What You Can Learn from the World’s Best Bike Messenger
If you’ve ever seen a professional bike messenger zipping between cars at 20mph with a truckload of goods strapped to his back, you understand just how varied a skillset the profession requires. When bike messenger Austin Horse isn’t riding in New York City, he’s putting those skills to the test in global competitions meant to determine the world’s best bike messenger. Horse recently scored the messenger Triple Crown, winning the World Championships, the North American Championships (NACCC), and the European Championships (though the European title belongs to the first European messenger to finish the race after Horse). We caught up with the Red Bull-sponsored athlete between deliveries to figure out what, exactly, a messenger championship is; how the field of bike messengering is changing with technology; the weirdest thing he’s ever delivered; and his favorite gear for achieving messenger greatness.
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Bike
For the last year, my primary bike has been a flat bar road bike, an All City Mr. Pink with a front rack, thumb shifters, and big tires. I still have a fixed gear, but the more recent job I was doing had a lot more distance and I wanted a bike with gears. I’d maybe have to go to Brooklyn four times a day, so to do that on a fixie—it would just be relentless.
Bag
The trend has shifted to messenger backpacks in the past few years, as deliveries have transitioned to more food and cargo instead of paper documents. So you may need to carry a 40-pound garment bag and for that, you want the biggest bag you can have. That said, there are things a shoulder bag can do that a backpack can’t. You can sling it around your shoulder and go in and out of it. That used to be great when you were mostly working in the Financial District and bringing papers around and you needed to just flip through paper. Now, you’re pedaling a longer distance and you’re taking your bag off to pull stuff out. The other great thing is that shoulder bags hug your body more than a backpack, so it’s easier to move with a messenger bag, and fit through tight spaces. You’re a bit more aerodynamic and compact.
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Electronics
I don’t carry a Garmin or a bike computer. What am I going to do? It’s going to get stolen if I don’t take it off when I go into a building, and I don’t want to carry it in and out. Phones are key though. The modern messenger carries a spare battery around with him. But the ideal would be a waterproof external battery case for your phone for long days. We depend so much on our phones, compared to what we used to do.
Clothing
Merino wool is obviously a go-to. It doesn’t stink and when it gets wet, you’re still warm. One of the hardest things though, is dealing with wet, freezing rain. We get that a lot in New York: 33 degrees and pouring rain. It’s the worst weather to ride bikes in. For your upper body, there are a bunch of great options out there, just getting a waterproof shell with something warm under it. I have a Patagonia that I love. Lower body is a lot harder. There isn’t a perfect pair of waterproof pants to ride in. The problem with rain pants is they’re way too baggy. I’ve had some great ones, but I blew them out and can’t find them again! The trick with whatever pants you settle on though, is to buy gaiters—I use the Outdoor Research ones—and a waterproof shoe.
Lights
Bike lights are so important. They’re great for peace of mind—and in NY, we can get tickets for not having them, so it’s a way to avoid getting hassled. I really like the RealLITE. It’s this little generator-style light that mounts on the hub. It’s pretty low light so it’s not the best to see, but it makes you visible. It’s really great: It can only be stolen by taking off your wheel. And it’s always going to turn on. They’re really reliable, you never ride around with a dead battery and they don’t break. You also don’t end up walking into a bar with your bag blinking. I also like USB rechargeable bike lights; Knog makes some great ones.
Locks
The best advice I have about bike locks is to use two of them! Not just one lock and a cable: Using two separate locks goes a long way toward convincing potential bike thieves to move on. If someone wants your bike, he’s going to get through any lock. But you can make your bike less attractive with two different types of locks. If a thief realizes he has to get through two locks to get your bike, he might move on.
Secret Weapon:
A Red Bull at 2 p.m., of course!
Weirdest Delivery
I once delivered dentures to a dead man. I took them from his apartment to his hospital room. He’d just passed and his family was going to go see him, and his son wanted him to look more like himself. I had to do it really quickly before they got there and it made a difference to the family that we got in done on time, which is more satisfying than getting a court filing or something.
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