Beasts of Burden - San Francisco Bike Messenger Documentary

[@tranzco1173]

I rode for Western Messenger in SF in 1999-2000 on a fixed gear road bike with no brakes. It was after a ten year road racing career, and I was one of maybe 20-30 messengers who was doing it. Interestingly, the short 1.5 years I did it I learned that the messengers making money weren't fast, or on road bikes at all, but were older folks on beach cruisiers with huge baskets. 90 percent 'of good runs were in the Financial District, which is flat, and it was mostly about being cozy with the dispatchers, good at navigating buildings, and knowing which shortcuts and elevators to take. There was an old lady who always wore pink, on some crazy old 3 speed bike, she was famous and making like 200 bucks a day. It's not anything like the movies. They used to send me out to the stadium and all the long hilly shit runs, because I was fit and fast. Like 30 minutes for a 8 buck run. Sucked. You could make 5 runs downtown in that time. All the dispatchers hated me, except one. The days I got him I made 80-130 a day. There was an angry lesbian who would make me do ridiculous stuff. I make 12 dollars one day. Also - I was drunk on Olde English 800 the ENTIRE time.

[@JAHinHK]

I really enjoyed your post - thanks for sharing those details. I have to say though that I imagine that last line was the salient point.

[@Smason432]

New York is the best place for bike couriering, I used to work in North Dakota and make 80km journeys for $5

[@alexcarter8807]

I'm not a messenger, but I carry a lot of packages on my bike to the post office. I basically live off of my bike, and yeah, I'm 55+, and ride an Electra cruiser because it's the "most bike" you can get for $300, it can take the punishment of horrible Silicon Valley roads, I've got a rack and panniers on it, and can haul 100lbs with my Burley cargo trailer. I rack up a ton of miles on the thing because I'm doing the post office run, the grocery run, etc etc yadda yadda. So far I've worn out one rear wheel and I might get a new front to match it soon. Best way to make money on a bike I've found: Practice trumpet. A lot. For years. Put trumpet in gig bag, folding red cloth "tip box" in bike pannier. Ride to good spot. Play your heart out. Profit.

[@blondemommyvomit]

Militant homosexuals are atrocious.

[@tranzco1173]

@@blondemommyvomit She was kinda legend there, and just hated me because i was a newbie. But I have a story to tell. She was "hazing" me,, like really fucking with me for a whole month, so the other dispatchers were calling her out on it. I would do anything, as fast as anyone and not complain. But I was kinda new. Once she told me to do an "easy" pickup at a fancy restaurant. I thought it was to pick up a package. But it wasn't a package, it was a gigantic FOOD CART, full of fancy ass food,, like literally Russian caviar. I thought it was a joke, and played along. PUSHING that thing to the pyramid towers on Montgomery. To the office of Thomas Weisel. It was NOON, and the streets were full, and I pushed and push, dragged that thing up a service elevator. Security laughed at me, and then like immediately felt sorry for me. 110th floor. They took the cart, blew me off and I went back to the restaurant to get my bike. My bike had been placed out in the ALLEY. No lock. The owner gave zero shits, offered zero tips, and acted like I wasn't there. I went back to that lesbian lady and told her she was a wizard. In my whole life, NOBODY, has ever fucked with me that hard. I also quit and went to work for Legion, a little shop in the Mission. 3 months of that, super fun, and I was done.

[@sirdamned9272]

This is the most 90s documentary I've ever seen. Should be called "Grunge Bicycle Deliverists."

[@StuffOffYouStuff]

the most 90's coloured bicycle bag goes to...

[@mountainsparky6031]

Rode for Mobile Messenger, NYC '77. Best gig I've ever had, including getting paid to ski and light rock concerts. Nice flick, captures a bit of the taste of freedom. 64 now and resting a broken rib from going over the handlebars a week ago. You can take the boy out of the city...

[@Devonrgn]

I hope that guy got to rode to Mexico

[@pokerchannel6991]

i wish i was that guy . . . that way I could tell you if I did. In reality, though, I would never. Biking to mx is like not a smart thing. and I am smarter than that. I hope that guy was, too.

