The London Cycle Courier

[@tim250exc]

I watched 45 seconds of this...that was enough. Whilst the lad is quite possibly a lovely human being...this is NOT representative of courier work. I rode for a couple of years in early 90's on the circuit. 12,000 miles per year, winter summer spring autumn. I worked my way up to a £250 per week guarantee and regularly took home over £400 per week. Best weeks were £600 and believe me they were BIG weeks. I did not ride fixed, I rode a Cannondale SM700 mtb frame on 26" wheels with narrowest slicks I could buy, 7 speed with single front ring 42 tooth. I cut the flat bars down by 2 inches each side and ran front and rear brakes, as anyone who wants to stay alive would do. I bought this bike cash from Condor on Gray's Inn (45 minutes after my Spesh Rockhopper was stolen in Clerkenwell) the old shop opposite where the new one is now (well it was in 2007, when I was last down there, whilst riding from London to Paris, on a charity gig). Denim jeans will get wet as soon as rain hits and stay wet all day as well as sandpaper your arse/ crotch and legs to pieces. This chap reminds me of the people who came on the circuit when the weather was good, ie summer and used to sit around Covent Garden waiting for a photographer from "The Face" to find them. These types do not last through a winter unless they change their strategy! I lived in a squat in a council tower block in Tower Hamlets E14. Courier work was amazing/ dirty/ dangerous/ exciting/ challenging/ well paid and taught me alot about myself/ people and the wonderful crazy contradictory city of London. Since then I've travelled the world, farmed, sailed, surfed, built houses and currently own a cycle cafe and repair business.

[@mountainman6172]

tim250exc really fascinating life experiences you've had, eh? Perhaps you can self-publish your own book one day. I would certainly read it!

[@luz7660]

rear brakes on a fixed gear is not really necessary specially on flat terrain

[@sundrieddelivers]

Luz it’s more to keep the police of his back I’d imagine

[@iridemanila]

same time no one ask you to watch

[@krisztianwirsz3612]

That sounds like a very interesting life!

[@SilverSkySE]

Being a courier in Holland would be the easiest job ever, separate cycle lanes everywhere and very wide.

[@simpleton7]

Everybody on the road breaks the law to some extent with varying levels of potential harm and justification - especially if you're cycling in London, since the road environment and the legal context often barely considers you. If I were asking the questions, I would ask Dan if he would make enough money for himself if he avoided going through busier pedestrian areas, and going not much above say 10mph if the shortcut was too tempting. I also wonder how much clients expect this sort of speed (like a lot of taxi companies speed, but it's not just to get the next fare, a lot of customers demand it).

[@DayintheLife]

+escalinci Hey man, I liked this comment a lot, I appreciate real feedback. You're right, that is the real question I should have asked. My next Day in the Life will be out next week!

[@willquash4672]

+Day in the Life do you know if he ever had had a bike stolen?

[@danielhassan3515]

+Will Quash no fortunately not....

[@XCILE625]

yea tbf gears really aren't that complicated and they don't break easily either so that excuse isn't really valid

[@SoundSpeeding]

If you don't push a little what you're doing into the "grey" zone of legalities then heck you might as well stay at home in bed! As you're not going to be making anything worthwhile, or even keeping your job at the company.

[@davedaves431]

Didn't know London still had pushbike couriers (does it?). Did it for eight months in 1990 and loved the job. Then spent most of the Saturday trying to get all the grime off my face.

[@paulredmond1327]

cool vid... that was me 5 years ago. I worked for excel. shit money, alot of fun. my call sign was kilo 17. It was good to be 17 again ( even though I was 39 at the time). Eddie the Brazilian controller... sometimes you loved him... other times you hated him...

[@prawdziwekakao]

Haha yeah I worked there as well at that time I was Kilo 7 haha yeah Eddie was cool the other guy was horrible ass tho

[@pleiades250]

Nice vid man... Do you know what company he works for?

[@willquash4672]

2:55 far left lol

[@stevesmith9258]

lol

[@NK-ib7qh]

Deserves more likes.

