NEW YORK — Judah Schiller doesn’t walk on water.

He rides a bike on it, though.

Fresh off last week’s traversing of the San Francisco Bay on his bicycle-powered pontoon, Schiller today staked his claim as the first person to bike across the Hudson River.

He launched from the Pier 13 Boating Club in Hoboken and arrived at Pier 66 off West 26th Street in Manhattan about 15 minutes later.

Founder of a water biking project and a design and innovation agency in San Francisco, Schiller, 41, cycles across bodies of water to show it’s possible to do so even when there are no bridges with bike lanes.

“No two rides are ever the same, because water is a dynamic terrain,” he said before his unusual commute.

That certainly was the case in the Hudson River, where he encountered wakes left from boats and fast-moving ferries.

“Common sense is paramount,” said Schiller, a father of three who was born in New York City and has lived in California for the last decade. “You are not going to play a game of chicken with a commercial ship — or a ferry, for that matter.”

Nor was he worried about toppling over — even though the Hudson River’s reversing currents prompted Native Americans to nickname the body of water the “river that runs both ways.”

“When the wake comes toward you, what a great opportunity to do some mountain biking on the water,” Schiller said.

He was trailed in a 22-foot skiff operated by Kevin O’Brien, manager of The Shipyard Marina in Hoboken.

Before his trip, Schiller phoned his 6-year-old son, Satya, on the West Coast. He told him he was on the Hudson River, would send a photo and wished him well that day in school.

Schiller’s wife, Galit, died three days after delivering Satya, their third child, in June 2007.

On his right arm is a bright tattoo he got in tribute to her, with a water theme and three fish to signify their children.

Schiller has the lean body of a cyclist, but is not a professional athlete. He said water cycling on the Hudson would be accessible to many different types of cyclists.

As he pedaled in the water from the middle of the Hudson, he was asked how the view looked from his bicycle seat.

“Spectacular,” he replied. “Being on a bike in the Hudson — I could do this everyday.”

His Bianchi 21-speed bicycle sits on rafts, and pedal power puts into motion an intricate system that includes a gear box, metal cylinder, cable, rudder and propeller. He said a kit costs about $1,500.

While Schiller said it is obviously not a way to commute to Manhattan for everyone, it could be a good alternative method of travel and he hopes to one day see a virtual bike lane on the Hudson.

Why do it?

“The better question is, ‘Why not do this?’” Schiller asked. “Two-thirds of our planet is water. We love biking; bikes are awesome. Why not bring our bikes out onto the water and enjoy a ride into Manhattan like you’ve never had before.”

Noelle Thurlow, who manages the kayaking and stand-up paddling program at the Pier 13 Boating Club in Hoboken, accompanied Schiller with a kayak and said she would like to try to bike across sometime.

“It’s such a great idea,” she said. “I never thought of it before, but I like the idea of human-powered transportation.

“The water here is like the last wilderness,” Thurlow added, from one of the most congested parts of America. “There’s no other place that you can go to get out and feel free. It’s great.”

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