[@79DJB]

I worked as bike courier as my summer job between high school and university in 97 in Adelaide, South Australia. I used to shred hard to make 103 drops a day and make 130. Used to hammer all day and get next to bring but loved it. The freedom and adrenalin rush couldn't be beaten. I stopped after getting knocked off twice, once breading my wrist, the next ending up in hospital unconscious where the surgeon said that is I continued is eventually ends up dead, or worse a quadraplegic... I went and did electrical engineering, but still have my crumpler bag and occasionally rude hard in the city through the alleys, but I'm 40 and have a 7 yo.....

[@youssefrochdi1994]

Once shredder , always a shredder. Respect, man, and keep riding.

[@samuraijack9532]

thank you for sharing darryl. hope things are well with you.

[@freddyjisp9420]

I worked for City Mail in Sydney owned and operated by David Roper - This is going back to 1989... We used pagers and Dave dispatched from the office .Will Smith was involved then too (Roper started Crumpler bag in Adelaide - where he started City Mail but had to shut it down as they competed with the post office monopoly - he went legit after that. It was a lot of fun).

[@Supmouseman]

That guy who holds it down wit the credit in the store tho 💯💯💯

[@sunboklee4915]

These guys are what motivated me to get a single speed road bike. I know it's not the same thing, but it's some what difficult. The amount of athletic ability these guys have is amazing.

[@mattsiiteri4366]

"there shouldn't be any cars in the financial district" haha starting to happen after all

[@SolarBlackShine]

I am a car guy but I remember being in the financial district in SF a few years ago and I was like "Why the fuck are cars allowed here?!"

[@WHDRWN]

@@SolarBlackShine yep, the idea of having your own vehicle and travelling on your own accord will soon be illegal.

[@Alkatross]

​@@WHDRWNget out of town

[@seamlessdread]

​@@WHDRWNshut up clown, car centric infrastructure is the opposite of freedom. True freedom is cities where you can walk or bike without risking your life because of assholes in their 5 passenger 3 ton hunk of metal, aka, a car by themselves, taking up immense amounts of space on the road, and running people over. Car brained idiots like you act like cars are the solution to everything and that it's just okay that people die so much from car related accidents.

[@bayleebrown8167]

@@WHDRWNdid you know that you can travel… on a bike? :) sounds like a skill issue to me 😌

[@cereal76]

@9:30 that's the OG inventor of the messenger bag. Timbuk2, Chrome, Rickshaw etc owe it all to that guy.

[@Gabrielishere]

He got it from the actual inventor of the messenger bag: DeMartini of New York City.

[@freddyjisp9420]

@@Gabrielishere Who got it from the postman who got it from the military. Go figure

[@Gabrielishere]

@@freddyjisp9420 No. Each bag you mentioned was "invented" for a specific purpose, and the "OG inventor" of the messenger bag is DeMartini of New York City.

[@CDMX-cdmx1234]

Where’s the love for ZO Bags? Local SF boy. I think predates Timbuk 2 by a year or two.

[@Gabrielishere]

@@CDMX-cdmx1234 Erik Zo is legendary, but I recently saw one of his bags for $800 on ebay... laughable, at best.

[@tsquipnottsquip5128]

Only met Erik a couple times but 30+ years later I still use my Zo Bag.

[@tsquipnottsquip5128]

So many faces / personalities / elevators I remember from the end of the ‘80s and the early ‘90s. Best music scene in the world. And Harvey was just the best human being ever. Now I’m fat (I got sober) and old (1/2 a century and then some) and back east (sadly). This is such a throwback to my early 20s and the best time and place that ever existed.

[@motogp9253]

Those bags are sick! Props to Erik!

[@nathanielyourfather2133]

Legend has it harvy woo is owed millions,and he don't care cause he's helping people.........

[@willabee22]

the 90s was the last era to appreciate solid nicknames

[@c-record]

early 90s... those were the days.

[@tsquipnottsquip5128]

Got there in ‘89. Best job I ever had!

[@enolamsamoht]

I was only 3 back then.

