Joe EE

Hello all. New member here. Thinking about buying an electric bike and I am wondering what the rules and restrictions are here in Westchester County NY. Can you ride on the streets? Are you limited to bike trails and are they Ok there? Thinking about a Radrover fatbike. Any info, thoughts or suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks.

blue192

I remember a few weeks back with the NYC police stopping bicycle e-bikes. Apparently they are legal there but there is some sort of registration process.

blue192

Oopie I stand corrected. Legal under federal law but not legal in NY law. That is weird considering the bikes are sold there...

Joe EE

Yes, I would think in Manhattan there would be a lot of restriction with the volume of people and the hustle and bustle. But in the suburbs... I would hope that is not the case.

Joe EE

There are a lot of things legal to buy, but not legal to use. It's crazy. Don't want to buy one and ride it in my yard only.

mulveyr 

Correct. More specifically, E Bikes are classed as vehicles that need to be registered in NY, but at the same time NY has no systems in place to register them. Which makes them effectively illegal in the entire state.

tds101 

Contact Propel and they'll help you. They sell pedelecs, and they're legal in NYC.

Propel Electric Bikes | Electric Bikes | E-Bike Accessories


I'm constantly seeing the same replys to questions all the time. A pedalec is the loophole. A throttle makes it illegal.

Joe EE

Thank you.

tds101 

Ebikes are on the table to become 100% legal in NYC: Assemblyman?s new bill aims to legalize electric bikes | New York Post

FBinNY 

There's the law, and there's the practical reality.

I see plenty of "illegal" electric bikes in use in lower Westchester. They've become the transportation of choice for a whole class of people, who can't afford cars, and for which public transit doesn't work (route or hours of service) and for whom the distance is beyond what they can or will pedal.

Here in New Rochelle, a large number of the type of people I'm describing live downtown (rear route 1) and have jobs at the north end, or in neighboring towns. They include staff at bars and restaurants, who work to late use bus service.

So, I see them cruising up North Ave, or Wilmot, headed to White Plains road every day and nobody cares. As far as the police are concerned, if they look like bicycles, and act like bicycles, they aren't interested in stopping them unless there's a reason.

I also see the same pattern within NYC, except there they have periodic blitzes looking for illegal e-bikes.

So, if an e-bike makes sense for your needs, go ahead, but ride it in a way that doesn't attract police attention.

Joe EE

Thanks FB, I appreciate your local experience. Any opinion on the RadRover?

FBinNY 

You're welcome, and hopefully there won't be some news report about kamikaze e-bikers causing injuries, and putting an unwanted spotlight on the issue.

Meanwhile, I have no idea about the RadRover, except that it looks like plenty of bike for the money. So it may be a good deal, or there may be serious quality issues.

In any case, have a personal policy about posting brand name pros and cons.

Joe EE

Cool man, either way. Thanks for the info.

den1967

Yep, thanks!