Absolutely gutted :*(

[Dingfelder]

3 hours ago, Marty Backe said:

Yeah, in California we're good. We've still been kicked off a few trails from 'rangers' that blindly think that since the wheel has a motor, it's a motor vehicle, and thus not allowed. Usually it's not worth the fight to contest their opinion.

You ride trails so regularly I'm surprised you don't carry a copy of the relevant laws to show them.  That would be a learning experience they could pass on to other rangers.  Heck, if you had two, you could give one to a ranger on the spot to make things easy for him to show his buddies and discuss.

[Marty Backe]

3 hours ago, Dingfelder said:

You ride trails so regularly I'm surprised you don't carry a copy of the relevant laws to show them.  That would be a learning experience they could pass on to other rangers.  Heck, if you had two, you could give one to a ranger on the spot to make things easy for him to show his buddies and discuss.

I have the law memorized (AB604). If you've ever read any of these regulations, it's not easy going. And the law does not use the word EUC, so there's a bit of interpretation going on.

From the encounters I've had, it's a losing proposition. They have a power-trip mentality and are not interested in being proven wrong or listening to you recite a bunch of legal mumbo-jumbo.

I'd rather enjoy the rest of my day then be arrested or have my wheel confiscated.

[Dingfelder]

15 minutes ago, Marty Backe said:

I have the law memorized (AB604). If you've ever read any of these regulations, it's not easy going. And the law does not use the word EUC, so there's a bit of interpretation going on.

From the encounters I've had, it's a losing proposition. They have a power-trip mentality and are not interested in being proven wrong or listening to you recite a bunch of legal mumbo-jumbo.

I'd rather enjoy the rest of my day then be arrested or have my wheel confiscated.

Well that certainly would be awful if they confiscated your wheel.  

I don't think confiscation of property should be so cavalier in America, but there are a lot of vested interests involved by now and it's going to be hard to turn back the clock to a more reasonable system.

It's the fear of that -- and of some insanely punitive fine like the $600-ish someone here recently reported being threatened with -- which makes me want to approach the police in my town preemptively to see if we're on the same page.  

[Marty Backe]

1 minute ago, Dingfelder said:

Well that certainly would be awful if they confiscated your wheel.  

I don't think confiscation of property should be so cavalier in America, but there are a lot of vested interests involved by now and it's going to be hard to turn back the clock to a more reasonable system.

It's the fear of that -- and of some insanely punitive fine like the $600-ish someone here recently reported being threatened with -- which makes me want to approach the police in my town preemptively to see if we're on the same page.  

Yeah, I'm not overly worried, but if I got argumentative who knows what would happen.

I was "pulled over" by one cop that said I wasn't stopping at the stop signs (I was riding in a residential neighborhood). He was nice enough, but said there are some local towns near me that would ticket me if I didn't fully stop with one foot on the ground at every stop sign. He also gave me a warning instead of a $300 ticket because I was wearing open-ear earbuds. You're only allowed to have an earbud in one of your ears.

It's just one big money grab. So whenever possible I'm always going to try and avoid any encounters with the police

[Dingfelder]

2 minutes ago, Marty Backe said:

It's just one big money grab. So whenever possible I'm always going to try and avoid any encounters with the police

Yeah that's true.  I shouldn't be looking at the issues through the lens of what would be fair and reasonable, because that is more likely to open a door which leads to trouble.  These days many town and city governments milk their citizens ruthlessly over traffic offenses.

[HeavyGoing]

32 minutes ago, Marty Backe said:

Yeah, I'm not overly worried, but if I got argumentative who knows what would happen.

I was "pulled over" by one cop that said I wasn't stopping at the stop signs (I was riding in a residential neighborhood). He was nice enough, but said there are some local towns near me that would ticket me if I didn't fully stop with one foot on the ground at every stop sign. He also gave me a warning instead of a $300 ticket because I was wearing open-ear earbuds. You're only allowed to have an earbud in one of your ears.

It's just one big money grab. So whenever possible I'm always going to try and avoid any encounters with the police

It is kinda sad that we have gotten to the point where honest citizens feel we have to avoid the police. In general, they do so much good work but then some of them just hassle their own constituents for no good reason.  I don't have much experience with the EUC community but I willing to bet that you are talking about a shocking high percentage of good people here.

