sand mountain bike

G'day all, my first post here! I'm in the market for a hard tail mountain bike for less than $2,000.00AU that will handle sand tracks and beaches at low tide. Also flat road riding but not more than 10km per ride. Not many hills at all.

I've had a Giant before and liked it but will consider other brands with easy parts supply to OZ. I'm in the Illawarra. I'm checking Ebay but will buy new if I need to.

ps. I'm a 90 kilo sized male and have just been told I am supposed to be 80 kilo. 46 years old so not trying to be a champ but want a pushie that will be comfortable to ride so I ride it a lot. Also one that will last and not need to be replaced too soon.

I'm in an excellant pushbike area.

Thanks for any advice you can give. Andrew

FWIW. In part because it is what I want, but can't justify, I would recommend a RALIEGH XXIX ... there is a Single Speed version & one with a front suspension fork + gearing ($600US & $1000US, retail, respectively, the last time I looked [last year]). The frame is CroMo, so it will weigh about a pound more than a 29er with an alloy frame.

The functional reason why you MAY want to give serious consideration to a 29er instead of a "regular" MTB with 26" wheels is because the larger wheel size really will make it easier to ride through the sand -- wet hard pack & the looser stuff. The early miners in Death Valley figured THAT out back in the 19th Century when the wagons with smaller wheels got stuck in the sand.

The 29er tires are NOT any fatter (unless you are running narrow tires) ... just a larger circumference (700x58 is common).

Of course, the 29er may still be an American phenomon ... I don't know how much they have proliferated, yet ... but, if you can find any, you may want to consider one.

BTW. Depending on how your current MTB's rear stays are shaped (the seat stays are probably wide enough apart; so, it's really a matter of the chainstays), you may be able to fit a 700x58 tire inside the rear triangle. If your MTB has a suspension fork, then the 29er tire probably won't fit, but a solid MTB fork will probably have the necessary clearance ...

To over-simply the difference in a 26" MTB frame & a 29er frame, a 29er's BB will have more "drop" (similar to what you would find on a ROAD bike) than a MTB's BB ... so, you could cobble up a DIY if you can snag some 622-17 (or, wider) "touring" rims + 29er tires & tubes so you could try-before-you-buy a new 29er bike.

I checked them out and they look great alfeng. I like the 29" wheels idea for sand. Any idea where to source these. I found one just sold from WA but none on ebay yet.

If there isn't a bike shop near you that handles Raleigh (or, any other 29er bikes), then I think you're probably going to need to make some inquiries of shops in Sydney ... or, Melbourne(!?!) ...

Check this site:


I'm sure that you will be able to contact someone at BICYCLE NSW who can recommend some shops ...

BTW. This is probably stating the obvious, but 622-17 rims are for 700c tyres (700x23 are okay ... and, 700x25-or-larger are better) ...

If your current MTB frames doesn't have discs, but you want to retrofit your current 26" MTB with 29er wheels-and-tyres (presuming the tyres will fit), you should be able to (but, maybe not) mount an OLD/(vintage) Weinmann-or-MAFAC center pull caliper as your brake in the rear.

I don't know if this bike is available in Australia or not, but sounds like perfect conditions for a Surly Pugsley

http://www.surlybikes.com/pugsley.html

Alfeng, nothing is "obvious" to me as I am basically a newbie. I did a lot of Nat Parl trail riding on a Giant ant seven years ago in Sydney but sold my bike when I moved here so any info is appreciated.


Eden, thanks. Nice looking pushie but I can't see any around locally. The local shop stocks Raleigh so I will go and check them out.