pinch flat easy, or even a bent rim?

I've thought of fat tires on my old GT Xizang hardtail titanium mountain bike. But I run out of tire clearance when I get to 2.4x26 mountain bike tires. I bought my titanium mountain bike back in 1995 specifically with salt water corrosion in mind. But finding a good, corrosion-resistant bike with wide enough seat and chain-stays seems to be a challenge. What have you found?

Thanks. I have never pinch flatted with tires this big, even over the frequent rock beds you find along the beach. And I use about 6-8 psi in the tires.

This is a steel bike, and it needs to be kept up with touch up paint. Then there is Salt Away, WD 40, grease, Frame Saver, immediate cleaning and more frequent bearing replacement. There are Ti and aluminum fatbikes out there now.

Some mixtures of aluminum alloys are very saltwater resistant. Lots of boats and boat trailers, for instance are made of aluminum with the right amount of silenium alloy. There are a couple companies that make marina boat docks of aluminum as well. But for an aluminum that is blended for tensile strength like bicycle tubing, I've wondered how saltwater resistant they are.

Titanium is just about as durable as anything mankind can produce. Short of a direct hit with a thermonuclear bomb, titanium bikes will probably be around long after everything else turns to dust and rust.

But it takes a special frame and fork for such wide tires, doesn't it? Nice videos and very nice job!

That is great info, thanks. My current frame is steel. It is corroding after 6 years of abuse, even with high nickel content and all the products I mention above. The only area that is bad is where I get chain suck around the crankset, and that happens for other reasons. I will be getting an alloy frame soon. Ti is awesome for corrosion resistance. It just doesn't. I use as many Ti bolts as I can. A Ti frame would be the ultimate for resisting the effects of saltwater. But I cannot justify the cost. I can buy 3-4 steel or alloy frames for the same price. Things like bottom bracket shells, head tubes, geometry, disc mounts, etc., change over time, so I tend to like to change frames anyway.

Aluminum used on bikes tends to oxidize forming a white powdery material. As long as you clean it up and lube the area it is not bad though.

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6220/...1c08f1e6_b.jpg

I'm repainting and rebuilding my Surly Pugsley after a few years of beach riding in Mexico and salty Canadian winters.

http://thelazyrando.wordpress.com/20...-redux-part-1/

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6096/...7c75d151_b.jpg

None of my business, but if it were me, I would strip that Surly Pugsley down to bare metal. Even consider having it sand blasted especially around the joints and braze-ons. I would get out every hint of rust or corrosion, which is like cancer to metal.

Even better, maybe a custom bike builder like Black Sheep Bicycles in Ft. Collins, Colorado could build a titanium version of your Pugsley. To me, the best way to stop corrosion is to prevent it from starting in the first place, and that would mean TITANIUM.

I am having my Pugsley sandblasted and powder coated = $150. A custom Ti frame is of no interest to me. If I was worried about corrosion I'd get an aluminum frame which is no more expensive than a steel one and of which there are some nice options available.

It's your Pugsley and obviously your choice. No issue there. I'm just saying that I don't like waste. And sea water is pervasive and attacks everything manmade that sunlight doesn't. If I know I'm going to be using my recreational equipment - bikes, boats or batmobile - in a corrosive environment, I want it made of corrosion-resistant materials wherever possible.

If you don't like waste than buying a second bike because the perfectly good one you have needs some maintenance every 3yrs makes no sense at all.

2nd an aluminum production fatbike would solve the corrosion issue at a fraction of the cost of a custom Ti bike.

I can't see any practical justification for a custom Ti fatbike other than strictly bling which I have no need for.

To each his own. That's why they make and sell red, blue, green, yellow, etc. bikes. Personally, I like having a few really nice things that last. To me, a titanium frame bike is reliable, maintenance-free, and has the bling I enjoy. In my business I see plenty of steel and aluminum equipment eaten up by corrosion. I kinda like stainless steel and titanium.

Yes, most larger coastal marinas are built using concrete floating docks. But so far, I haven't seen a lightweight and durable concrete bicycle. So I'll stick with my titanium GT Xizang hardtail mountain bike, that I've had for 16+ years.