anyone take an EUC on an Amtrak train?

[enigma35]

So I'm taking a california amtrak this weekend and wondering if they will hassle me for bringing a KS16 onboard with me. Their rules make no mention of anything other than "no hoverboards."

Anyone try this out? I might have to throw it in a suitcase if they are going to give me a problem with it

[Cloud]

Its a gamble. Technically eucs are considered a type of hoverboard for thr sake of applicability of thr " no hoverboard " rule. But not everyone knows that. Id say you have a 80/20chance you will bring it in with no issues, but just to be on the safe side, you might want to put it in a suitcase like you said

Edited September 8, 2016 by Cloud

[Keith]

1 hour ago, Cloud said:

Its a gamble. Technically eucs are considered a type of hoverboard for thr sake of applicability of thr " no hoverboard " rule. But not everyone knows that. Id say you have a 80/20chance you will bring it in with no issues.

Isn't that pathetic! I regularly go into London by train and use the buses and underground as well. That to me is the real beauty of the EUC it is the perfect "last mile" transport and doesn't get in other commuters way any more than a laptop does.

Out of curiousity are bicycles and particularly eBikes also banned from Amtraks as well?

[enigma35]

Thanks, Cloud. I guess i'll throw it in a suitcase just to be safe.

 

Not sure if bikes are allowed, though they take up a LOT more space, so wouldn't be surprised if they are banned too.

[The Fat Unicyclist]

So there's a guy called Ron (I don't think he's active in this forum though) who has just done an EUC / train journey through a half dozen cities across the US. 

I am fairly sure at least some of his travel was using Amtrak, and he didn't seem to have any problems.

His YouTube channel for it is here - Wheel America: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZeZ8038N7Um_ryNIuLa-vApA5pfO7atg

@Tishawn Fahie - I think you mentioned you know Ron. Do you know if he had any train challenges? 

Edited September 8, 2016 by The Fat Unicyclist

[Tishawn Fahie]

On 9/8/2016 at 7:22 AM, The Fat Unicyclist said:

So there's a guy called Ron (I don't think he's active in this forum though) who has just done an EUC / train journey through a half dozen cities across the US. 

I am fairly sure at least some of his travel was using Amtrak, and he didn't seem to have any problems.

His YouTube channel for it is here - Wheel America: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZeZ8038N7Um_ryNIuLa-vApA5pfO7atg

@Tishawn Fahie - I think you mentioned you know Ron. Do you know if he had any train challenges? 

Yes Ron's entire ride was based on taking the Amtrak. He experience one issue I believe in Denver - where the train conductor at first wouldn't let him on because he thought it was a hoverboard. The conductor ended up calling somebody to come  take a look at Ron's eu. Thats when they both realize its not and let him on. 

I've taken Amtrak many times going to DC and never experience any problems with anybody. You should be fine. I've probably took my EU on there about 15 times already with zero issues.

 

I hope this helps.

[Questor]

Any idea what wheel Ron uses?

Based in his videos, he's really moving at a quick rate of speed.

Q~

[swvision]

42 minutes ago, Questor said:

Any idea what wheel Ron uses?

Based in his videos, he's really moving at a quick rate of speed.

Q~

looks like a gotway acm 16

[Questor]

13 minutes ago, swvision said:

looks like a gotway acm 16

Cool.  Good to know.

That's the kind of speed I'm looking for.  I used to roller blade in NYC and I know that speed is safety.

Q~

[swvision]

I hope mine gets shipped to me soon. It's like getting tortured,  having to watch these videos while not knowing how an EU actually feels.

 

https://youtu.be/AFUPEqUvw7k?list=PLZeZ8038N7Um_ryNIuLa-vApA5pfO7atg

 

Edited September 9, 2016 by swvision

[Marty Backe]

28 minutes ago, swvision said:

I hope mine gets shipped to me soon. It's like getting tortured,  having to watch these videos while not knowing how an EU actually feels.

 

https://youtu.be/AFUPEqUvw7k?list=PLZeZ8038N7Um_ryNIuLa-vApA5pfO7atg

 

We've all been there. And then you finally receive it, and the next journey starts - learning to ride it. It's an adventure. Expect sore feet, bruised ankles, maybe a scrape or two, but then everything 'clicks' and it's blast-city from then on.

[swvision]

5 hours ago, Marty Backe said:

We've all been there. And then you finally receive it, and the next journey starts - learning to ride it. It's an adventure. Expect sore feet, bruised ankles, maybe a scrape or two, but then everything 'clicks' and it's blast-city from then on.

Thanks Marty, My commute to work is what's killing me at this moment. I would put up with a few scrapes and bruises to have less stress before getting there. I'll be doing a complete 360 degrees on the way I drive by getting this EU. As a perspective: the time it takes me to get to work on the freeway is a little over 2 hours each day, (In Traffic), and 35-45 min back from work. The only problem i have is walking to the metro station in the California sun. It takes about 18 min to get to the metro station which will take me to my destination in under 1.5 hours. What I hope to do is mitigate pedestrian time, which is the most troublesome part of taking pubic transit personally. Also places like the grocery store or hardware store are fairly close to where I live. I'm only estimating this, but it would probably take me 2-3 minutes to take an EU to the nearest supermarket where as by car it would take at least twice that amount of time. I'll be selling my car very soon in an effort to make better use of the little time that we all have. Perhaps I'm being a little too dramatic about this. However, the fact that such a device that lets me travel and maneuver faster that a bicycle exists is a godsend. 