[@aldrinclementina4297]

Lol

[@christianotoole5308]

I saw Dan when I went to London last Sunday, he looked like a blur. I said hi. He's really cool.

[@DayintheLife]

+Christian O'Toole Yeah he's a really cool guy. I approached him in the street and asked to film him - most people would've said no

[@marcin7154]

This discussion is a lot more interesting than that film.

[@robertjary2470]

Yeah.. not much though

[@X3RUBIM]

As a fast cyclist you really should show some respect and consideration for the weaker participants of traffic (that beeing pedestrians and casual cyclists), just as you´d expect the motorized traffic towards yourself. Cutting off a mother and her children on the pavement at close passing distance is not the way to go about that...

[@jousteich9838]

Agreed

[@realnagger6718]

@ sorry but you just dont do shit like that, if you a real courier. We do stuff but there is a minimum...

[@briancatly1]

@@realnagger6718 I fully agree with you on this, you still need to follow the minimum levels of common sense, injuring someone for your extra £ is not how you should be working. Also, riding on the pavement is also technically not legal, but officers do understand that people sometimes do it for their own safety. However, I'm pretty sure they won't be as friendly to people like on this video blazing through the pavements.

[@midtoad]

the riding actually looked pretty tame compared to some of what I've seen in New York City.

[@MrJohnQCitizen]

Agreed. Insipid video devoid of content.

[@dingane]

I can't understand how couriers these days work in jeans. Is it not incredibly painful to ride in jeans all day long? (Seams, no cushion, hard saddle). When I did it, I used to wear cycling shorts (under baggier shorts) every day.

[@MyNiki1998]

those pants are fucking gay ... always casual

[@P3nguin12]

dingane because they're cool and the primary objective of a cycle courier in London is not to be comfortable, it is to be cool! Similar situation with the objectively awful fixes.

[@saarbrooklynrider2277]

@@P3nguin12 there are cycling underpants... no one will know...

[@MK-Turtles]

I am also a bike rider but I still think that you should respect the laws!! If the signal is red, means you MUST STOP. It is very dangerous to go on and expect that the cars will break. Please, use a helmet, be careful and respect the traffic laws.

[@danieladams2986]

Hi, cool video thanks 🎸. What bike were you riding in the vid please?

[@Anroth98]

Love the aerobar so much with the front brake only, gonna consider this for my next bike

[@willquash2852]

It needs to be a fixie if u are going to have only one brake

[@crystalisedmeth6374]

+Will Quash no shit

[@willquash4672]

+Crystalised Meth loads of people don't know that, so go and take you and your fucked up username somewhere where your input is valued

[@LanceMitchellSF]

I had a lady ask me once, "How can my daughter get a job doing that?" I said "She should get a different job, not this." The lady said, "A job is a job." I said, "Let me put it this way - This company that I work for, gives us free death insurance." She said, "Oh yeah, forget that." LOL

[@LanceMitchellSF]

@Count Basie Some people don't like me and some people love me, it's the indifferent ones that can F*** Auf. West One did have paid funeral services (maybe not technically death insurance) I remember the paper and I had to show it to my relatives so they knew just in case. Besides, we all know it's alcoholism, overdose and suicide that kills most of us anyway. The gauntlet of metal and steel twisted smoking gas guzzlers was our friend. :D

[@LanceMitchellSF]

@Count Basie Can you use some of your clever code to reveal your identity? Yeah, no more cigars.

[@sweeneyTodd-de4by]

Wicked video Alan, what make is your frame, love the handle bars what are they

[@zepilintra3072]

His trousers dont tear?

[@XCILE625]

Great Video!!

[@Cycling.Doughnut]

Hi. I can hear the radio is a DMR based? Who did you talk with over the radio? As a licensed radio operator? Thnx.

[@PietroBonannoPierojump]

Finally I watched this video Dan, Good Job man...Now pass through Tesco and take our reduced that we're hungry xD

[@colinpettit1553]

Ahhh! The good old days. I used to do that ten years ago :-)

[@SmurfPerfect]

Adrian Brody got skills tho.

