Bicycle Messenger Riding Fast and Fluid Through NYC Traffic
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It’s not so risky when you’re anonymous.
#27
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Hey it is wrong and mean to insult other members, Let's cut Larry a break here, he was just proud of his riding and got a pretty ***** video out to people.
On a serious note, yeah don't ride like that. Premium Rush was fun because it was a Hollywood picture so you know it was entirely scripted and not actually real. This is just sad. Nobody is impressed by riding like an idiot and if you are you better figure yourself out there, bud!
On a serious note, yeah don't ride like that. Premium Rush was fun because it was a Hollywood picture so you know it was entirely scripted and not actually real. This is just sad. Nobody is impressed by riding like an idiot and if you are you better figure yourself out there, bud!
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That’s kinda what pulled me in, at first. I was really impressed by the guys that rode like that and was flattered they thought I could do the same.
But after a while, I realized I’d rather be a little slower and more conscientious of people on the street than make another five or fifteen bucks at the end of the day.
That and after a few weeks I was less impressed by those guys riding like that.
One guy got into an altercation with a cab driver that resulted in him swinging a heavy kryptonite chain at the taxi’s windshield until the guy in there got out. He also got swung on with that chain. Cops and criminal charges followed after that.
Another guy ran full on into a lady and broke three of her toes.
I just thought it’d be better to go a little slower and take more care riding.
The money kinda sucked, anyway. I rarely made more’n a little over two hundred bucks a week. I got into the game in the middle to late 90s when the writing was on the wall. Kozmo gave us a brief uptick but then that flamed out, too.
But after a while, I realized I’d rather be a little slower and more conscientious of people on the street than make another five or fifteen bucks at the end of the day.
That and after a few weeks I was less impressed by those guys riding like that.
One guy got into an altercation with a cab driver that resulted in him swinging a heavy kryptonite chain at the taxi’s windshield until the guy in there got out. He also got swung on with that chain. Cops and criminal charges followed after that.
Another guy ran full on into a lady and broke three of her toes.
I just thought it’d be better to go a little slower and take more care riding.
The money kinda sucked, anyway. I rarely made more’n a little over two hundred bucks a week. I got into the game in the middle to late 90s when the writing was on the wall. Kozmo gave us a brief uptick but then that flamed out, too.
Last edited by Rage; 03-31-22 at 10:09 AM.
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Terry has a lot of cool videos and has trailed a lot of great riders, but this dude is the worst - he rides like an obnoxious asshat. Probably one of my favorites is Ana in Mexico City -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RH6naRedhP8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RH6naRedhP8
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most are outraged because it takes tons more skill and round things than 99% of bicycle owners got .........and the reason they ride like they do is because lazy A circles demand that their meaningless scrap gets delivered yesterday .... so give the courierS some due cause this is a bicycle forum and not an A&S grievance thread ... it aint easy being the proletariat
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most are outraged because it takes tons more skill and round things than 99% of bicycle owners got .........and the reason they ride like they do is because lazy A circles demand that their meaningless scrap gets delivered yesterday .... so give the courierS some due cause this is a bicycle forum and not an A&S grievance thread ... it aint easy being the proletariat
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The Mexican girl was laying down some serious power. The tunnel w/o lights scared the crap out of me.
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most are outraged because it takes tons more skill and round things than 99% of bicycle owners got .........and the reason they ride like they do is because lazy A circles demand that their meaningless scrap gets delivered yesterday .... so give the courierS some due cause this is a bicycle forum and not an A&S grievance thread ... it aint easy being the proletariat
I'd call the completely needless close passes and charging blindly into intersections the opposite of skill.
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Better, but I could tell that they cut to the next scene right when she was about to do something "jackass" a few times.
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#39
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In truth, if you are the type messenger that is following traffic law, riding "correctly", being considerate of others you certainly will not be making a lot of runs quickly and probably won't be a messenger long. My understanding is that most messengers either age or nerve out, or get hurt bad enough that they can't. It is a dog eat dog type of business.
Have any of you actually paid attention to how the Amazon and FedEx drivers in your area act with a 2 ton van + parcels?
Have any of you actually paid attention to how the Amazon and FedEx drivers in your area act with a 2 ton van + parcels?
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In truth, if you are the type messenger that is following traffic law, riding "correctly", being considerate of others you certainly will not be making a lot of runs quickly and probably won't be a messenger long. My understanding is that most messengers either age or nerve out, or get hurt bad enough that they can't. It is a dog eat dog type of business.
Have any of you actually paid attention to how the Amazon and FedEx drivers in your area act with a 2 ton van + parcels?
Have any of you actually paid attention to how the Amazon and FedEx drivers in your area act with a 2 ton van + parcels?
There's a difference between not riding "correctly" to letter of the law and just plain taking stupid risks with the safety of your own and others for no good end. The OP rider clearly crossed that line.
No idea what you're saying about FedEx and Amazon drivers--I've seen many, many of them, and I've never seen them do anything even remotely that risky.
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Aside from double-parking (which is legal for them) I honestly have not seen Amazon and FedEx drivers do anything even remotely like what these bike messengers are doing. In fact, even cab drivers, who actually have to pay out of pocket for every minute they spend in their leased cabs, manage to follow traffic rules much better than these bike messengers.
#42
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Cojones, sure, I could see that..... But the same could be said about Russian Roulette.
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#43
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Aside from double-parking (which is legal for them) I honestly have not seen Amazon and FedEx drivers do anything even remotely like what these bike messengers are doing. In fact, even cab drivers, who actually have to pay out of pocket for every minute they spend in their leased cabs, manage to follow traffic rules much better than these bike messengers.
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You have clearly never seen that Kevin Bacon movie about bicycle messengers. I seent it twice. Eggspert level.
I watched half of Footloose and can dance like Fred Astaire.
/skillz
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a lot of prayers have been said and are awaiting answers for all those sociopathic bike messengers who done been hit and runned and ruined for pittances ...................................... and riding fast and loose for pay is real cool unless you really have to do it to get by
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#47
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In truth, if you are the type messenger that is following traffic law, riding "correctly", being considerate of others you certainly will not be making a lot of runs quickly and probably won't be a messenger long. My understanding is that most messengers either age or nerve out, or get hurt bad enough that they can't. It is a dog eat dog type of business.
Have any of you actually paid attention to how the Amazon and FedEx drivers in your area act with a 2 ton van + parcels?
Have any of you actually paid attention to how the Amazon and FedEx drivers in your area act with a 2 ton van + parcels?
#48
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I think recumbent riders and the weirdos on those little wheel "travel" bikes are the ones that do that. 95% of cyclist are wimpy geeks, they wish that some fixed gear maniac would be associated with them. Trust me, nobody has ever seen the similarity between this guy (video) and some cyclist with a helmet mounted safety mirror and a reflective vest.
Just kidding. Sort of.
Just kidding. Sort of.
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#49
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it’s a learned skill, and unless you can do it on a track bike I advise you don’t try it on a geared bike or you might overextend and hurt yourself
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The best thing about this thread is that no one seems to have confused cojones with cajones.