Our new contributor Eve Thomas tries on the Bixi.

Montreal’s new public bike system is much appreciated and ridiculously simple, but there are a few things to keep in mind before buying into the BIXI revolution:

There are no free rides. Despite what you’ve heard, the first 30 minutes aren’t technically free. You’ve got to be a member to ride, which costs between $5 (24 hours) and $78 (the whole season). Still a steal, but something to keep in mind before swiping your credit card.

Know your BIXI boroughs. Plans are for 300 stations, but there are currently only 74 up and running, so save the station map to your iPhone.

Get in gear. There are three gears – too many for a hipster, too few for a mountain bike – and most riders don’t think to check how to change them ‘til they’re well into traffic. You’ve got to click the button by your right handlebar. Bell’s on your left.

Biking is hard. Not quite a newsflash, but many of BIXI’s early adopters haven’t been on a bike since they were kids. So if you’re driving, try not to get behind them on a hill. Once they come face-to-face with their own lack of gluteal endurance, not even third gear will save them.

Photos: Rhiannon Brock

On Saturday, FIFI projects opened the doors on to their new gallery space in New York’s Lower East Side with the show Crown Of The Lost. The party was fueled by GURU’s Clean Energy, and here’s a quick Q&A with FIFI founder and curator, Eduardo Lopez – who just relocated from Miami to NYC. Big move!

Check it out at www.fifimagazine.net

What do you love about New York’s Lower East Side?

EL: Lower East Side is a great place for young galleries like ours.

So far how would you describe the difference between NYC and Miami?

EL: The difference between NYC and Miami is (most) people in the art business in NYC seem to have a better sense of community. In Miami, the older galleries and older collectors pay almost no attention to younger expressions by artists and galleries. People in New York are more open. Miami is really great during art|basel and its satellite fairs every December, but the rest of the year it’s quite slow. NYC obviously has more art-related activity year round.

Who’s your guru?

EL: Music and the ocean are my gurus.

Currently on display: Crown of the Lost focuses on the foreboding aspects of nature and the inevitable decay of beauty through the exploration of behavioral aspects of biological and technological ecosystems and environments; their development, peaks, and ultimately their breakdowns.