[@JorgeSorianoUplifts]

Nice video bro

[@JB-sd4qc]

Great video, thanks

[@ofahlstrom]

I wonder why you would want to use a fixie as a bike messenger. Doesn't seem very effective.

[@conorevans1137]

+oskarfahlstrom Less moving parts, less to go wrong. When you're on your bike from 8am-5pm or more for almost 365 days a year you want to your bike to be as reliable as possible.

[@ofahlstrom]

+Conor Evans If maintained properly (like it should be on a bike that's used for work) then I don't see why this would be a problem. Riding a fixie with only a front brake seems quite dangerous in comparison. Having the wider range of gears would be a considerable benefit for city cycling.

[@conorevans1137]

+oskarfahlstrom I can only speak from my experience, but when I have to get from one side of the city to the other in 15 minutes and whether I can pay my bills that week depends on how fast I am a broken derailleur is the last thing I'd want to deal with. If you're couriering there's no doubt that you're gonna get knocked about and have more crashes than you're average weekend warrior. Fixed gears are cheap and maybe to some extent disposable, a guy I work with has gone through five different bikes in the last year and a half (though that reflects more on himself than the job!). It's the ease of use more than anything when it comes to reliability; removing variable gears altogether negates the need to maintain them regularly. It's a fit and forget nature to some extent, all you really need to do is ensure than your chain is lubricated and the teeth on your chainring/cog aren't worn down and you're golden. Unless you're working in say San Francisco, most cities are particularly flat. Of course I understand your point of having a range of gears being beneficial, but I wouldn't call it a necessity. Regarding the safety thing, I find that the majority of accidents on fixed gears are caused by people who are either new to fixed gears or just idiots riding brakeless. I'd argue that once one's become accustomed to riding a fixed gear and assuming you're not running a gear that's completely inappropriate for city riding then it's no less safe than riding any other kind bicycle.

[@thetraveler9]

yeah I've always wondered this too. fixy guys say their bikes are less maintenance and they talk about not having to worry about their rear derailleur but the derailleur is the part on the bike that you don't have to do much work to. I've had the same rear derailleur for years now and besides adjustments, it's not had to be serviced and it switches gears fine. it's rare for a rear derailleur to fail

[@bambam859]

If you know how to ride a fixed gear properly you'll understand. The number of drops i do a day has gone up since i went fixed gear. It is actually a more efficient transfer of energy from your legs to the bike then it is with a freewheel so although pulling away from a stop is harder then with gears once you're up to speed you need less energy to stay that way. And it's lots less effort and money to maintain, when you work very very hard for not much money you don't want to have to spend lots of time or money maintaining your bike.

[@truth.hurts...]

Were u work and why u got a police radio

[@airgreek]

the handlebars are so cool which ones are they?

[@joachimmacdonald2702]

I’m curious to know what company he works for - I’ve been looking for messenger jobs in London for a while and all I can really find online are those shitty apps that pretend you’re self employed and organise deliveries with algorithms - the only semi-legit-looking company I can find is City Sprint, and they don’t exactly look great. Any recommendations?

[@takmiller8093]

Any luck ?

[@aakashchrispin3749]

Are you still unemployed ?

[@newyardleysinclair9960]

cycle courier sounds so much better than bike messenger lol

[@sir_jerhyn]

All I did was food for 6 years, it has been an honor doing this. I met some amazing people, and shitty people, but it was worth it. Rain or shine, I did it. Extreme heat and cold, I did it. I was out there, I was running my bike and making money. 2016 - 2023.

[@robertjary2470]

A2Z? Cards in the spokes ? How.old.is this?

[@ShyamalRoy-zy7zf]

hey the type of handle bar Alan used can i know the name of it, like how do i find them. can you help me

[@aakashchrispin3749]

No

[@Misterfraenkstaenk]

What's the first song? The link in the description doesn't work.