[@axnyslie]

There are many days when I would give anything to be messengering in SF 90's again. Such great times.

[@SuperSuperDuperNice]

What do you do now?

[@pachucodreams]

This is fucking amazing. I'm writing a character study about a bike messenger and what compels them to be a messenger to begin with. This gives 100 percent context of what I had in mind for my protagonist and confirms what I'd expect: creatives wanting to work on their own dime with flexibility and pursuit of something genuine. While I wish they showed more dispatching and the package end of receiving, this is a beautiful documentary.

[@brandonberry1764]

My Mom worked in an office in the early 2000s, she said these bike messengers were important for expedited documents

[@CrookCountySoftwear]

That tree ride at 27:20 was badass.

[@CDMX-cdmx1234]

I believe that is Craig Grasso. He’s interviewed earlier and is an OG street BMX rider alongside Pete Agustin, etc.

[@RisingDimond]

This is cool. I grew up in the 90's in the Bay Area. This brings back memories. It was a time without social media and cellphones. People were more acutely individual then, I feel.

[@joepitts2570]

One of the most boomer things I've ever read

[@freddyjisp9420]

@@joepitts2570 Even when it's the truth - Nappy Boy proving his point

[@Horus-Lupercal]

Yeah O.K boomer.

[@nanoxia9]

The most fun job and the most fun time of my life.

[@drunkingham138]

Let's play the 'fall down the stairs game'.

[@NicGoldenEddie]

You guys are awesome. Helping each other, living empathy. And still people call you names. Good and bad ones. 💪✨

[@alexcarter8807]

Fun fact: UPS started out as a bike messenger company. I think of that whenever I pass a UPS truck on my bike with a bunch of packages for the USPS and FedEx (we don't use UPS).

[@user-ge2qn6gp4o]

No wonder UPS sucks so bad.

[@pdvision2194]

I miss Erik Zo coming by a bicycle Odyssey in sausalito. Super down to earth guy, and always eager to talk bikes!

[@shoaibmk8578]

Awesome Documentary !! 👏🏼👏🏼👍🏼 Vive la messengers !! They are artists of streets !! 🚲 ❤️Frim Paris (a delivery person)

[@SuperOlds88]

Even though I have been a bike rider all my life I hated messengers when I lived in Portland 30 years ago. This documentary has opened my eyes on the nature of the profession. Very nice video and thanks to whoever put it on here, and who made it. I wouldnt have lasted 5 mins doing this job because of the biking skills needed.

[@azriel724]

If Craig Grasso would watch this now.... 30 years later, Market Street is car free zone now. Only bus and taxis only.

[@ST-kr7hz]

Absolutely incredible place and time that was, SF in the 90s and early 00s

[@enolamsamoht]

Yep

[@Sills71]

"I don't crave danger... but it feels really good at the end of the day to come that close to death" MENSA membership NOT required to be a messenger

[@tonupboi]

i bet these guys are stoked about the mission bike lane we have now lol cool doc thanks for uploading

[@markzucker3949]

The 2001 fixie flick made me lose my appetite.. This one brings it back. Thanks

[@richardtknees]

Good to see Markus again. Miss that guy.

[@skasso12]

4:31 looks like Bill Meir, i've just watched a video about him, RIP Bill Meir

[@ohno1657]

Legend.

[@ohno1657]

4:42 Brook Lopez.

[@Couri3rr]

@@ohno1657 that was Markus Fur Cook

[@brentrevallion7895]

I watched this in the 90s, when I was a teenager, it taught me how to cycle in the city.

[@robertocamboni3799]

I've been a bike messenger for 8 years..... I'm 44 old and I still enjoy it, I would never change it. of course I also have a second night job, but I won't give up on my bike messenger.

[@camerondavisslag]

there are so many of these amazing pockets of content on youtube. i wish there was a way to source this stuff more easily

[@Kevinschart]

you have to attack the algorithms...if you search for the things that interest you and give those videos likes, you will get interesting content like this. really smart folks over there at google.

[@camerondavisslag]

@@Kevinschart do likes and engagement like that actually impact the algo?

