Bike Courier Melbourne

Michael Myers said:

A friend suggested that I should apply for a bike courier job in Melbourne.
Is anyone here a bike courier? What is the job like? Do you have to be
superfit, etc? How do you go about applying for a bike courier?

Personally, I think I am fit enough for the job. The only thing that
concerns me at this point in time is the traffic, especially in the city
where people do not seem to have any patience...

Thanks in advance.

a.

You'll need some fairly specific skills:
a) must be completely fearless
b) must be able to ride all day without feet ever touching the ground
c) must be able to ride at least 50% of the day with one wheel in the air
d) must be able to ride through cross traffic when faced with a red light
e) must be completely fearless

Actually I was a bike courier for 3 days about 20 years ago, but I
didn't have any of the above skills which is probably why I didn't last
very long.

DaveB

"DaveB" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Michael Myers said:

A friend suggested that I should apply for a bike courier job in

Melbourne.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Is anyone here a bike courier? What is the job like? Do you have to be
superfit, etc? How do you go about applying for a bike courier?

Personally, I think I am fit enough for the job. The only thing that
concerns me at this point in time is the traffic, especially in the city
where people do not seem to have any patience...

Thanks in advance.

a.

You'll need some fairly specific skills:
a) must be completely fearless
b) must be able to ride all day without feet ever touching the ground
c) must be able to ride at least 50% of the day with one wheel in the air
d) must be able to ride through cross traffic when faced with a red light
e) must be completely fearless

f) must have no sense of reality
g) must ignore all road laws
h) must be willing to knock down any pedestrian that gets in your way
i) must be willing to go to jail for a paultry pay packet when arrested for
(g, h, and i).

--
Alan Erskine
We can get people to the Moon in five years,
not the fifteen GWB proposes.
Give NASA a real challenge
[email hidden]

Quoted message said:

"Michael Myers" <[email hidden]> wrote in message A friend
suggested that I should apply for a bike courier job in Melbourne. Is
anyone here a bike courier? What is the job like? Do you >have to be
superfit, etc? How do you go about applying for a bike courier?

Personally, I think I am fit enough for the job. The only thing that
concerns me at this point in time is the traffic, >especially in the
city where people do not seem to have any patience...

If there was one job in the world that I'd want to try.. it would be
that of a bike messenger. Why haven't I tried? Well, I'm a chicken
basically. That, and I didn't spend 20 years of my life in school to
ride bikes all day.. what the hell am I saying?!? :-) I've thought about
this a lot and yet I've still not left a cushy office job for the
courier life. On the one hand it seems perfect, but then it is also so
obviously dangerous. I've heard mixed reports about the money earning
potential, but the general trend seems to be towards 'low' income. I
dunno.. maybe one day I'll pack in my job and just try the life for a
while.. Good luck with your research. Post here what you end up doing -
I'll always be very interested - courier culture fascinates me!

hippy

--

Michael Myers said:

A friend suggested that I should apply for a bike courier job in
Melbourne. Is anyone here a bike courier? What is the job like? Do
you have to be superfit, etc? How do you go about applying for a
bike courier?
Personally, I think I am fit enough for the job. The only thing that
concerns me at this point in time is the traffic, especially in the city
where people do not seem to have any patience...
Thanks in advance.
a.

I second DaveB and laughed my head off. I think the most important point
is "must be fearless" and you must also be prepared to lose a layer of
epidermis.

I have spoken to a few bike couriers and i believe that the pay is quite
poor. I think overall the risk factor coupled with the low pay should be
enough to put most people off. Good luck

--

One must be dirty

One must ride singlespeed (preferably gear inch above 70!)

One myst have mutton-chop sideburns

One must love riding in rain

One must have great bike skills (let's face it. they put most of us to
shame!). Not necessarily great traffic-abiding skills

One muust be able to lock-unlock bike in 0.15 seconds...

--

Michael Myers said:

A friend suggested that I should apply for a bike courier job in
Melbourne. Is anyone here a bike courier? What is the job like? Do
you have to be superfit, etc? How do you go about applying for a
bike courier?
Personally, I think I am fit enough for the job. The only thing that
concerns me at this point in time is the traffic, especially in the city
where people do not seem to have any patience...
Thanks in advance.
a.

I will put my hand up and admit, yes i was a bike courier....for 8 years
in fact. This job here is my first job indoors, 9 to 5, etc that i have
ever had and im 29. I think i have done well to avoid the office for
that long. OK, down to the facts (well, from my point of view):

1) it is not a job, it is a lifestyle. cliche plus but true to the
core. You are going to have to love it or you will be riding around
in the rain, or doing a run out to north melbourne or doing that
last job no one else wants at 6 on a friday arvo when everyone else
is back at base sinking a lovely cold one and be thinking "what the
#$@! am i doing here?". Once that question starts popping up, you be
in trouble my son!. You do it because you love your ridingand you
love being outside, living life.

