From a Melbourne bicycle courier.

Fledge wrote:
Luther, I'm curious: do couriers in Melbourne ride road bikes or
hybrids? I always thought road bikes were the go...drop handlebars and a
lighter frame seemed like a logical choice. Then I noticed most couriers
in Sydney (where I live) hardly ever rode road bikes, preferring hybrids
with upright handlebars and fatter tires.
I'm considering becoming a courier (when I finish my damned uni degree)
and will probably buy a new bike for the job. But the
dilemma...road...hybrid...road...hybrid...
Please help my indecisive and uneducated mind



Perhaps Luther will correct me if im wrong but most couriers I see
around Melb ride mtb's with slicks and risers, and the occasional road
bike here and there...

IMO I would have thought road bikes are not really that suitable to the
general city riding conditions - weaving through traffic, over
footpaths, stop/start nature of the riding... as for hybrids... anyone
*ever* seen a courier on one?



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troyq wrote:




Perhaps Luther will correct me if im wrong but most couriers I see
around Melb ride mtb's with slicks and risers, and the occasional road
bike here and there...

IMO I would have thought road bikes are not really that suitable to the
general city riding conditions - weaving through traffic, over
footpaths, stop/start nature of the riding... as for hybrids... anyone
*ever* seen a courier on one?


Okay, first off, I'm from Sydney, not Melbourne. Not that I've got
anything against Mexicans, I just don't want people getting the wrong idea.

As far as bike choice goes .. I prefer a MTB (my Cannondale), put I am
quite large (193cm, 98kgs) and I pound the **** out of it, and have
absolutely no finesse. The frame is from 1995 and still going strong,
but everything else has been replaced numerous times. I not sure if a
road bike would last with me, and I am not willing to put money where my
mouth is by using one for work. At the moment I am only on the bike 3-4
days a week, but it still cops a beating.

One thing I have noticed is that a lot of the more experience couriers
who were riding MTBs a few years ago have switched to road bikes. One
legend rides a cyclocross bike, looks like a roadie but with disc brakes.
As far as bashing it up and down gutters goes, it doesn't happen as
frequently (or violently) as most people think, but an experienced rider
can make the transition from road to footpath and vice versa very
smoothly with nothing that will cause wear and tear on the bike.
So it really comes down to what suits your riding style.

--
Cheers
LB

Fledge wrote:

Hmm, mountain bikes, interesting....and what about road familiarity,
general fitness etc.? How good do you have to be ability-wise to
make it as a courier? Surely not A-grade material as #215 put it?
*crosses fingers*

Nah, nah, don't worry, she'll be right.
If you don't know the roads when you first start, you will learn them
very quickly. Buy a one page map, get the ******* laminated, you'll be
right.
Fitness is a funny thing. When I first started I was overweight and
broke, I had to borrow my girlfriends bike. There is a definite pecking
order in the larger companies, so new guys get all the **** work and
don't make much money. So I wasn't making much money, I couldn't eat as
much crap as I used to, I was doing a hell of a lot of exercise so I got
fit pretty quick. The other physiological change I noticed was that when
I drank beer I would absorb the alcohol much quicker, and then sober up
very quickly as well. So I would go out, have 2 beers, fall asleep, wake
up an hour later and be ready to start the cycle over again.
Make sure you have a drink bottle, because paying for drinks all day
long sucks, and will send you broke very quickly.

--
Cheers
LB

Fledge wrote:

Hmm, mountain bikes, interesting....and what about road familiarity,
general fitness etc.? How good do you have to be ability-wise to
make it as a courier? Surely not A-grade material as #215 put it?
*crosses fingers*

(x-posted to rec.bicycles.misc for some international opinions)

I've been watching this thread and I'm curious...
I've got a nice cushy office job that I'm not about to let go of,
BUT if there was one job I'd like to try before I retire it's always
been a bike courier. Ever since I saw some kids-ish show on
the ABC about a bunch of pommie couriers I've been fascinated
with the whole scene. If you don't mind, here's some questions:

