SPEED JOYS OFFSET LOWER INCOMES, ANGRY MOTORISTS, FOR BIKE COURIERS
By Kerry Diotte
Edmonton Sun, May 24, 1998
Bike courier Mike Thain is having a bad day.
"I got up today and somebody'd stolen my rear wheel," beefs Thain, one of a group of bicycle couriers sipping coffee and trading stories on a blustery day outside Edmonton's Scotia Place office tower.
It's no wonder the 25-year-old is depressed. In this business, having your bike laid up is like losing your lifeline. So he's forced to hoof it until his wheels are back on the road.
"Walking around, you can't make a lot of commission," says Thain, part of a crowd of Gortex-jacket-wearing bikers some liken to a type of underground society.
"They're definitely a breed apart," says Cliff Vallentgoed, owner-operator of Redbike, a favorite repair shop for the courier set.
"They're also the best testing ground for new equipment 'cause they put so many kilometres on their bikes."
Collisions. Injuries. Thefts of bikes. Bitter cold. Exhaustion. Traffic tickets. These are the things that are par for the course for the three dozen or so bike couriers who ply their trade in Edmonton's downtown core, racking up more than 70 km on some days and pocketing as much as $250 if it's super-busy.
To top it off, because they're hell-bent to deliver cargo in a big hurry, some members of this modern-day wild bunch aren't all that popular with car drivers or pedestrians - and those people frequently take out their frustrations on the bikers.
As such, the bikers say they get less respect than Rodney Dangerfield.
"Some people just have a serious hate for us," says 22-year-old Jason Fayant, a bike courier for two years.
"People generalize and think we're all maniacs," says Fayant who, like most in the industry, has had his share of bumps and bruises from minor falls. He says his worst accident was an unfortunate run-in with a pedestrian - an incident he'd rather not discuss.
"But you've got to look at it from our standpoint, too. Buses cut us off.
"Drivers don't signal ... it's usually the kind of people who are nervous and don't come downtown much.
"People don't have to get nervous because we're on the road. Cutting through traffic is natural to us."
Thain chips in with a pet peeve of his own.
"Every once in a while the cops get nasty and start cracking down on tickets - bus lane infractions and stuff like that."
Other segments of society shun them as well, they say. Although many of the couriers remember the days when they'd gather for beers after work in downtown bars, most establishment owners these days discourage them from coming in. The couriers admit that a couple of those bans are linked to a case or two of rowdy biker behavior - but insist those little uproars were isolated instances.
"Most of the bars keep us out by saying we don't meet the dress code," sneers a courier who prefers to be known as Biker Bob.
"So we don't bother hitting the bars any more. We'll just buy some beer after work and take it over to someone's house."
During the day, the bikers spend time socializing outside the centrally located Scotia Place, or down in the food court where their favorite restaurant is Chicken Variety - which ingratiates itself to two-wheeled couriers by allowing them to run tabs.
Being on the outside of mainstream society might bother some people, but the veteran bikers say their biggest headache is that the money's just not as good as it was only a few years ago. Biker Bob - the grizzled veteran of them all - has been around enough to be able to reminisce about the days before e-mail became popular.
Clearly, technology has hurt this crew big time.
"In the mid- to late-'80s, I did $40,000 gross in business," says Bob, 35, who doesn't use a last name. "Now I'll do about $30,000.
"E-mails and other electronic business have really hurt us."
While the grievances come pouring out when these couriers are given an audience, every one says it's the best job they've ever had.
"The big attraction is not having to work in the same place all the time," says five-year veteran Brian Marak, who's already got the beginning of a good summer tan. A fellow biker, who goes by the name of Slotman, nods in agreement. The 24-year-old had bounced between jobs as a tree planter and ski shop worker before scoring the bike gig in the dead of winter. He was virtually broke and was on his way to pay a few bills when he ran into a pal who worked as a courier.
"He told me, 'Come down tomorrow and you can start,' " Slotman says. "The job saved my life. I figure I still might not be working if it wasn't for this."
Thain says he much prefers this work over other jobs he's done. He once toiled sorting mail at a courier company, "but it was too stressful. This is a lot better than that."
Biker Dan Hermansen, 33, says the whole social aspect of the profession turns his crank. Because there isn't much call for graduates who have a bachelor degree in classics (he majored in Greek and Latin), Hermansen took a job working on a farm before turning to the courier business.
"I really like meeting and talking to people," says Hermansen.
None of them even flinches when the topic of winter comes up. The money's better in that season and couriers keep warm by dressing in layers. Biker Bob says he beats the cold with one-piece Stanfield's underwear, cycling tights, wool socks, a neck-warmer and a Gortex jacket. If it gets really brutal he'll add a fleece mask and ski goggles to the mix.
Aside from inclement weather, attempts by motorists to maim them and the sometimes spotty money, every last one says the pure joy of riding their beloved bikes is what keeps them going at the job.
"When you get down to it, there's nothing better than screaming around a corner doing 60 kmh," Fayant says
"It's probably the greatest job I ever had."
PEDALLING THEIR OUTLOOK
* Edmonton bike couriers say they're subject to the same rules as car drivers, although many admit they'll often blow a red light if they have an urgent delivery.
* Bike couriers have two schools of thought on their two-wheeled machines. A few ply the streets with high-end, $2,000 mountain bikes while others drive virtually disposable "beaters" worth only a few hundred bucks. * Couriers use mountain bikes, or else what they call road bikes - machines that have the look of a 10-speed. In either case, the vehicles are sometimes modified by removing the gears and turning them into "one-speeds."
* It's a profession that attracts mostly males in their 20s although a handful are in their early- to mid-30s and a few women work the job as well.
* Most bike couriers earn about 50% of the cost to deliver an envelope or small package. Courier companies charge between $4 and $10 for downtown deliveries.
* It's considered a badge of honor to work year-round, no matter how cold it gets outside.
* Couriers estimate they'll spend hundreds of dollars annually to repair worn-out brakes, tires and other running gear.
* While the couriers spend eight or nine hours a day riding to their deliveries, most say they're also avid recreational mountain bikers.
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