2) As my operator said, ad nauseum, "we are at the pointy end of the
industry". Basically, everyday will be highly intense. From 730 in
the morning until 515 in the arvo, i used to go, go, go. No lunch,
no breaks, no nothing. Breaks occurred when i was clear, or in the
lift, whenever. I have mastered eating a roll and drinking a choc
milk in under a minute. Yeah, you can take it cruisey if you like,
but dont expect to make good coin.

c) The money is highly variable. Im from perth, and i was in the top 2-3
money earners in the city, and i made around 190-200 bucks a day, but
that was from 730-515 as mentioned above, with heaps of experience
and "the knowledge". Dont know what the pay is like in melbourne, but
in my first year i was making 100 -120 bucks a day and it has just
increased over time. Believe me, you can live well if you know what
your doing.

d) dont know if this is an issue or not, but dont be put off by any
other couriers who give you the cold shoulder or act "too cool for
school". If they are posers, they are probably [censored] couriers and dont
worry, you will be shelling them in the earning ranks after a while.
They are the guys who whinge on the radio all the time and who always
seem to get "punctures" and "bike problems". The reason most guys
will be a bit abrupt with you initially will be because you are an
extra bike who will compete for their earnings, and you are taking
money out of their pocket. It isnt personal.

5) Dont use a fixie in the city!!!!!. That is unless you want to make
life hard for yourself. Look at melbourne and make your decision on
your kind of bike. Me?, i ride in perth, land of the sun, ridiculous
wind and looonnggg distances on jobs, so i use a clean and ready
roady, steel of course. Melbourne, well, its wet, quite hilly with
tram tracks (have i missed anything?) so i would suggest a stripped
down mountain bike with a road cluster. Chop your bars if you intend
doing any tram splitting though.

6) always lock your bike!

7) ALWAYS LOCK YOUR BIKE!!!!!!!!

8) Be a deviant when the cops arent looking and a model citizen when
they are. Traffic lights are for cars, not bikes (oh oh, i might
have started something here!)

9) dont be a [censored] and ride down the footpath at 30k's an hour or freak
out pedestrians at crossings, etc. All it does is [censored] them off and
make couriers look like [censored]. The way to courier nirvana is to
move as fast as possible through the maelstrom while bringing as
little attention to yourself as possible.

10) Learn what the radio procedure is and follow it. The best way to
[censored] your fellow pushies off is to cut over them, dribble about
nothing in particular and put the mic on when an emergency vehicle
comes past (actually i like doing that one...it blows out the
operators ears).

11) your operator, in your little courier world, is god. He tells you
were you will go for 8 hours a day, 5 days a week. Do not [censored] him
off, that is a one way ticket to doing [censored] jobs.

12) do not put up with any [censored] from car drivers and take your rightful
place on the road. Be aggressive. That doesnt mean trying to kick in
panels, abuse everyoen, etc but give out a feeling of "this is my
place on the road, and your not having it". Cars will always try to
intimidate you, dont get angry about it, its not personal, and over
time you will get used to it and realise you are wasting your own
energy by getting angry. They dont care!. Just make sure they know
you are there. Thats not to say i didnt have an altercation with
someone everyday, but it was all in fun!!, not overly aggressive.

i think i have rambled on for ages now but from my point of view, it was
the best job i have ever had and i am truly happy to have found a job
where i loved going to work. At one time, all 12 of the guys on my
channel hung out with each other socially and it was great. I have met
my wife to be through couriering and have made lifelong friends. Nothing
beats being outside and experiencing the elements, the traffic, the
danger, etc. And honestly, everything is never as cold, as dangerous,
etc as your mind makes it out to be. Everyones head is a drama queen.
Its all relative. I never felt danger splitting traffic, cutting
traffic, etc, because i had faith in my abilities and i was in control.
You have to be careful, but everything is a calculated risk. I never did
anything really stupid. Hey, no broken bones in 8 years isnt bad!. as i
have said, it is a way of life, and once you get the bug, it is hard to
leave, hey i was going to courier for 2 years...max!!.

also, if you want to buy a crumpler, ring crumpler and ask to speak to
dave crumpler and he should give you a discount for a bag if you mention
you are a courier. I got a fux deluxe off him a couple of years ago for
100 bucks, so see what he offers.

Any other questions, or have i even answered the first question??
🙄

--

byron27 said:

I will put my hand up and admit, yes i was a bike courier....for 8 years
in fact. This job here is my first job indoors, 9 to 5, etc that i have
ever had and im 29. I think i have done well to avoid the office for
that long. OK, down to the facts (well, from my point of view):
<snip>...