What are the hours like?
What are the pay rates like? (performance based, yeah?)
Actually.. do you know of any "courier diaries" that would
outline a 'day at the office' so to speak?
What is your day like? How HARD is the riding and the
lifestyle generally?
Do any Aussie couriers do like the NYC dudes and ride
fixies or is it mostly mtb's? (most of Melbourne's seem to
be on mtb's..)
Do you have courier races?
Is it true that your hearts pump, not blood, but coffee? :-)
Why the tape all over the bikes? What's the point in
protecting the paint if you never see it? Is this just
so you can sell it after 100, 000k's to some sucker
as "near new"? :-)
What would you say if you were offered an easy office
job for double or triple the money you make now?
Given that you ride all day every day (I guess) - do you
ride "for fun" on weekends or anything?

thanks to any couriers for answering these...
i've genuinely been thinking about your job
as a career choice, although sanity has so far prevailed
and i've stuck with the office-bound lifestyle...for now ;-)

tipsy hippy

Luther Blissett wrote:
Fledge wrote:
Nah, nah, don't worry, she'll be right. If you don't know the roads when
you first start, you will learn them very quickly. Buy a one page map,
get the ******* laminated, you'll be right. Fitness is a funny thing.
When I first started I was overweight and broke, I had to borrow my
girlfriends bike. There is a definite pecking order in the larger
companies, so new guys get all the **** work and don't make much money.
So I wasn't making much money, I couldn't eat as much crap as I used to,
I was doing a hell of a lot of exercise so I got fit pretty quick. The
other physiological change I noticed was that when I drank beer I would
absorb the alcohol much quicker, and then sober up very quickly as well.
So I would go out, have 2 beers, fall asleep, wake up an hour later and
be ready to start the cycle over again. Make sure you have a drink
bottle, because paying for drinks all day long sucks, and will send you
broke very quickly.
--
Cheers LB



Hey, thanks Luther

Yeah, basically my impression of the job, from browsing internet forums
was that it was only meant for extremely hardcore cyclists. Low pay,
exposure to the elements, danger, high levels of stress...it sounded
worse than the army. Needless to say I was scared ****less and
considered abandoning the idea altogether since I've only been cycling
seriously for a few years. But in the light of what you said, hey I'll
give it a shot.



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hippy wrote:

I've been watching this thread and I'm curious...
I've got a nice cushy office job that I'm not about to let go of,
BUT if there was one job I'd like to try before I retire it's always
been a bike courier. Ever since I saw some kids-ish show on
the ABC about a bunch of pommie couriers I've been fascinated
with the whole scene. If you don't mind, here's some questions:

What are the hours like?
What are the pay rates like? (performance based, yeah?)
Actually.. do you know of any "courier diaries" that would
outline a 'day at the office' so to speak?
What is your day like? How HARD is the riding and the
lifestyle generally?
Do any Aussie couriers do like the NYC dudes and ride
fixies or is it mostly mtb's? (most of Melbourne's seem to
be on mtb's..)
Do you have courier races?
Is it true that your hearts pump, not blood, but coffee? :-)
Why the tape all over the bikes? What's the point in
protecting the paint if you never see it? Is this just
so you can sell it after 100, 000k's to some sucker
as "near new"? :-)
What would you say if you were offered an easy office
job for double or triple the money you make now?
Given that you ride all day every day (I guess) - do you
ride "for fun" on weekends or anything?


