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

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

7 жыл бұрын

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

6 жыл бұрын

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

@SquareWheelMedia

6 жыл бұрын

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

@iridemanila

6 жыл бұрын

same time no one ask you to watch

@krisztianwirsz3612

5 жыл бұрын

That sounds like a very interesting life!

2:55 far left lol

@stevesmith9258

7 жыл бұрын

lol

@NK-ib7qh

6 жыл бұрын

Deserves more likes.

@aldrinclementina4297

5 жыл бұрын

Lol

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

8 жыл бұрын

+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

8 жыл бұрын

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

@danielhassan3515

8 жыл бұрын

+Will Quash no fortunately not....

@XCILE625

7 жыл бұрын

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

@SoundSpeeding

6 жыл бұрын

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.

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

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

2 жыл бұрын

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

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

We do a lot of retail deliveries here in NYC and a lot of times we have to verify the contents.

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.

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

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.

Great video, thanks

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

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

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

the handlebars are so cool which ones are they?

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

@willquash2852

8 жыл бұрын

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

@crystalisedmeth6374

8 жыл бұрын

+Will Quash no shit

@willquash4672

8 жыл бұрын

+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

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

Great Video!!

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

3 жыл бұрын

No

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

This discussion is a lot more interesting than that film.

@robertjary2470

3 жыл бұрын

Yeah.. not much though

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

@DayintheLife

8 жыл бұрын

+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

is it a leader 721 frame?

what type of handlebar is that?

So he rides a fixed gear bike?

What company do you work for?

Anyone know what his handlebars are called

Do you know what bike he was riding

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

Nice video!!!!

What bike do you use

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

@MrJohnQCitizen

6 ай бұрын

Agreed. Insipid video devoid of content.

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

7 жыл бұрын

those pants are fucking gay ... always casual

@P3nguin12

7 жыл бұрын

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

4 жыл бұрын

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

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

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

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

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

@oskarmurmann9915

3 жыл бұрын

Chrome messenger bag

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

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

4 жыл бұрын

Any luck ?

@aakashchrispin3749

3 жыл бұрын

Are you still unemployed ?

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

@XCILE625

8 жыл бұрын

+Miro Novaes Profile Design Ozero

whitch bike is it?

Were u work and why u got a police radio

this looks like a fun life

His trousers dont tear?

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

@pecknarmoriginal

3 жыл бұрын

Blackberry

What bars are you running?

@airgreek

6 жыл бұрын

I know I want to know too

Nice video bro

Cracking music

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

4 жыл бұрын

@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

4 жыл бұрын

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

does anybody know what handlebar he is using

@ofahlstrom

8 жыл бұрын

+Jeroen Wellens Profile Design Ozero.

cycle courier sounds so much better than bike messenger lol

how to be a bicycle courier in london?

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

very cool

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.

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

what is this bullhorn ?

@lotfi256

7 жыл бұрын

Profile Design -Ozero

@lotfi256

7 жыл бұрын

00:39

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

Nice bars

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.

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

@tausifvids

7 жыл бұрын

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

@shanepearson5950

6 жыл бұрын

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

what bag is he using? any info?

@keithc9510

8 жыл бұрын

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

@CharlieFuckingA

8 жыл бұрын

+keith caravousanos nooooo it was the metropolis!

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

@danielhassan3515

8 жыл бұрын

No you didn't. I was in shorts

Adrian Brody got skills tho.

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

What park is at 3:10?

@danielhassan3515

7 жыл бұрын

Ducosfly st james

Dude should totally wear a helmet

@ZuluEchoRomeoOscar

7 жыл бұрын

Why? They are pretty much useless in most situations.

@sawblade37217

7 жыл бұрын

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

7 жыл бұрын

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

7 жыл бұрын

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

7 жыл бұрын

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

why do soo many couriers ride fixed gear

@shanepearson5950

6 жыл бұрын

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

There's so many traffic offenses in this video.

2:36 Courier attitude

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

8 жыл бұрын

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

8 жыл бұрын

I can understand that. Ride carefully.

@willquash4672

8 жыл бұрын

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

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

@conorevans1137

8 жыл бұрын

+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

8 жыл бұрын

+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

8 жыл бұрын

+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

8 жыл бұрын

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

8 жыл бұрын

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.

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

@HShango

8 жыл бұрын

yup

@SM-ly5tf

5 жыл бұрын

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

how the hell you dont get tired

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

He should wear a helmet

it's what country?

@lotfi256

7 жыл бұрын

i hope you are joking

@oguzhandemir5918

7 жыл бұрын

Yes

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

Scat job at thous speeds

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..

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

4 жыл бұрын

Agreed

@realnagger6718

4 жыл бұрын

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

@briancatly1

3 жыл бұрын

@@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.

que tengas una buena semana

Crouch cam, lol

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

@bob-ny6kn

6 жыл бұрын

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.

Nice stuff!

RAINY days and CAR SMOKE is not good

i would use my mtb for more mobility

Hola y el casco (

Brasil

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.

You forgot the rain..

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.

HELMET dude...

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

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

@crystalisedmeth6374

8 жыл бұрын

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

@tubbyrainbow111

8 жыл бұрын

+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

8 жыл бұрын

+Crystalised Meth i havnt

@crystalisedmeth6374

8 жыл бұрын

GrindHouse you're not doing it right

@MiddxDieHardZz

8 жыл бұрын

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

Alright Dan all in a day's work keep emm spinning bro & $uck these negative comments posted by oversized loads who couldn’t piss straight or ride a bike without stabilisers. Thanks for the clip of me at the end you joker!

Danger fixed gearbike

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

smoking & cycling? seems odd

@waynejacksonofficial

4 жыл бұрын

@Count Basie where you popped up from anyway?