Can I ride on the beach with 32c tires? I have a hybrid bike (Merida Speeder 200) with 700x32c tires.
I've been using it on the road with great pleasure, but given the corona situation it's becoming quite crowded on the (nice) roads.
Therefore I'm looking for alternative paths. The beach is semi-nearby and has a wide flat strip of &quot;hard&quot; sand during low tide.
Can I ride on the hard sand with 32c tires?
While my initial attempt with lightly deflated tires was not a success (I could only bike 100 m before being exhausted) my second attempt went much better.
Based on your helpful answers, comments and suggestions I deflated my rear tire to 1.5 bar, and my front tire to 2 bar and rode at the waterline without much problems at an average speed of 20 km/h.
I was there 1.5 hours after low tide, but there was still plenty of compact sand. Also, it didn't really matter if I was riding on the wet sand at the edge of the water, or a few meters further inland on the drier compact sand, both required approximately the same perceived effort.
Loosened sand (e.g. after dogs have played there) and swathes of shells/seaweed required more effort, so I tried to avoid those.
For context: I use Continental Grand Prix 4 Season 700x32c tires, weigh around 80 kg and am not superfit, but can sustain 25-30 km/h on the road.
Conclusion
Based on my experience: yes, you can ride on the beach with 32c tires if:

You deflate your tires significantly (to 1.5 - 2 bar)
Ride during low tide on the compact sand