Fixies are not the ultimate minimalist bike

There is a school of thought that says that take a bicycle, remove all but the essentials, and you have a minimalist masterpiece of design.

Uh-huh.

But is it truly minimalist? Do you need a chain? Gears? a steering system? A diamond frame? "Two" wheels?

None of those things are necessary.

Remove them all and you still have a viable urban vehicle. A viable, extremely fun, vehicle.

And it's called a unicycle.

As a fan of all things wheeled and self-propelled, we vote for the uni as a lot more fun, safe, and practical that a fixie, which has (strangely) become the fashion accessory of the 21st century hipster.

Montreal's linear grid-system of streets and gentle street slopes make ideal unicycle riding, and a pre- and post-sunset urban unicycle ride is one of the supreme pleasures of life.