[The Fat Unicyclist]

3 hours ago, Marty Backe said:

He also gave me a warning instead of a $300 ticket because I was wearing open-ear earbuds. You're only allowed to have an earbud in one of your ears.

@Marty Backe - have you tried bone conducting headphones? 

https://aftershokz.com

[TremF]

21 minutes ago, The Fat Unicyclist said:

@Marty Backe - have you tried bone conducting headphones? 

https://aftershokz.com

I can recommend the Aftershokz too. I have the Trekz Titanium and it's surprisingly good. Neither ear is covered so you can hear your music in stereo and still be totally aware of your surroundings.

https://aftershokz.com/products/trekz-titanium?variant=7698984833

[Dingfelder]

That sounds like a neat thing, but they look enough like they block your ears from the photos on the first page of the website that I think they'd make cops come after you.

[Marty Backe]

6 hours ago, The Fat Unicyclist said:

@Marty Backe - have you tried bone conducting headphones? 

https://aftershokz.com

No, but they look cool.

I'm not convinced that would prevent a ticket (if a cop was intent on writing me a citation). The point of the law is to have one ear unobstructed from sound.

Hopefully I'll never get a ticket - I'll take my chances.

[Marty Backe]

8 hours ago, HeavyGoing said:

It is kinda sad that we have gotten to the point where honest citizens feel we have to avoid the police. In general, they do so much good work but then some of them just hassle their own constituents for no good reason.  I don't have much experience with the EUC community but I willing to bet that you are talking about a shocking high percentage of good people here.

I'm certainly not anti-police, but I wish they (or more importantly the regulators that give them the power) would help and protect us from other people, but not protect us from ourselves. There are too many laws on the books that are designed to keep us from harming ourselves. Under the right conditions the police use those laws to generate revenue for the city. Just my opinion of course 

[TremF]

9 hours ago, Dingfelder said:

That sounds like a neat thing, but they look enough like they block your ears from the photos on the first page of the website that I think they'd make cops come after you.

 

3 hours ago, Marty Backe said:

No, but they look cool.

I'm not convinced that would prevent a ticket (if a cop was intent on writing me a citation). The point of the law is to have one ear unobstructed from sound.

Hopefully I'll never get a ticket - I'll take my chances.

They don't cover the ears at all. They sit on the bone just in front of your ears and the sound travels through your bones direct to your inner ear. Yes you can turn them quite loud where you can't hear everything but if sensible you can hear them clearly and still hear everything around you. If any cop did stop you you could ask them to try them so they can tell for themselves. 

Mine are on charge at the moment but this image I've found online better shows where they sit. 

In the winter I still wear my big Audio Technica ATH-M50X to keep my ears warm hehe

[Marty Backe]

40 minutes ago, TremF said:

 

They don't cover the ears at all. They sit on the bone just in front of your ears and the sound travels through your bones direct to your inner ear. Yes you can turn them quite loud where you can't hear everything but if sensible you can hear them clearly and still hear everything around you. If any cop did stop you you could ask them to try them so they can tell for themselves. 

Mine are on charge at the moment but this image I've found online better shows where they sit. 

In the winter I still wear my big Audio Technica ATH-M50X to keep my ears warm hehe

I totally get it. I'm just not convinced that it would matter to certain police officers. Whether your ear is covered or not, you're probably not supposed to have both ears being blasted with music. That would be their argument. BTW, this is California law - I'm sure it doesn't apply most other places.

[Dingfelder]

3 minutes ago, Marty Backe said:

I totally get it. I'm just not convinced that it would matter to certain police officers. Whether your ear is covered or not, you're probably not supposed to have both ears being blasted with music. That would be their argument. BTW, this is California law - I'm sure it doesn't apply most other places.

Yeah, at a glance it certainly looks like it covers the ears.

It would be nice if there were some sort of sound bar you could wear like a flexible collar around your neck.  Has anybody made millions on that yet?  

I can't help but think that music as a background is fine, but it shouldn't be able to overwhelm your hearing when you're driving.  Even in the car ... I remember turning up my radio so loud I couldn't hear a police siren behind me, several times.  Luckily no harm occurred (nor any tickets).  But it's all too easy to really get into your music and kind of leave the planet mentally ...