[@Rolo3939]

Cool this looks awesome, and what a great way to see all of London

[@oskarmurmann9915]

Chrome messenger bag

[@dashbrinckman862]

Dose anyone know what kind of phone he was using?(00:43)

[@pecknarmoriginal]

Blackberry

[@daviddebergh254]

So he rides a fixed gear bike?

[@jamesmanlow2094]

Do you know what bike he was riding

[@MsRaspberry86]

hihihi Dan I do the same with the hands when I am thinking how to drive with my bike trough vienna :) so cool to see that. thx actually i am getting a bicycle courier too.

[@thisishere3071]

very cool

[@poneymagik1337]

what is this bullhorn ?

[@lotfi256]

Profile Design -Ozero

[@lotfi256]

00:39

[@GenerateGodx]

how the hell you dont get tired

[@NicolasCaes]

alan whats that handle bars you're using? greets from amsterdam

[@jedripley3715]

I'm 60 and would love to do that job .

[@bob-ny6kn]

Jed Ripley Yeah, do it! I am 54 and "do that job" (deliver meals during three hours of rush). Even on the slowest days I get enough for a good meal and coffee(s). I laugh when I think someone pays me to ride a bike. I use a Cannondale SM400, 26", narrow flatbar, 2x7, with beefy slick treads (lots of sharp road debris!). Go for it, brother! There are hungry people waiting for you, and you are only 61.

[@andreafirpolabicicleta5172]

Qué lugar en Londres puedo comprar bolsos, accesorios para la bici ???

[@nonoririko2056]

Anyone know what type of phone that is and the bars hes riding?

[@sawblade37217]

Dude should totally wear a helmet

[@ZuluEchoRomeoOscar]

Why? They are pretty much useless in most situations.

[@sawblade37217]

Zero Blank wrong. I crashed recently and my helmet saved my skull from serious scar tissue and brain damage. Go with MIPS protection. Friends I know also benefitted from helmets and pads.

[@jamiegerman8021]

Erick Rodriguez totally agree dude, I work Deliveroo part time & pisses me off the amount of riders that don't, even more when the company provides helmets!

[@ZuluEchoRomeoOscar]

I'll put that up against my 50+ years of city centre cycling (32 professionally) and my cycling acquaintances and colleagues - which must number in the thousands by now - and rest easy with my original observation thanks. 'Helmet Saved My Life' is apocryphal at best and inaccurate in the vast majority of cases.

[@jamiegerman8021]

Regardless of how many years of cycling you have, I'd still rather wear a helmet. It may not save your life if you get completely mowed down by a bus, but if you fall off for whatever reason that bit of headwear could stop you from dying or becoming a vegetable. It's not about you, it's also the people around you, i.e. the wife, I don't think she'd want to spoon feeding me for the rest of my life

[@arahman8545]

What bike do you use

[@cyka6767]

what type of handlebar is that?

[@kentcyclist5330]

Cracking music

[@jasonhall3693]

What bars are you running?

[@airgreek]

I know I want to know too

[@francescoperna4319]

I want to do a Bike courier.... How can I do??

[@lazolazarov6262]

I would love to know the brand of his bag and his bike :D They look really good :D

[@TaefDewan]

What company do you work for?

[@ClydeBuilt]

Nothing like letting the crims know you're carrying high value items.....

[@binaryglitch64]

LOOK... Are most messengers riding in the pinch, bumber surfing, running lights, riding the side walk etc... ? Yes, yes we do... but just know that there is a lot of pressure from all angles, the customer wants there package like yesterday fast, so does dispatch, and so does my stomach and landlord, and the bike has a build and momentum that tells you it wants to go fast. We are usually strong, skilled, knowledgeable cyclist who actually care a lot about road safety... but we also feel like we HAVE TO rush as if we where being chased by a better cyclist with a gun and the intent to kill us... not that we feel THAT way, just that the amount of pressure to rush can feel like a level of pressure I could only think to describe as similar to said situation. But that's not quite accurate, you don't feel like your running from death, it's more like your running for life (think life as in more than meer survival, so running to survive IS what your doing but in the process, your doing more than just surviving... everyone dies, but not everyone lives... messengers do. Are we crazy, no doubt, but cycling is not a pore man's sport... messengers have made it one out of necessity... but it comes with sacrifice. The fax machine killed the messenger, and the internet and smartphones brought us back in the worst of ways but we live on none the less... but brick and mortar dispatch offices are the way to go. Much more accountability, and a better experience for us all... customers, dispatchers, messengers, and the pore saps that have to share the road with us.