[@Kevinschart]

@@camerondavisslag it's definitely part of the equation. It's direct communication between you and google about the content you enjoy. If they intend to keep you in their app for as long as possible it wouldn't make sense to ignore the videos that you smashed like on.

[@Kevinschart]

@@camerondavisslag depends...cameron is both a male and female name. tbd

[@samuraijack9532]

i just hope it works out

[@frock241]

Jason was my first boss as a bike messenger and he was great. Told me i wasnt doing good enough so he pushed me to be better.

[@greasyunionguy7761]

Harvey's place for the win! thanks for all the food Mr woo. I couldn't have done it without you.

[@nickdoubleu5637]

You talkin about Harvey's on 5th St? Yeh.... shoulda waited till Harvey appears!

[@greasyunionguy7761]

@@nickdoubleu5637 what? Harvey gave credit... That allowed me to eat, and drink!

[@singingplaylist7779]

HARVEY WAS A SWEETHEART

[@bubbaslaughter6030]

Cashed my checks at Harvey’s for years!! 5th st.

[@mdj.6179]

Harvey lived through the Japanese occupation of China. He said he knew how hunger felt.

[@kaleidoscopex7213]

Born in SF. 96’, started fixed gearing w homies9th grade. we need SF back like this or the essence.

[@freddyjisp9420]

That ship has sailed and sunk in the Bay

[@MouseCIick]

i wanna pay for their tab at that store. these guys deserve more.

[@kevinsmith9836]

I did about 4 years in this job in Victoria BC Canada, 86-90. A much smaller and less crazy place, especially back then, but pretty much all of this resonates. A lot of lifestyle upsides to the job but also dangerous as hell. Finally got out of it mostly because I didn't want to get injured again. The law of averages catches up sooner or later. Just after I left they were bringing in bike cops and making couriers wear ID numbers so they could be busted for doing insane shit instead of just vanishing up a one-way street to avoid pursuit. Don't think they even exist here now. It was a different world then.

[@freddyjisp9420]

It's been plates in Van since 1989 ... I had one of the first ones. I messenger-ed in Van, SF and Sydney OZ. OZ was the best of the three. You had to hustle hard in SF to make money and the money was not that great. The least of the three money-wise

[@mdj.6179]

Harvey was a Saint. He was in China during WWIi while it was blockaded by Japan. He said he knew what hunger felt like...

[@Gromitdog1]

Thank god for these historical time capsules!

[@alexkrasmo8411]

Ah the 90s. So much cooler than today.

[@kozemchuk]

Awesome! I wasn't there at the time, but this feels so evocative of a time and a place and a subculture.

[@singingplaylist7779]

I LOVE THIS VIDEO THANK YOU FOR SHARING AND LETTING ME REMEMBER OLD FRIENDS... SO GOOD!!

[@whyyes6428]

Commenting to appease the algorithm

[@mysteryY2K]

7:45 He'd be surprised to find out SF actually shut down Market St to private vehicles!

[@bp6877]

I LOVED this! Fantastic!!!!!! Thank you!!!

[@Hillbilly_and_bike]

25:35 fender Jaguar, I love this guitar. I love my track bike. I love this old video.

[@theroadahead415]

Harvey’s the MVP

[@michaelkarpenko2711]

I am planning to visit New York and defiantly going to ride one day with a bike messenger. very excited.

[@nickkirschner3719]

Love it when that dude who looked hella up tight said that bike messengers had to be “on of the most skilled athletes know to mankind.” Skilled and useful for sure, way faster than a car in certain situations, but just as fast in other situations. Watch out for those tracks, they’re killers

[@freddyjisp9420]

Much faster downtown, especially in SF -

[@SPARKLEDAZEY]

Watching that psycho rip around the city got me PUMPED UP!

[@chrismeissner4713]

1993? I only rode for a short time but remember all of this very well.

[@stillben]

91 was when the gig was shot

[@tranzco1173]

I rode for Western Messenger in 99, and it was before my time. Remember a bar called Zeitgeist I think, I can't remember much, I was drunk on Olde English 800 for 1.5 years straight.