[The Fat Unicyclist]

1 hour ago, swvision said:

Thanks Marty, My commute to work is what's killing me at this moment. I would put up with a few scrapes and bruises to have less stress before getting there. I'll be doing a complete 360 degrees on the way I drive by getting this EU. As a perspective: the time it takes me to get to work on the freeway is a little over 2 hours each day, (In Traffic), and 35-45 min back from work. The only problem i have is walking to the metro station in the California sun. It takes about 18 min to get to the metro station which will take me to my destination in under 1.5 hours. What I hope to do is mitigate pedestrian time, which is the most troublesome part of taking pubic transit personally. Also places like the grocery store or hardware store are fairly close to where I live. I'm only estimating this, but it would probably take me 2-3 minutes to take an EU to the nearest supermarket where as by car it would take at least twice that amount of time. I'll be selling my car very soon in an effort to make better use of the little time that we all have. Perhaps I'm being a little too dramatic about this. However, the fact that such a device that lets me travel and maneuver faster that a bicycle exists is a godsend. 

I think your logic is good... with ideal weather year-round in LA, an EUC could be a great option. And for the local (or last-mile) trips it would be much easier than driving in that traffic - not to mention a lot more fun. 

Congratulations on the (pending) lifestyle upgrade!

[Marty Backe]

2 hours ago, swvision said:

Thanks Marty, My commute to work is what's killing me at this moment. I would put up with a few scrapes and bruises to have less stress before getting there. I'll be doing a complete 360 degrees on the way I drive by getting this EU. As a perspective: the time it takes me to get to work on the freeway is a little over 2 hours each day, (In Traffic), and 35-45 min back from work. The only problem i have is walking to the metro station in the California sun. It takes about 18 min to get to the metro station which will take me to my destination in under 1.5 hours. What I hope to do is mitigate pedestrian time, which is the most troublesome part of taking pubic transit personally. Also places like the grocery store or hardware store are fairly close to where I live. I'm only estimating this, but it would probably take me 2-3 minutes to take an EU to the nearest supermarket where as by car it would take at least twice that amount of time. I'll be selling my car very soon in an effort to make better use of the little time that we all have. Perhaps I'm being a little too dramatic about this. However, the fact that such a device that lets me travel and maneuver faster that a bicycle exists is a godsend. 

I live and commute in Southern Calif too. Fortunately I can pick my hours, so I drive when the traffic usually is good (for LA). I'm using mine for some local shopping, but mostly it's just for fun, for now. Good luck with your transformation.

[enigma35]

Update: no issues whatsoever with amtrak. Smooth sailing.

 

Also, EUCs are PERFECT for taking the train to busy downtown areas where it's a pain to drive and find parking. I live in DTLA and I almost never drive now.

[checho]

I have taken many unicycles one at a time on amtrak buses and trains, in California the Ace train ( not Amtrak but related), Amtrak san joaquin express, coast starlight, and the surf liner, never had problems. The unicicles have been x8, q3, e+, 121, ks18a, in Amtrak, Ace, and Cal train never had problems.Currently I have a broken shoulder due to a fall at 25km/h waiting to recover.

[MetricUSA]

Bike wise, only certain trains accept them as a whole unit, it is posted on thier website, otherwise need to break them down and 'bag' them...  

[brianle]

Apologies for resurrecting a somewhat old thread, but the concern I have about taking an EUC on Amtrak isn't just that they might not let me on, it's that they MIGHT let me on traveling away from home, but then not let me get back home the same way (!), i.e., a round-trip train trip with an EUC.   A suitcase doesn't work, as I want to ride it a fair distance to/from the train station.  Maybe a soft duffel-bag type case ... ?

Reading about this, I see that hoverboards are banned due to the lithium batteries; I don't see why an EUC would be treated any differently?  I read about one instance where the train was transporting lithium batteries and one/some exploded and caused a fire; another source talks about multiple hoverboard incidents around the country.   I guess I'm looking for something explicit to point to if challenged by an Amtrak employee.  "It's not a hoverboard and the rule just says hoverboards" doesn't strike me as a reliable argument.

Yet --- we buy these things online and they get shipped out, so they are presumably safe enough to transport that way ...

Frustrating.  A compelling case to make to an inquiry by Amtrak folks would be appreciated --- TIA !

[enigma35]

Brianle, i think it's always going to be up to the amtrak employees/conductor, but so far I haven't ever been denied boarding for it. Nor have any of my friends, and there's about 6 of us who regularly take the train with EUCs onboard. Every once in a while we get stopped or questioned, but talking to them usually remedies the situation. That's no guarantee, of course, but i think odds are in your favor.

Side note: one friend was stopped by an amtrak employee who asked if it was a lithium-ion battery. He said no, that it was polymer. Not even sure if that was correct, but they seemed to accept that as an answer.

[brianle]

Just downloaded the KS16S spec sheet, and it says:

"840wh Lithium battery, with equilibrium, over-charge, over-discharge, over-current protection"

This doesn't say if they're Li-Ion or Li-Po (Lithium Polymer, aka Lithium-ion Polymer).  But according to wikipedia, Li-Po batteries suffer from the same safety issues as Li-Ion, to whit:

"This means that overcharge, over-discharge, over-temperature, short circuit, crush and nail penetration may all result in a catastrophic failure, including the pouch rupturing, the electrolyte leaking, and fire."

So saying "polymer" as if it's better is just a smoke screen.  Might work, but I'd rather play this straight if I could.

What I maybe could say is that this particular EUC is manufactured by the company best known for safety, and that it has over-charge, over-discharge, and over-current protection built in.

Frustrating stuff, but worth working through as these things are so much more useful if we can take them on public transport ...

Thanks for the feedback!