Setting your Fat Bike's Tire Pressure for Sandy Conditions
Tire pressure makes a difference.
Over the years we have found that tire pressure really does make a difference when enjoying 3" plus tires on the beach or this area's sugar sand. Having tested different tire widths and tread patterns on the sand, we concluded that a person weighing around 180 lb. will roll faster and have better traction at 8 psi. There are of course other variables, such as riding tubed vs. tubeless, tire width, personal goals, etc. Ultimately we have found that running a 4.6" tire on the sand at 7-9 psi is the most fun. Pressure over 8 psi on the sand will tend to dig into the sand and make the rolling resistance higher. While this is not terrible, it can make the ride more of a workout.
In the event of riding on paved or gravel surfaces, running the same tires at 12 psi will give you a totally different feeling. Higher pressure on pure road, the Cross City Trail, or gravel excursions will allow you to have a bit less tread touching the pavement, leading to better handling for the hard pack.
Stop by the shop to see how we have learned to make our fat bike tire treads even more efficient on all of our local places to ride.