Bike Messenger

Funsterdelux · 20-01-2006 12:59pm #1

I am thinking of becomining a bicycle messenger, wondering if anyone has any advice or info anything at all.

Mucco · 20-01-2006 7:12pm

Take care

amazingemmet · 20-01-2006 7:14pm

I work for cyclone drop me a pm if you want to come in and check it out

HusseinSarhan · 23-01-2006 2:48am

I'm in the same boat really so would it be ok if that offer exteded to me also

I was thinking more for the summer months though as I'd have more free time. If it's not too much trouble could you give a brief description of what it's actually like working as a bike courier? Also, are the bags provided or do you have to get your own? Thay are fairly pricey.

Cheers

Squirrel · 23-01-2006 10:24pm

I was thinking of trying to do this as a summer job, I'm an athlete so am already pretty fit, I sometimes do good long cycles too. I'd also like to know about the bag, and what type of bike you'd reccommend, I have a mountain bike, and use of a racer

HusseinSarhan · 23-01-2006 10:32pm

Squirrel wrote:

I was thinking of trying to do this as a summer job, I'm an athlete so am already pretty fit, I sometimes do good long cycles too. I'd also like to know about the bag, and what type of bike you'd reccommend, I have a mountain bike, and use of a racer

I cycle in the city everyday and I'd say a racer is best. I see many couriers using MTBs too though. The lighter the bike the better I'd imagine. A single-speed racer type bike with a light frame would be easy very to move about on. Carrying an extra, say 5, kg or so by using a MTB as well as the added rolling resistance of knobbled tryes and the bounce off the supsension would get pretty annoying after a few hours I reckon. The racer you have access to would be grand I'd say.

The bag thing is a mystery though.

Squirrel · 23-01-2006 11:21pm

HusseinSarhan wrote:

I cycle in the city everyday and I'd say a racer is best. I see many couriers using MTBs too though. The lighter the bike the better I'd imagine. A single-speed racer type bike with a light frame would be easy very to move about on. Carrying an extra, say 5, kg or so by using a MTB as well as the added rolling resistance of knobbled tryes and the bounce off the supsension would get pretty annoying after a few hours I reckon. The racer you have access to would be grand I'd say.

The bag thing is a mystery though.

Cool, I actually have access to a few racers, one is a real racing racer, and one of the others a more commuting style racer

HusseinSarhan · 23-01-2006 11:36pm

Squirrel wrote:

Cool, I actually have access to a few racers, one is a real racing racer, and one of the others a more commuting style racer

Sorted so I reckon. One of the commuters would be the job. You wouldn't want to wreck your nice one bunny-hopping taxis and the like.

johncl · 23-01-2006 11:38pm

well... it's a great job sometimes and other times it sucks.

postives... you get to cycle your bike all day, you're outside, your bike control will improve a lot...

negatives... no sick pay, no holiday pay, actual pay is quite poor unless you're in one of the better paying companies, it'll take you a few weeks to get to an income you can live on, you're wrecked at the end of the week so any recreational cycling will quickly lose its appeal, you will need to regularly put cash into keeping your bike rolling and you'll start to spend a lot more on food, you will crash a few times but most people learn quick enough.

cyclone is full at the moment...

Squirrel wrote:

I was thinking of trying to do this as a summer job, I'm an athlete so am already pretty fit, I sometimes do good long cycles too. I'd also like to know about the bag, and what type of bike you'd reccommend, I have a mountain bike, and use of a racer

cyclone provide bags (and full uniform), most other places will give you some sort of a bag. plenty of good second hand bags around for around the €50 mark. good summer job alright but that's when the work dries up. as a general rule of thumb it's busiest over the winter (this one has been really slow though) and slowest over the summer. due to businesses slowing down as people holiday and also due to people wanting to do it as a summer job.

i'd recommend it to anyone, but not if you want to make money.

HusseinSarhan · 23-01-2006 11:41pm

I heard off some guy that he got €10 a drop... does that sound normal?

johncl · 23-01-2006 11:50pm

HusseinSarhan wrote:

I heard off some guy that he got €10 a drop... does that sound normal?

he was taking the mick. cyclone pay €2 a drop with a small weekly % bonus. most places are between €1.80 to €2.30 a drop average.

