Riding a unicycle in Manhattan (NYC)?

[Laenas]

Hi guys,

First post here, hi everyone! I've just purchased my V8 and waiting impatiently for it to arrive. This will be my first dive into the EUC sport, and I'd lie to say I'm not hyped!

In the meantime, a couple of searches on the legality of riding a unicycle brought up some worrisome news. It seems that (at least officially) any kind of hover-board, electric scooter, electric bicycle and unicycle are outlawed inside Manhattan.

Now... I've also read a few reports from people living here and they say the NYPD and traffic cops don't really enforce this rule. But most of these reports are somewhat old (some from 2015 or early 2016) and I hear that the law might have gone into full effect only in the meantime.

Looking for some first-hand experiences from people living in NY (and ideally, NYC-Manhattan, because it's sometimes got a separate set of rules and regulations from Brooklin, NJ etc.).

Thanks for all the help!

[Mono]

2 hours ago, Laenas said:

any kind of hover-board, electric scooter, electric bicycle and unicycle are outlawed inside Manhattan

are you saying they are allowed in NY as long as being outside of Manhattan? 

[Laenas]

39 minutes ago, Mono said:

are you saying the are allowed in NY as long as being outside of Manhattan? 

No, I don't really know about stuff outside of Manhattan. But if I am to guess, I'd say Manhattan is always a tougher cookie. For example, I'm very passionate about quad-copters ("drones"), and it's always much easier to fly in NY than it is in Manhattan - with it actually being officially forbidden everywhere.

[Marty Backe]

2 hours ago, Laenas said:

Hi guys,

First post here, hi everyone! I've just purchased my V8 and waiting impatiently for it to arrive. This will be my first dive into the EUC sport, and I'd lie to say I'm not hyped!

In the meantime, a couple of searches on the legality of riding a unicycle brought up some worrisome news. It seems that (at least officially) any kind of hover-board, electric scooter, electric bicycle and unicycle are outlawed inside Manhattan.

Now... I've also read a few reports from people living here and they say the NYPD and traffic cops don't really enforce this rule. But most of these reports are somewhat old (some from 2015 or early 2016) and I hear that the law might have gone into full effect only in the meantime.

Looking for some first-hand experiences from people living in NY (and ideally, NYC-Manhattan, because it's sometimes got a separate set of rules and regulations from Brooklin, NJ etc.).

Thanks for all the help!

Casey Neistat did a video where he rode all around Manhattan on a hoverboard trying to get a cop to notice or do something. Nothing happened. Even when he asked some cops they said they either didn't know about the law or didn't care.

@Tishawn Fahie does a lot of riding in the city (I think I got the right city). Maybe he can chime in. I think he has a V8 too (his wife's actually).

[Laenas]

11 minutes ago, Marty Backe said:

Casey Neistat did a video where he rode all around Manhattan on a hoverboard trying to get a cop to notice or do something. Nothing happened. Even when he asked some cops they said they either didn't know about the law or didn't care.

@Tishawn Fahie does a lot of riding in the city (I think I got the right city). Maybe he can chime in. I think he has a V8 too (his wife's actually).

Thanks @Marty Backe!

I've seen the Casey video, and he makes a great point, but it's a video from November 2015 - so some update information would be very helpful.

[houseofjob]

Ha! this title has been my daily life for the past 2.5 years!

@Laenas welcome to NYC EUC riding! (there's an FB chat of local riders; let me know if you want to be added)

 

Legally: EUCs are essentially not legal in New York, but the law is super vague (as opposed to Segways, which are specifically written into NYC law).

Practically: NYPD, esp in Manhattan, do not care about EUCs (actually, they don't care about a lot of minor traffic violations in general). They only care about the department initiatives dictated to them by their chief (like terrorism, etc.)

I ride daily through many police officers on the street in and around Columbus Circle, and get no reaction. Any approaches by NYPD I've had have only been the typical wide-eyed, inquisitive street pedestrian questions like "What is that?", "How far can you go?", etc. FWIW, there is a guy in my UWS area that I see occasionally booking on his Segway and he doesn't seem to get stopped either.

 

Just be respectful and use your head in not going out of your way to aggravate NYPD and you'll be fine (ie. terrorizing pedestrians by going fast on sidewalks, etc.)

The only issues I've ever heard in Manhattan were regarding blatant traffic violations (wrong way up a one way street), or the occasional park official trying to enforce park rules (haven't heard of any incidents lately).

