i applied for a courier job today, but they told me that they didn't allow their messengers to ride fixed because it was too much of a liability. has anyone else encountered this? i wanted to debate my point of view with them, but thought it would be better not to. now i'm not even really interested in the job...

corporate rocks.

I once tried to get a job as a messenger in London and a lot of the companies I spoke to wouldn't allow you to ride brakeless. You didn't have to use the brake, it just had to be on your bike. This was for liability issues they claimed.

The only other bike issue I've ever come across was some more specialized messenger companies (Pedal Express comes to mind) may require you to haul a trailer. Obviously most track bikes aren't suited to that. But I've seen people do it.

It really shouldn't matter what you ride as long as you can get the job done.

Unless you were asking that they Employ you as a messenger it's not up to them, not that it matters since whether or not they contract you is up to them. Most messenger setups are contract work which means they can't tell you what to ride. If they are the only game in town give it a try, toss a few brakes on and don't use them. If they aren't try the other companies. Many will not hire brakeless unless you have some experience to show though.

Tell them it is a single speed. It's true after all...

Would it work to apply while riding a Salvation Army Special and switch later?

Liability? That is pretty strange. I've never met a courier who wasn't an independent contractor, which means that they are liable for themselves. Things must be different in NC I guess.

in SF there are a lot of companies who won't hire you if you ride a fixed gear. and i've even heard of an advise column in a local courier newspaper that advised against riding fixed gear, and talked down on fixed riders.

it kind of makes sense from the companies' point of view. you're out there riding for them, you're their face to the public, and if you're riding a bike percieved to be unsafe, a bike that limits your ability to stop effectively, they have every right to refuse employment to you. if you hit someone and you weren't riding brakes, it's their image on the line, and the person who gets hit could sue the company, and the company could end up losing business, which would put a lot of folks out of work. they have a right to protect their business. there are other bikes out there to ride, chances are, if you ride fixed gear, you have ridden them before, and are capable of riding them again.

there are plenty of other people willing to work for them and ride "normal" bikes. why should they hire some loon on a fixie?

there's answer in this link ===> www.s_counier_issues_gim.com

Onetin is right about their concerns about image liability. If a contractor hits someone on a brakeless the police are going to make a point of that on the report believe me. The company may face no liability in the courts as the contractor is responsible for getting the job done but that won't stop the injured part from naming them in a civil suit and it won't stop the local newspaper from naming the company when the collisionee gets clever and takes their story to them.
I've lent out my bike for the purpose of a police report to a rook that while a good rider did manage to hit someone. It wasn't his fault in the least (she stepped out from the front of a bus with 1 foot to spare) if it had been I wouldn't have helped him. I did it though because it was the bus drivers fault and our community didnt need the bad pres and the vitim shouldnt have her claim against the metro complicated by cloud seeking lawyers

i think that is just a crazy idea alone. i couldn't imagine riding all over sf on a fixed. if i were to ever work there, i think i'd have a bomb proof single speed with disc brakes and drops. something of the bianchi siss looks and it would be total bomb proof. in copenhagen, riding fixed makes total sense because it is completely flat less the bridges i ride over which may be around 2% tops.

You said it.

Sorry to hear that, Jesse M - I would be bummed, too.