I have always wondered about doing this myself and that was some
excellent advice/insight/whatever else... best post i have read for a
while. Thanks for sharing!!

cheers, Troy

--

Resound said:

This is something I've considered myself. I'm a student and I'm
certainly not looking for full time work, but a day or two a week would
be great. I'm in Melbourne. Any thoughts as to who I should get in
contact with? Which courier companies employ bikes?

i studied for 5 years while i was couriering and its a great job to fit
into that schedule...if your boss doesnt mind that is... I dont live in
melbourne but companies i know of are : minuteman, dart, DX, Courier
Australia. Just look at the couriers riding around, they all wear
uniforms (or they are supposed to), just ring the companies you see
riding around. Bail one of them up if they dont look too busy....

--

This is something I've considered myself. I'm a student and I'm
certainly not looking for full time work, but a day or two a week would
be great. I'm in Melbourne. Any thoughts as to who I should get in
contact with? Which courier companies employ bikes?

--

Resound said:

This is something I've considered myself. I'm a student and I'm
certainly not looking for full time work, but a day or two a week would
be great. I'm in Melbourne. Any thoughts as to who I should get in
contact with? Which courier companies employ bikes?

--

Not sure what things are like now (and Byron27 sounds like the best
person to answer), but the "job interview" I went to way back 20 years
ago was amongst the funniest I've ever had. I rolled up to find about 20
people in suits and various other best clothes. I had trakkie pants and
a t-shirt and was obviously the only one who had ridden there. The guy
from Dart came out, took one look at the crowd, pointed to me and said
you've got the job. I wish they were all that easy.

DaveB

Resound said:

This is something I've considered myself. I'm a student and I'm
certainly not looking for full time work, but a day or two a week would
be great. I'm in Melbourne. Any thoughts as to who I should get in
contact with? Which courier companies employ bikes?

It's pretty hard to get casual/part time as a courier. Wizz employ a few
students, as do Cox (I think) and Couriers 3000 (about three years ago
when I last checked). Sweet job but!

--

byron27 said:

2) As my operator said, ad nauseum, "we are at the pointy end of the
industry". Basically, everyday will be highly intense. From 730 in
the morning until 515 in the arvo, i used to go, go, go. No lunch, no
breaks, no nothing. Breaks occurred when i was clear, or in the lift,
whenever. I have mastered eating a roll and drinking a choc milk in
under a minute. Yeah, you can take it cruisey if you like, but dont
expect to make good coin.
This really depends on your company. When I was working I sometimes got
1 hour plus without a job, or with 1 crappy standard city-city. And the
ops loved me - I was first to all the good work, but the company was
struggling. If you are gonna work for someone small, make sure you get a
guaruntee or an hourly rate.
c) The money is highly variable. Im from perth, and i was in the top 2-3
money earners in the city, and i made around 190-200 bucks a day, but
that was from 730-515 as mentioned above, with heaps of experience
and "the knowledge". Dont know what the pay is like in melbourne, but
in my first year i was making 100 -120 bucks a day and it has just
increased over time. Believe me, you can live well if you know what
your doing.
Too true. In Melbourne you should be between 100-140 unless you are a
complete hubbard. It's perfectly possible to make 250-300 if the works
there, but that's only on the dream days. Because most companies don't
pay guarantees, they often put too many riders on soo you don't get
coin. There are some notable exceptions, where they know how good their
riders are, and let them make 200+.
5) Dont use a fixie in the city!!!!!. That is unless you want to make
life hard for yourself. Look at melbourne and make your decision on
your kind of bike. Me?, i ride in perth, land of the sun, ridiculous
wind and looonnggg distances on jobs, so i use a clean and ready
roady, steel of course. Melbourne, well, its wet, quite hilly with
tram tracks (have i missed anything?) so i would suggest a stripped
down mountain bike with a road cluster. Chop your bars if you intend
doing any tram splitting though.
And if you want to tow, the place to be is the back right corner of the
tram where the drama can't see you. Heh. I did it on a Roadie, and on
an MTB with super thin slicks. I preferred the roadie, except for
wheelie comps.
6) always lock your bike!
7) ALWAYS LOCK YOUR BIKE!!!!!!!!

ALWAYS LOCK YOUR BIKE!!

--

Roadie_scum said:

It's pretty hard to get casual/part time as a courier. Wizz employ a few
students, as do Cox (I think) and Couriers 3000 (about three years ago
when I last checked). Sweet job but!

Excellent...will have to chase them down and see if I can't con them
into giving me some work. Thanks muchly.

