Originally posted by Michael Myers
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 **** 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 **** and ride down the footpath at 30k's an hour or freak out pedestrians at crossings, etc. All it does is **** them off and make couriers look like assholes. 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 **** 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 **** him off, that is a one way ticket to doing **** jobs.
12) do not put up with any **** 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??