[@Ducosfly]

What park is at 3:10?

[@danielhassan3515]

Ducosfly st james

[@mironovaes8650]

anyone know anything about his handle bars, exactly what I'm looking for

[@XCILE625]

+Miro Novaes Profile Design Ozero

[@polbelles7165]

What do you have to do if you want to be a courier??

[@tausifvids]

There's a bunch now. You have deliveroo and uber does some courier services.

[@shanepearson5950]

aftonafton do you have names of these courier company’s and not deliveroo and uber

[@anithen]

this looks like a fun life

[@JeroenWellens7]

does anybody know what handlebar he is using

[@ofahlstrom]

+Jeroen Wellens Profile Design Ozero.

[@lotfi256]

is it a leader 721 frame?

[@atomicdonky4791]

why do soo many couriers ride fixed gear

[@shanepearson5950]

And also it’s efficient for London or flat places like London

[@mauriceluffman]

what bag is he using? any info?

[@keithc9510]

+Maurice Luffman its chrome industries the citizen model, best bags on the market

[@CharlieFuckingA]

+keith caravousanos nooooo it was the metropolis!

[@herrmannwiese521]

whitch bike is it?

[@glennponder8612]

oh come on man, you had to do it in the good ol times, with the A to Z book it the pocket/

[@Unown_B]

There's so many traffic offenses in this video.

[@waynedurant8646]

total badman👊. that job is not for the soft.

[@harleyHDz]

literally saw this dude last week.. wearing exactly what hes wearing there..

[@danielhassan3515]

No you didn't. I was in shorts

[@oguzhandemir5918]

it's what country?

[@lotfi256]

i hope you are joking

[@oguzhandemir5918]

Yes

[@mochammadlaksmanaputra7898]

how to be a bicycle courier in london?

[@Rose.Of.Hizaki]

People seem to be missing the point... near the start of his video he says he is paid per delivery. The sooner he completes one job, hes free to pick up another and when he completes that one he can pick up another = earning more money. Im not sure if the company he works for sets targets for him but he might set a target for himself to have 'X' amount of deliveries per day to make ends met. 'professional couriers' arent the same rag tag bunch of randoms with no respect for the rules of the road and the people others use it that work part time and deliver for services like Uber, Jinn or Deliveroo. Yes dan did ride like an absolute cock but some companies want their couriers to be the fastest thus have them race across london like some death race. This has been reported on the BBC a few years back but all in all professional couriers dont get paid very well at all. some companies even treat their riders as self employed staff so they dont pay them any sort of benefits despite these people putting in more than 40 hours per week in some cases. I have been commuting to work in central london for over two years by bicycle at all hours of day so i get to see these couriers shooting about all over the place. Most of them are quite well behaved but more often then not they jump red lights. What bothers me is Dan doesnt seem to care very much that he was fined by the police and jailed for a few hours. It seemed such a trivial thing to him that makes me think that the behaviour witnessed in this video is an every day thing rather then just a one off.

[@ikesundays738]

Nice video!!!!

[@Dansio]

Riding a bike in London ain't easy, I know it from experience

[@Azmodaeus49]

yup

[@SM-ly5tf]

It's a death wish. But I fucking love it anyways

[@johntarymoscoso7572]

bet you can't do that in the Philippines..

[@davart311]

You forgot the rain..

