I recently bought a Schwinn roadbike at Recycle a Bicycle and I'm looking to become a messenger.

I'm looking for more information about agencies and where to start. And also how to start.

What kind of a chain should I use?

What locking methods do you think work best?

Any recommendations for helmets?

What about rain gear? And bags?

Where can I get a decent map?

And which agency or agencies should I check out as a first-time rider?

I'm hoping to have an interview scheduled by the end of the week. And if you're hiring, or you know someone who is, I'd like to hear about it.

Thanks,

One more question. I have a good job with lots of vacation time built up. I've toyed with the idea of taking time off and being a messenger. I doubt it's practical, but how many days, weeks, or months would an agency want out of a messenger?

Drop from college ... and you will have to become a messenger

Being a bike courier is a cut-throat business. You've got to compete against other bicyclist and you've got to kiss up big time [translation=bribe] to dispatchers or business owners in order to get deliveries that make good money. Seniority means everything in the business. You've also got to bend or break every single traffic law in the book to make serious money. And it's a very dangerous job because of that. You can probably make better money if you don't care what you deliver. And it's a declining business, most bike courier companies have tanked in these days of the fax and email.

I'm not trying to discourage it but it's not a glamourous job.

Rofl.

You forgot about getting large amounts of tattoos. Extra points if they are on your face or neck. You will earn the respect of your peers and launched to messenger stardom.

Make the rounds to all the courier companies in your city ... not the big ones like Fed Ex and UPS, but the small, local companies. See if any of them are looking for bicycle messengers.

Some places may have a certain fitness level requirement (some messengers ride a metric century a day), other places may just hire you and see if you can last the week.

drink lots of beer.

Show up when it's raining.

Doesn't look like a good outlook. GPSBlake... are you a courier? You seem to know the business well. If so, how did you get into it?