HusseinSarhan · 23-01-2006 11:52pm

Clearly he was. What a tool! :eek:

How long does one drop take, roughly? Average I mean.

johncl · 24-01-2006 12:30am

HusseinSarhan wrote:

Clearly he was. What a tool! :eek:

How long does one take, roughly? Average I mean.

it could be two minutes or half an hour. the important thing is how many jobs you get given, and that's beyond your control... i suppose an average would be ten to fifteen minutes a job, but you want to have a few jobs in your bag at any one time, know what i mean? i.e. you're not doing one job - deliver - pick up next - deliver. it's more like pick this one - now this one - drop first one - now get these three - go back for this one - and you drop them as and when you can. so route selection comes into it. in that respect it can be very satisfying when you get a great run

... that's an ideal though, it's only like that when it's busy. last two weeks have been terrible.

HusseinSarhan · 24-01-2006 12:43am

johncl wrote:

it could be two minutes or half an hour. the important thing is how many jobs you get given, and that's beyond your control... i suppose an average would be ten to fifteen minutes a job, but you want to have a few jobs in your bag at any one time, know what i mean? i.e. you're not doing one job - deliver - pick up next - deliver. it's more like pick this one - now this one - drop first one - now get these three - go back for this one - and you drop them as and when you can. so route selection comes into it. in that respect it can be very satisfying when you get a great run

... that's an ideal though, it's only like that when it's busy. last two weeks have been terrible.

Oh right... I can imagine it takes a lot of forethought and route planning. Sounds like a tough job. Also, the bags? Are they given or what.

johncl · 24-01-2006 6:44pm

HusseinSarhan wrote:

Also, the bags? Are they given or what.

read me other messages...

Squirrel · 24-01-2006 9:51pm

Do they only take people from cycling clubs or what? My sister said they might

johncl · 24-01-2006 10:54pm

Squirrel wrote:

Do they only take people from cycling clubs or what? My sister said they might

no! absolutely anyone...

Squirrel · 24-01-2006 10:56pm

johncl wrote:

no! absolutely anyone...

Cool, although I am 16, I'll be 17 come summer though

rubadub · 30-01-2006 1:03pm

Is there any place that lets you do it just at weekends. I wouldnt mind getting paid to excersise on a saturday or sunday, might even pay more at weekends.

Mucco · 30-01-2006 7:24pm

I doubt there's much need at weekends as it's mostly inter-business mail.

M

Civilian_Target · 30-01-2006 9:30pm

Read this: http://www.kuro5hin.org/story/2005/3/19/133129/548

Karma · 07-02-2006 1:26am

To be honest, the industry is slow for over a year and with no proper pay rise in most companies in over 6 years(not even for inflation) and with less work. Most are lucky to be earning what they did last year or the year before that. Its not a summer job and I have issues with that. In 3 months you will get to know how to do the job and then what? But feel free to try it and enjoy the wakeup. its not a part time job. you dont become an electrican or a diver for 3 months? well maybe but for most its a career. most of my company are on the roads for quite a few years and I can't get my friends jobs there because no one really leaves. I just send 'em to CyCLONE. If you are going to do it, do familarise yourself with the rules of the road and be polite(doesn't take much and you find the job easier). and if you still like it after 3/4 months, maybe its for you. get a good lock, lights and a helmet when you start, may save your life.

HusseinSarhan · 07-02-2006 2:43am

Thanks for all that. Although, I think that the helmet and lights is pretty much a given. You'd have to be a bit soft not to have a helmet as a courier.

Franky Boy · 10-02-2006 11:46pm

It's ****ing tiring cycling on a track/fixed gear bike!

Franky Boy · 10-02-2006 11:54pm

What's the pay like in cyclone if you don't mind me asking.Just give a simple good or bad!

ninja 101 · 11-02-2006 6:17pm

I was taking a year out last year and applied to cyclone 3 diffrent times,2 or which were in the depts of the winter.It wasn't like I was unfit or fat as I row compeditivly.As far as I could tell the whole thing is swen up by a group of dredlocked psychopaths.

Karma · 12-02-2006 12:15pm

ninja 101 wrote:

I was taking a year out last year and applied to cyclone 3 diffrent times,2 or which were in the depts of the winter.It wasn't like I was unfit or fat as I row compeditivly.As far as I could tell the whole thing is swen up by a group of dredlocked psychopaths.

When they say they have no jobs, maybe they don't. Stefan is not a psychopath(he's just misunderstood! :eek:) And they do take the best applicants. last week was the first time a courier could not get a job there. so not just you.:D seriously, why would you do this job? if answers are training and excerise or summer job, go do something else.

Bike Messenger

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