[@freddyjisp9420]

@@tranzco1173 The Zeitgeist was fantastic

[@RoboJules]

SF looked so clean and friendly back then compared to what it is now.

[@blondemommyvomit]

Yep, it's a shithole, filled with shithole people, doing shithole things to other shithole people.

[@tranzco1173]

It was cleaner. However I once saw a homeless dude pull his pants down and directly take a shit on a crosswalk. A minute later a business lady with high heels stepped on it. She stopped, scraped it off on curb, and continued walking like no big deal. This was 1999. The Tenderloin was absolutely insane at the time too. The entire area smelled like piss. Nothing else, just piss. I blame something. Social media, dotcom crash, Facebook, Silicon Valley, AIDS, 9/11, housing bubble crash, or Satan. One or all of those things ruined SF.

@@tranzco1173 As command and control functions of globalized capitalism become centered in cities, a phenomenon that really started to take off in the 90s, center cities have become massively expensive, or, to use an overused term, gentrified. The only poor people still living in SF aside from a handful grandfathered into rent-controlled apartments that they've lived in for 30 years live in housing projects and SRO's. Most poor people in America today live in the suburbs.

[@trevorohare2735]

I was a messenger in Philly in the 90s into 2000s. I worked some in NYC but mostly Philly. My brother and I we're both Messengers... He moved on to ride in SF for a while. I started at One hour on 2nd st then on to Philly express on 13th . Oh yeah can't forget heaven sent up on 23rd and Washington I think was the cross streets... Been a while.. It was always a party lol..

[@MidgeDiabolik]

A beautiful piece of doc' making about an era and a subculture that's probably had it's day. Those guys are probably all corporate CEOs, mothers or six feet under now. Where did all the time go? :(

[@forrestcox9756]

hell fuckin yeah! i needed this.my first job was doing bike delivery and found a bike club to ride with.soo much free fun.now im a cook and not so many bikes around.might be time fora change

[@enolamsamoht]

This was San Francisco at least up until 2003.

[@davidm6149]

I like it has the same font as the old real world on MTV

[@che_guevara67]

the problem with cops is....friend butts in..they're cops an we're not...lol...

[@Re-bl5sr]

Ah yep. 🍻

[@dealwithitsf]

loved this thanks for the upload. miss my mess days for sure

[@float_sam]

22:23 and one of those guys owns the biggest courier services in SF.... the smirking smiley one... you know the one knowing hes poaching her customers...

[@SwordGraal]

for real he does now you mean?

[@armandoalmanzan8038]

This is awesome!!

[@presidentinterzone8919]

only erik zo interview ive ever seen

[@StuffOffYouStuff]

What an awesome little documentary. Love sub-culture insights. And yeah, i can imagine the misogyny too, read a more recent article about it too. Things haven't moved on that far unfortunately.

[@SwordGraal]

21:18 Awesome reason to start a successful company imo XD what a badass

[@juliens3505]

Hey here is something I did not know about Diplo

[@fondofthebonds4914]

Wow I've been doing doordash on my bicycle for all the reasons these people talk about. I didn't know there was a whole community of riders Damn. Cool I'm not alone in hating typical 9 to 5's.

[@mannyechaluce3814]

A job is a job, everyone is trying to feed their families, drug habit and buying stuff they don't really need

[@freddyjisp9420]

Not if it's an electric bike -

[@charliethechaplin]

This is amazing. So accurate. I love it

[@noahfranks984]

I just finished my first day as a bike messenger. This shit is fucking real to me. You spend so much time out there on your bike that it's inevitable that your going to get hit from time to time and one of those time you could just die

[@kirstenmccord2768]

Wow, I recognize some of those guys! And the ZO Bags (bring them back!!) and the Wall! ha ...I was a bike messenger in the late 80's...since I was a burnout at the time I really didn't know any of my friends real names, or last names...What happened to The Proj (or the band members...)

[@patrickdecambra2219]

I can't find a zo bag but I still ride my motorcycle with a messenger bag. Only now it has my dog in it LOL the wall

[@tmagee27]

I've got a Zo bag and Pouch, should check out what Eric is doing sometime! I miss being a messenger, but there's not been much money in most of it for a long time, unless you got into Cargo Bikes.

