Detroit — The Dequindre Cut is a bike path on a former railroad track known for its green grass and graffiti. The passage sticks out from the rest of the city.
That’s why a unicycle fits right in on Detroit’s most famous greenway. The one-wheeled way isn’t exactly practical, but it’s a great mode of travel.
Unicycling is harder than it looks. It takes several days of practicing to teach your brain how to balance on the seat.
Once you get it, you’re not likely to break land speed records. Unicycling is significantly slower than riding a bike, but it is faster than walking. And it takes more concentration to account for obstacles—a test of body and mind.
Because most of them don’t have gears, unicycles only go as fast as your legs, even downhill. Scoffers might say that’s not practical. But then they’re completely missing the point.
Riding a unicycle is something you do for its own sake. It’s delightful to have nothing between you and the pavement, there’s no handle to hold, brakes to squeeze, or gears to turn. It’s silent, simple physics.
The best part? When you really get going, it feels like flying.
But I must admit unicycles are absurd. Clowns ride them. Dogs bark at them because they defy the laws of gravity. People look up from their phones. Cyclists tip their hats at you.
I’m not the only one to travel up and down the trail, according to a private security guard on duty. She said she sees unicyclists out here occasionally. I’m glad to hear it. It’s the perfect place to ride.
Just as the Dequindre Cut is an absurd break from the urban blight of Detroit, unicycles are a radical departure from the mundane. Put them together, and you get something bizarre, impractical, perfect.
Brendan Clarey is deputy editor of Michigan Enjoyer.