[@nero0222]

RAINY days and CAR SMOKE is not good

[@georgegilles9008]

I've rode with other cyclists who have followed all the rules of the road and they still got hit from behind by a car..

[@Azmodaeus49]

how the fuck are you riding like that through Oxford Street and regent street

[@conspiracytub2184]

I don't know why everyone is compliaining about his riding, It isn't his fault that he gets hurt, what is a tiny little road bike going to do vs a 2 tonne car xD this guy is a trooper

[@apojoga]

Nice bars

[@georgegilles9008]

It's as if breaking the collar bone is the norm for cyclists.

[@crystalisedmeth6374]

+George Gilles true; every fixie rider i know has experienced this..

[@asscrackistan]

+Crystalised Meth Too true, silently laughing to myself here cause I broke my collar bone too and I cycle fixed gear (but I didn't break my collar bone on a fixed gear bike it was on a normal geared one)

[@MiddxDieHardZz]

+Crystalised Meth i havnt

[@crystalisedmeth6374]

GrindHouse you're not doing it right

[@MiddxDieHardZz]

ive Won more cats than you've even watched behind your keyboard bro ,

[@bukkaratsuppa6414]

What are those rectiangles? Privacy, you kiddin me? From now on every publicly shot video will be ruined like that?

[@simeonbanner6204]

It's all very packaged in the way that Box Park is. Consumable cool. I actually respect the guy, though think he should take more care and have a helmet. I guess it wouldn't fit with the image the programme makers have in mind. I'm sure it is really scary and days where you feel lucky you made it home in once piece.

[@CharlieFuckingA]

Some days after a few close calls I would come home and the first thing I'd do is tell my girlfriend I love her.

[@simeonbanner6204]

I can understand that. Ride carefully.

[@willquash4672]

he does wear a helmet in some of the shots, eg when he is filming with the gopro attached to his helmet

[@Azmodaeus49]

I have got to do, in a huge cyclist rider lmao

[@christianotoole5308]

Thanks for replying, yeah but I'm back home now😭😭

[@thomasconboy4636]

Scat job at thous speeds

[@Dehibernation]

As much as this seem cool, it's because of people like him that accidents happen. There's a reason there are for traffic going in different directions, there's a reason there are pavements for pedestrians and there's a reason there are traffic signals. People breaking the law like him and putting all people on the road (including pedestrians) in danger appals me and I only hope next time his punishment by the police is stricter. I am a cyclist in London BTW and see all sorts of shit like this being pulled on the road by cyclists.

[@bradster00]

People complaining about how shit of a cyclist he is. You guys have probably never been to London. Couriers are ruthless! But Londoners expect it and just shrug it off. Just another day in central...

[@danielhassan3515]

crossing between cars. I phones, judging, opinionated.... n so on. Thanks for your perception of our day

[@estebanjacobs5794]

i would use my mtb for more mobility

[@dwisetiyawan1736]

2:36 Courier attitude

[@NathanTeskey]

He should wear a helmet

[@sweatnosweat]

Come try pass red lights here in Argentina, jajajaja, won´t make 3k. The pedestrians won´t even move for a fast bike coming at them.

[@rustcohle3803]

if he wasn't a messenger then yeah he should be more respectful of red lights and sidewalks, cuz he's not in a justified rush. problem is, being in a rush is part of his job, can't blame the guy for wanting to make more money by being as fast as possible. hell that's probably the whole essence of the job, the adrenaline. can't imagine how many hours of riding he does each day, but smoking kinda worries me for his athletic health lol

[@자연의소리-c3u]

Danger fixed gearbike

[@luismoreira8310]

Hola y el casco (

[@erce_]

Crouch cam, lol

[@VAX1970]

smoking & cycling? seems odd

[@waynejacksonofficial]

@Count Basie where you popped up from anyway?

[@MrRuvimovich]

10cm. of rings under... the inverted stem..., but aero bars... Not cool.

[@SpideyGin]

Riding in and around traffic without a helmet. That man bun won't protect your bonce if you get knocked off dude.