For the NJ/NYC commuters here...

[progre-ss]

After reading Koffee Brown's Amtrak thread, a question came to mind. I may be falling into the "Commute by train into NYC" way of life come Fall '06 as the company I work for is in the process of looking for a new office and the City is where they'd like to relocate. I just purchased a Dahon Boardwalk solely for this reason (even though we don't even know for sure if we're moving to the city). I'm gonna convert it to a fixed gear BTW but that's another story;). Has anyone encountered any problems with bringing a folding bike onto NJ Transit and/or PATH trains during peak periods? And do I need to puchase a bag? I originally wanted to bring my full-sized fixie but then I wouldn't be able to take NJ Transit/PATH until after peak hours, hence the purchase of the Boardwalk and then plan to "fix" it. Thanks in advance!

[BearsPaw]

I'm not a NJ/NYC commuter, but I've taken the trains a few times. You can't bring a regular bicycle on either train during peak hours. You should be fine if you fold your bike and stick it in a bag though, I don't see how they would know you have a bicycle. And according to [1], "collapsible bicycles" are allowed on all NJ Transit trains, even during peak hours.

[1] http://www.njtransit.com/rg_bp.shtml

[maunakea]

BearsPaw The katakana for "bike" in your handle ... ?

[straightedge]

I didn't need to take mine on the train when I was in NYC, so I can't help you there. But if you don't want a whole bag, you can buy a small cover for them that slips over and lets the seat poke through for carrying. I have both for my Boardwalk just in case, I prefer to bag it for long transits. Oh yeah, you might want to put a tennis ball or something on the bottom of the seat post, mine quickly started to wear its way through the Dahon bag, you can just throw it in the bag when the bike isn't in there.

[Bacciagalupe]

I've taken my Dahon onto PATH trains during rush hour, and have used the PATH for many years as my daily commute. Most of the following comments don't apply to NJ Transit.

Folding bikes during rush hour are allowed on PATH and I haven't had any problems. The conductors won't let you take a bike on the first (conductor) car, although I have yet to see any actual written rule for that.

I don't recommend taking a standard folder on PATH trains during rush hour as part of your daily commute, though. The PATH trains are crowded, and even as a folding bike rider I would not be thrilled to routinely bump into an unbagged folded bike morning and evening. The bike still takes up a lot of space, gets dirty and is somewhat inconvenient both for you and your fellow passengers. Almost all the PATH stations only have stairs, and lugging a Boardwalk up and down those stairs (and around your fellow passengers and over the turnstiles) 5 days a week will suck, especially if you bring work clothes or other stuff with you.

If you must do it, either take the ferry (expensive) or go early (when there's fewer people) or get something smaller and lighter (e.g. a Brompton) or greaseless (e.g. a Strida). Unless you go greaseless, get a bag; if you take a bike on the PATH every day, it's inevitable that one of your fellow passengers will get dirty from your bike, and unpleasantness will ensue.

NJ Transit still means stairs, but has overhead racks and does not have turnstiles. I think NJT + Brompton / 16" wheels is far, far more feasible than PATH + 20".

[pharnabazos]

Almost all the PATH stations only have stairs,

The 34th st. station and the Hoboken station have elevators. World trade center has a series of stepped elevators, which take like 15 minutes to get up. Christopher St. doesn't have an elevator. I don't know about the rest.

I'd have to agree that the morning rush looks like a nightmare for a folder, but I don't see how it would be any worse than a large duffel if you had a completely closed Dahon bag and saved the folding/unfolding for outside the station. I've never tried it, though.

[Bacciagalupe]

The 34th st. station and the Hoboken station have elevators. World trade center has a series of stepped elevators, which take like 15 minutes to get up. Christopher St. doesn't have an elevator. I don't know about the rest.
Christopher, 9th, 14th, 23rd, Grove, Harrison do not have elevators afaik. Newark might have an escalator; I think Exchange and Newport have elevators. I haven't seen any elevators at Hoboken or 34th -- they're definitely not on the platforms though.

The only station with a half-way decent turnstile for a bike is the WTC, which has handicap-accessible turnstiles.

I'd have to agree that the morning rush looks like a nightmare for a folder, but I don't see how it would be any worse than a large duffel if you had a completely closed Dahon bag and saved the folding/unfolding for outside the station. I've never tried it, though.
I've done it (unbagged) once or twice and with big bags a few times, and trust me, it sucks. If it didn't, I'd see people with folding bikes a little more often than, well, "never." ;)

The only bike I really think is good for a PATH commute is a Strida, since it's greaseless, folds up in a fellow-passenger-friendly way, can be wheeled around, and I suspect its folded shape makes it easier to carry than most folding bikes. For NJ Transit I'd say a Brompton, since it's got a tiny enough fold that you can easily stow it in the overhead.

[pharnabazos]

Christopher, 9th, 14th, 23rd, Grove, Harrison do not have elevators afaik. Newark might have an escalator; I think Exchange and Newport have elevators. I haven't seen any elevators at Hoboken or 34th -- they're definitely not on the platforms though.

The only station with a half-way decent turnstile for a bike is the WTC, which has handicap-accessible turnstiles.


I only know both 34th and Hoboken, which I commuted on this year--both have handicapped turnstiles and elevators on the platform level, though the elevator is just on the other side of the turnstile. They're both at the front end of the train when you pull into the station (on the far left at 34th). Since I commuted the opposite direction to rush hour traffic, I never even folded my bike.

[acavengo]

Bacciagalupe, would you feel the same way about the subway, or is it just PATH? I take a Boardwalk on the subway quite often and before I got the Boardwalk I used to take a Jetstream XP on the subway all the time.