http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Topic: A day in the life of a cycle courier. en Tue, 19 May 2026 00:20:07 +0000 http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=11265#post-126994 Fri, 04 Oct 2013 08:40:51 +0000 chdot 126994@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Meanwhile in New York (and many other videos) -</p> <p><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2h1NrtW3ta4" rel="nofollow">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2h1NrtW3ta4</a> </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=11265#post-126991 Fri, 04 Oct 2013 08:34:20 +0000 jamesire 126991@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>This is the best article I've read on messengering, from Natural History magazine, 1981</p> <p><a href="http://www.naturalhistorymag.com/htmlsite/editors_pick/1981_08_pick.html" rel="nofollow">http://www.naturalhistorymag.com/htmlsite/editors_pick/1981_08_pick.html</a></p> <p>I'd love to do this next summer (uni holiday). Watching the footage in the Evening News video I felt the cycling seemed quite prim and proper (and the city looked beautiful). I wonder how Edinburgh couriers actually ride... I hardly seem to see any. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=11265#post-126986 Fri, 04 Oct 2013 08:08:30 +0000 minus six 126986@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>There's a <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Immortal-Class-Messengers-Human/dp/0375760245/">well written book</a> about messenger life that I enjoyed. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=11265#post-126975 Thu, 03 Oct 2013 23:13:16 +0000 Cyclingmollie 126975@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>I've heard that yes but with aerobic effort the level will increase. I'm speaking personally. I've been reduced to a coughing wreck kneeling by the roadside several times while commuting. I also had regular chest infections. That stopped when I stopped commuting into Edinburgh by bike each day. Being a courier would not be for me. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=11265#post-126920 Thu, 03 Oct 2013 12:51:06 +0000 custard 126920@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>You would get more sitting in a car </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=11265#post-126869 Thu, 03 Oct 2013 10:40:56 +0000 Cyclingmollie 126869@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>I would worry about the effect of breathing in city fumes for that length of time. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=11265#post-126860 Thu, 03 Oct 2013 10:02:48 +0000 recombodna 126860@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>I was a courier for about 3 years in the early 90's I went back to it for about a year and a half in 98. It's hard work and it's not a guaranteed income. In the summer it's great in the winter your bike dissolves. It's easy to romanticize it but I just have to think back to spending 9 hours a day soaked to the skin in the freezing cold arriving home at 7pm and waking up the next morning with your bag and radio still round your neck from the day before.<br /> Sure I was fit as **** but it killed my love of cycling and it was a good ten years until I rediscovered it. You couldn't pay me enough to go back to it. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=11265#post-126856 Thu, 03 Oct 2013 09:32:00 +0000 kaputnik 126856@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p><em>the reporter obviously cycles to some extent himself, yet he thinks this is worthy of comment.<br /> </em></p> <p>David O' Leary normally covers the cycling related stuff in the Chipwrapper. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=11265#post-126854 Thu, 03 Oct 2013 09:08:07 +0000 fimm 126854@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Interesting that the reporter comments:<br /> "<em>I also notice the position he adopts on the road, confidently on a par with the vehicles around him not huddled in on the kerb – it offers valuable space on the crowded streets.</em>"<br /> - the reporter obviously cycles to some extent himself, yet he thinks this is worthy of comment. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=11265#post-126831 Wed, 02 Oct 2013 21:03:12 +0000 LaidBack 126831@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Quite a nice wee video.<br /> Not negative at all. 40 miles cycled - 22 packages delivered.</p> <p>Lee actually walked his bike over the aquaduct.</p> <p>Of course the one comment is negative... </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=11265#post-126781 Wed, 02 Oct 2013 15:18:12 +0000 EddieD 126781@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>It's piecework, so you'd need to find out what the income per job is, and how many you'd need to meet your expenses. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=11265#post-126780 Wed, 02 Oct 2013 15:11:10 +0000 Dunny 126780@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>If it were £300+ every week guaranteed, I'd definitely seriously look into it. I'd like to know what a bad week is... </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=11265#post-126778 Wed, 02 Oct 2013 14:54:44 +0000 ARobComp 126778@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>I hear 200-250 a week is about what you get. (on a good week) assume £10 a day in bike maintenance and extra food. =net income of &lt;12k a year? </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=11265#post-126774 Wed, 02 Oct 2013 14:39:44 +0000 EddieD 126774@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>I often wonder about it too...</p> <p>As for the Palm Pilot - it's just a device to receive texts, so why not? The battery lasts a longer than most modern "smart"phones. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=11265#post-126773 Wed, 02 Oct 2013 14:36:45 +0000 Dunny 126773@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>I would absolutely love to do that. Wish I had the confidence to jack my job and go for it!</p> <p>A pal of mine done it for a while about 5 or 6 years ago and he's warned me off it as it can be unreliable in terms of income. He told me, "Dunny, if you continue your rate of sprog production, you will need more than just the one job. Cycle courier should not be one of them."</p> <p>Darn. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=11265#post-126766 Wed, 02 Oct 2013 13:23:33 +0000 cb 126766@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p><a href="http://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/life-style/bicycle-courier-for-a-day-just-how-tough-is-it-1-3121660">http://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/life-style/bicycle-courier-for-a-day-just-how-tough-is-it-1-3121660</a></p> <p>Quite a nice wee article; I can't watch the video here though.</p> <p>My only question: a Palm Pilot - really? </p>