--

hippy said:

The new trams (e.g. 109) don't have any nice hand holds on them like the
old models and the drivers now have monitors connected to video cameras
pointed out the back...
hippy
- does not condone any behaviour at all, good or bad. Just sit down and
be quiet all of you! :P

There's a 'handle' (i think its got something to do with cabling heading
North?) recessed about 3-4 feet off the back end on the left. So i've
heard, you know, from some guy who heard from some guy he met... Never
thawt of checking out the right side... Usually just a spur of the (oh
[censored], here comes a hill!) kinda thing. I prefer utes/1tonners meself.
better visibility

--

"byron27" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]

[...]

Quoted message said:

8) Be a deviant when the cops arent looking and a model citizen when
they are. Traffic lights are for cars, not bikes (oh oh, i might
have started something here!)

That's exactly the sort of antisocial behaviour that causes the rest of us
so much grief because we cop the backlash.

--

A: Top-posters.
Q: What is the most annoying thing on Usenet?

"Resound" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

This is something I've considered myself. I'm a student and I'm
certainly not looking for full time work, but a day or two a week would
be great. I'm in Melbourne. Any thoughts as to who I should get in
contact with? Which courier companies employ bikes?

My wife had an interview with SnapX a while ago. They seem to be a fairly
professional outfit (they give you GPS computer, uniform etc).
The only downside (and the reason she didn't take job) is that they only
offer full time 8-6 employment. No part time.

http://www.snapx.com.au

Cheers,
Craigster

"DRS" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

"byron27" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]

[...]

Quoted message said:

8) Be a deviant when the cops arent looking and a model citizen when
they are. Traffic lights are for cars, not bikes (oh oh, i might
have started something here!)

That's exactly the sort of antisocial behaviour that causes the rest of us
so much grief because we cop the backlash.

Spot on. The fark knuckle courier is long gone when the [censored]
motorist double parks in the bike line, with a big faark you on his
face, and why should I obey the rules when you cyclists ('cos to the
motorist, we're all the same) don't ?

In aus.bicycle on 19 May 2004 15:58:38 -0700

rickster said:

Spot on. The fark knuckle courier is long gone when the [censored]
motorist double parks in the bike line, with a big faark you on his
face, and why should I obey the rules when you cyclists ('cos to the
motorist, we're all the same) don't ?

I think anyone who does that has already decided to do it. All the
lawbreaking cyclist is doing is providing another justification.

People don't break laws because they see other people breaking other
laws. They do it because they want to - because they decide their
convenience is worth more than a law that they don't like (because it is
inconvenient). They know it's wrong, so they have to find a way to make
it not wrong in their own heads. There are plenty of justifications
they can use besides law-breaking cyclists, but that's an easier one
than some others is all.

People don't think badly of cyclists because of seeing a lawbreaker.
Because there are plenty of cyclists who aren't lawbreakers, they just
aren't "seen". A cyclist who does something a car driver can't is not
upsetting the car driver cos the cyclist is breaking the law. They are
upsetting them cos the driver is stuck and the cyclist isn't.

People aren't rational and law abiding and disliking those who aren't.
People - car, pushbike, motorbike - will do what they think they can get
away with, and are annoyed by people who get away with more.

Face it.. if a cyclist could monster a car into the ditch, think that
not one cyclist would do it?

Zebee

--
Zebee Johnstone ([email hidden]), proud holder of
aus.motorcycles Poser Permit #1.
"Motorcycles are like peanuts... who can stop at just one?"

Drs said:

"byron27" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:YeBqc.-
[email hidden]:[email hidden]-
etserver.com
[...]

Quoted message said:

8) Be a deviant when the cops arent looking and a model citizen when
they are. Traffic lights are for cars, not bikes (oh oh, i might
have started something here!)

That's exactly the sort of antisocial behaviour that causes the rest of
us so much grief because we cop the backlash.

mmmmm..... i dont know about that. I dont make any excuses for what i
did when i was a courier and i know i broke the law. There are
reasons for what i did and if you like i can go through them all.
Essentially the faster i cut through the city the more coin i
made. I received no holidays, no sick days, nothing. From first
thing in the morning i started on zero. I personally feel it is
unfair for someone else to criticise couriers for their action
until YOU, yourself have done the job, having to rely on what you
made each day to look after yourself. I never hit anyone, i did
not endanger lives, I did not ride on sidewalks at 30kph and did
not fang it through pedestrian crossings almost hitting people. I
knew how to ride in a way that made me mostly unnoticable. People
didnt notice me and that way i could do what i wanted.

If you spend 8 hours a day in a city you will soon see how
inefficient and ineffective routes are around a city. Cities are made
cars, not bikes.

--