[@benjaminbass2607]

I was born after my time indeed

[@marccawood]

Dogpaw missed is calling as a voice artist (DJ, presenter etc).

[@user-cp8lo5vn3l]

really cool. thanks for uploading

[@bephrem]

great documentary

[@lungnap]

Grasso and I, in early 1990, rode on a team of 4 msgrs for a graphics company shortly after he moved to the City from SoCal and were friends on and off our rides for good and bad for years good and bad. He fell into rough times and don't know what's become of him, but that mufucka could do anyfuckingthing on a bike. The shit we got into.....

[@jbeatty811]

The dude doing it on the beach cruiser with a giant basket on the front has the biggest nadz for sure!!

[@freddyjisp9420]

That's a company bike that served mostly printing firms. It was an hourly position and they'd provide the bike. The dispatcher (Paul I think his name was), the owner, was a psycho. He'd scream at you over the radio - just lose it. But a great place to start as they'd hire anyone - but the owner was a PSYCHO

[@balrajkullar8296]

Why is this randomly on my feed?

[@BEEBEE159]

Cool film. Thanks for uploading.

[@GamingTaylor]

I feel this way about delivery driving. Lately been doing DoorDash, and its freeing to be able to work when you want anytime. I think some people need the typical 9-5 job where you are scheduled, expected to show up, expected to dress up, expected to do what you are told, expected to produce results, and to stay in line. Sure having a laid back delivery job "generally" makes less money, but it can be enjoyable, and it is rewarding.

[@GamingTaylor]

@ true, or if you just need/want extra money while doing other work or in college

@@MrJimShorts Ah, a booster, eh? I'm not interested in anecdotal evidence. Show me data that the average wage can support a family with a degree of comfort...or shut up.

@@MrJimShorts You're just pulling numbers outya ass. I want average wages. I was a bike messenger for years and I know how people are inclined to treat the top 20% as the norm and not realistically factor in the costs associated with the job. Try again.

[@trentonmarshall3303]

When SF had character ! need to add this to library of congress one time.. very culturally important

[@Cotivity]

Let's revisit this crew...See where this path has lead them.

[@backtoids]

damn, crazy that kevin from the jonas brothers used to be a bike messenger

[@nickdoubleu5637]

Best job I ever did......legs felt wasted at the end of a day......24:07 Great description.....Nick FiveFive......10-4......

[@clintjones9848]

Hell yeah man

[@JacksonTravel]

if you like this youre gonna love carts of darkness

[@dandyhorse1979]

I wanna see a unicycle messenger that would be so badass , also a penny farthing bike messenger

[@MaxPower-yg1uf]

Best job ever.. thats me man😎

[@alexcarter8807]

This has got to be early 90s at latest. I'm seeing Wyse VT-100 terminals and shit.

[@kencarey3477]

These guys are AWESOME

[@blockmasterscott]

I apologize for the ignorant question, but I've never been a bike messenger before. Is real life bike messaging a lot different than the movie "premium rush?"

[@freddyjisp9420]

100%

[@OneontaWill]

Shoutout to the Sting King for the SSD shirt

[@CDMX-cdmx1234]

Maybe that’s Andy of King Courier? Old Boston Hardcore kid back in the actual days of SSD.

[@robertdore9592]

I was in Frisco last year fro a few Raiders games and didn't once see a messenger...

[@mysteryY2K]

i'm from there and yea they ain't rly much of a thing anymore

[@youchoosealex]

Perfect subjects for a Louis Theroux Weird Weekends episode.

[@nuckchorris2703]

Priceless!

[@mannyechaluce3814]

Drones are coming

[@enolamsamoht]

I wonder how Harvey Woo is doing these days?

[@vasectomyfail442]

all the messengers i know including myself are also skateboarders , very similar lifestyle

[@erickzooy8545]

bad ass film!! love riding a bike

[@paulmcdonough1093]

interesting video watching in the uk

[@smokegames1179]

I work as a food delivery guy using mY bike