Hopefully #215 can help out with this one

1 - Hours:
Monday to Friday, generally 08:00 to 17:30, unless you have a regular
early run (ie 07:00). Some time on maintenance at home.
2 - Pay:
For the majority, it's 100% comission based, no retainer. A decent
pushie pulls $1,000/wk or more + super. Bike + parts + repairs are tax
deductible (yay!).
3 - Courier Diaries/blogs:
No, I don't know of any, and most web sites appear to be dead links.
4a - A days riding.
It's very up and down. Some days you don't even get a chance to have a
slash, some days you sit on your arse all day waiting for work.
The most frustrating part of the riding is when you have real urgent
work, you bust your arse and take silly risks to save a few seconds, the
n you have to get in an elevator that stops at EVERY ****ING FLOOR.
Rain sucks, but you get used to it. Cold sucks, you never get used to
it. Goretex is priceless.
4b - Lifestyle?
Being physically very tired every night is not too crash hot, tends to
restrict the nightlife a bit. But there is a good sense of cameraderie,
a you do feel like you a part of a sub-culture (I don't think community
is the right word). It's always entertaining sitting in Martin Place at
going home time and watching the suits walk past on the way to the
station. They go out of their way to avoid us and even try not to make
eye contact. It's really weird, and sort of fosters an "us against the
world" mentality. Every now and again you nature throws up one of those
rare creatures best described as a "pushie groupie". Generally an older
office girl looking for some rough .. not good for ones self respect.
5 - Fixies
Everything is ridden, except dualies (unless the work bike is broken).
Single speed is not uncommmon (less maintenance). Suspension is a bit
pointless in the CBD as their is not much in the way of bumpy
roads/potholes to contend with. My Cannondale is good because I can turn
the suspension off, but sometimes I wish I had the gearing of a roadie,
particularly going across the Harbour Bridge.
6 - Courier Races
Yes, every now and again. The last round was at Helensburgh, behind the
pony club. Excellent weather, excellent day. We sometimes have drag
races in the city, where everybody dresses up in drag (don't ask).
Sometimes it is suit day, where we wear suits (Luther is dressed by St
Vincents).
7 - Blood
As a group - coffee, red cordial, Vitamin T, and magic herbs. There is
"community use" bongs secreted in various locations throughout the CBD.
I also have a fondness for Space Food sticks (I should hassle Whitewings
for a sponsorship).
8 - Tape
All pushies love their bikes, and nobody wants to **** the paint job. So
tape, then stickers. Favourites are "Cops are tops", "No root no ride",
"If you don't like my driving stay off the footpath". It also makes the
bike less tempting to casual theives as a $2000 bike can look like a
piece of ****. All second hand courier bikes are "near new". Just like I
"nearly" got my end in the other night. Honest!
9 - Money
Of course we would swap jobs for more money. After a while the body
starts to wear out, and sweet office job (with regular money + holiday
pay + sick pay) seems real tempting. Many go over to the Fark Side. Then
return. The leave again. Then return. Then leave again ...
See, riding around produces endorphins of some sort, and you do feel
good. And it is nice being free (in a way), and getting around. But a
normal life can be so tempting. It is also (nearly) impossible to pick
up decent girls when you tell them what you do. Can't compete with the
doctors, lawyers or "marketing consultants".
10 - Riding for fun
Most pushies spend their weekends riding, whether it be in roadie clubs,
or single-tracking or whatever. Strange but true.

In conclusion:
I reckon if you have just finished school, or have been politely asked
to take a year off uni, then have a crack at it. But remember - it's not
a career, and these days you need a career path by your mid twenties
(flame away boys!). Thus speaks the voice of hard, bitter experience.

Hippy: I hope this goes some way towards answering your questions!

--
Cheers
(A not so tipsy) LB

BTW: I saw Terminator 3 tonight - much better than I expected, I laughed
my head off!

Hippy, sounds like you'd be happy running your own bike courrier service,
maybe taking a run or two yourself. Sounds like a good idea . . .

How do you go about getting a bike courier job. I live in Melbourne.
Where abouts do you apply for this kind of thing. Thanks to anyone
that can help



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How do you go about getting a bike courier job. I live in Melbourne.
Where abouts do you apply for this kind of thing. Thanks to anyone
that can help



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Companies rarely advertise so just get out the yellow pages and look up
courier companies. Ring those who have pushies and ask if they are hiring.
Toll (Dart, minuteman and data), Wiz and gregories would be a good place to
start.

If not just go by 440 Collins street and have a chat to one of the boys.
Just get a good rain jacket!

#215.


"mikeybikey" wrote in message
...
How do you go about getting a bike courier job. I live in Melbourne.
Where abouts do you apply for this kind of thing. Thanks to anyone
that can help



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