 

I would highly recommend joining the FB chat, as we do share this kind of intel on there, outside of other topics.

 

[Laenas]

Yesss!!

Thank you so much @houseofjob! This answers all my questions.

And yes, I would very much like to join the FB group/chat. I'm moving this conversation to private.

Thanks everyone for the warm welcome and the detailed replies! See you on the streets.

[Laenas]

Hi guys,

So now that I'm feeling more comfortable with the idea of riding in my city, I wanted to pick your brains on how you prepare yourself to battle the winter weather on your Wheel?

Riding at 25 km/h is certainly quite cold during freezing temperatures. Any advice on clothing, helmet, eye protection, maybe a fabric mask for the mouth/nose?

Thanks in advance!

[houseofjob]

All the Uniqlo HEATTECH (warmth) & BLOCKTECH (to block wind) (or both combined!) stuff has proven very good for affordable, warm layers. Their Blocktech Lined Joggers have not left my legs this winter.

Warm down coats are pretty key, most these days coming from Canada. I went with a Nobis Shelby Parka this winter (didn't want to join the Canada Goose NYC Mafia; Nobis was created by former Canada Goose engineers looking to make better parkas), bought from Paragon Sports, but there seem to be cheaper sources.

Best coat I've ever bought: great style for my work commute, super warm (sometimes too warm), and their unique double-layer encasing of the white goose down ensures no hemorrhaging of goose feathers like some other similarly priced parkas.

 

Just bought a helmet, a Nexx SX10 Motorcycle helmet with swappable outer shells, adjustable vents, face shield, sun shield, and optional bluetooth comm fitting. We'll see how that goes, but reviews are good, and love the look of it.

For non-helmet face and glove options, I'd just make sure the material is Gore-Tex to block the wind, as my fleece gloves, balaclava don't do so.

[Laenas]

45 minutes ago, houseofjob said:

All the Uniqlo HEATTECH (warmth) & BLOCKTECH (to block wind) (or both combined!) stuff has proven very good for affordable, warm layers. Their Blocktech Lined Joggers have not left my legs this winter.

Warm down coats are pretty key, most these days coming from Canada. I went with a Nobis Shelby Parka this winter (didn't want to join the Canada Goose NYC Mafia; Nobis was created by former Canada Goose engineers looking to make better parkas), bought from Paragon Sports, but there seem to be cheaper sources.

Best coat I've ever bought: great style for my work commute, super warm (sometimes too warm), and their unique double-layer encasing of the white goose down ensures no hemorrhaging of goose feathers like some other similarly priced parkas.

 

Just bought a helmet, a Nexx SX10 Motorcycle helmet with swappable outer shells, adjustable vents, face shield, sun shield, and optional bluetooth comm fitting. We'll see how that goes, but reviews are good, and love the look of it.

For non-helmet face and glove options, I'd just make sure the material is Gore-Tex to block the wind, as my fleece gloves, balaclava don't do so.

Great comprehensive answer, thanks!

[Citi Wheel]

On 1/17/2017 at 9:49 AM, Laenas said:

Hi guys,

First post here, hi everyone! I've just purchased my V8 and waiting impatiently for it to arrive. This will be my first dive into the EUC sport, and I'd lie to say I'm not hyped!

In the meantime, a couple of searches on the legality of riding a unicycle brought up some worrisome news. It seems that (at least officially) any kind of hover-board, electric scooter, electric bicycle and unicycle are outlawed inside Manhattan.

Now... I've also read a few reports from people living here and they say the NYPD and traffic cops don't really enforce this rule. But most of these reports are somewhat old (some from 2015 or early 2016) and I hear that the law might have gone into full effect only in the meantime.

Looking for some first-hand experiences from people living in NY (and ideally, NYC-Manhattan, because it's sometimes got a separate set of rules and regulations from Brooklin, NJ etc.).

Thanks for all the help!

I ride it by cops in manhattan all the time (went by a bunch by the trump building today), and they never bother me. I started riding in Brooklyn recently and have not been bothered yet. The most you'll get is a warning, at which point you shoulder just walk the EUC around a corner, and then ride on. 

Also, there was no "law" that went into effect. The reason they are legal is because they are a motorized vehicle that can't be registered with the DMV. They never made a specific law against electric rideables.

[Laenas]

Thanks for the answer!

[Pagsy]

Cops are nice in Manhattan, they might just stop you to ask you where they can buy one ... 

just smile and answer their question !