SPEED JOYS OFFSET LOWER INCOMES, ANGRY MOTORISTS, FORBIKE 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," beefsThain, one of a group of bicycle couriers sipping coffee and trading storieson a blustery day outside Edmonton's Scotia Place office tower.
It's no wonder the 25-year-old is depressed. In this business, havingyour bike laid up is like losing your lifeline. So he's forced to hoofit until his wheels are back on the road.
"Walking around, you can't make a lot of commission," saysThain, part of a crowd of Gortex-jacket-wearing bikers some liken to atype 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 'causethey put so many kilometres on their bikes."
Collisions. Injuries. Thefts of bikes. Bitter cold. Exhaustion. Traffictickets. These are the things that are par for the course for the threedozen 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 ifit'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 withcar drivers or pedestrians - and those people frequently take out theirfrustrations 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-oldJason Fayant, a bike courier for two years.
"People generalize and think we're all maniacs," says Fayantwho, like most in the industry, has had his share of bumps and bruisesfrom minor falls. He says his worst accident was an unfortunate run-inwith a pedestrian - an incident he'd rather not discuss.
"But you've got to look at it from our standpoint, too. Buses cutus off.
"Drivers don't signal ... it's usually the kind of people who arenervous and don't come downtown much.
"People don't have to get nervous because we're on the road. Cuttingthrough 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 downon tickets - bus lane infractions and stuff like that."
Other segments of society shun them as well, they say. Although manyof the couriers remember the days when they'd gather for beers after workin downtown bars, most establishment owners these days discourage themfrom coming in. The couriers admit that a couple of those bans are linkedto a case or two of rowdy biker behavior - but insist those little uproarswere isolated instances.
"Most of the bars keep us out by saying we don't meet the dresscode," 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 somebeer after work and take it over to someone's house."
During the day, the bikers spend time socializing outside the centrallylocated Scotia Place, or down in the food court where their favorite restaurantis Chicken Variety - which ingratiates itself to two-wheeled couriers byallowing 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 justnot as good as it was only a few years ago. Biker Bob - the grizzled veteranof them all - has been around enough to be able to reminisce about thedays 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 givenan 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 allthe time," says five-year veteran Brian Marak, who's already got thebeginning of a good summer tan. A fellow biker, who goes by the name ofSlotman, nods in agreement. The 24-year-old had bounced between jobs asa tree planter and ski shop worker before scoring the bike gig in the deadof winter. He was virtually broke and was on his way to pay a few billswhen he ran into a pal who worked as a courier.
"He told me, 'Come down tomorrow and you can start,' " Slotmansays. "The job saved my life. I figure I still might not be workingif it wasn't for this."
Thain says he much prefers this work over other jobs he's done. He oncetoiled 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 professionturns his crank. Because there isn't much call for graduates who have abachelor degree in classics (he majored in Greek and Latin), Hermansentook 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'sbetter in that season and couriers keep warm by dressing in layers. BikerBob says he beats the cold with one-piece Stanfield's underwear, cyclingtights, wool socks, a neck-warmer and a Gortex jacket. If it gets reallybrutal he'll add a fleece mask and ski goggles to the mix.
Aside from inclement weather, attempts by motorists to maim them andthe sometimes spotty money, every last one says the pure joy of ridingtheir beloved bikes is what keeps them going at the job.
"When you get down to it, there's nothing better than screamingaround 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 cardrivers, although many admit they'll often blow a red light if they havean 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 othersdrive virtually disposable "beaters" worth only a few hundredbucks. * Couriers use mountain bikes, or else what they call road bikes- machines that have the look of a 10-speed. In either case, the vehiclesare sometimes modified by removing the gears and turning them into "one-speeds."
* It's a profession that attracts mostly males in their 20s althougha handful are in their early- to mid-30s and a few women work the job aswell.
* Most bike couriers earn about 50% of the cost to deliver an envelopeor small package. Courier companies charge between $4 and $10 for downtowndeliveries.
* It's considered a badge of honor to work year-round, no matter howcold it gets outside.
* Couriers estimate they'll spend hundreds of dollars annually to repairworn-out brakes, tires and other running gear.
* While the couriers spend eight or nine hours a day riding to theirdeliveries, most say they're also avid recreational mountain bikers.
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