| Even in our modern information age the bike | | | | thieves and muggers. At one point there were even |
| messenger still has a job. You would think that in the | | | | gangs specialized in robbing bike messengers, making |
| age of the fax and email none but the most special of | | | | things so bad that in places like Toronto nighttime |
| packages and documents would need to be delivered | | | | deliveries were stopped for some time. |
| by hand. | | | | The best known messenger company after the |
| Still, what saved the bike messengers' 120 year old | | | | Second World War was founded by Carl Sparks in |
| profession is that inherent human mistrust of all that is | | | | 1945, in San Francisco. Sparkie's later became Aero |
| new(ish) and the need to physically feel the things that | | | | which was bought by CitySprint in 1998. |
| are important. | | | | Today's bike messengers are as modern as they |
| From my findings it seems that the first bike courier | | | | come: phones with internet access, state of the art |
| company in North America appeared in the 1880's. H.T. | | | | walkie-talkies or even gps devices (though most use |
| Baily opened a non-stop delivery service that used | | | | the good old paper maps), but the most important |
| couriers on bikes. | | | | piece of their kit is often a throwback to the past - |
| In the United States bike couriers got their start in 1894, | | | | fixed gear bikes. |
| when a railway strike had mail deliveries stopped in | | | | Though fixed gear bikes (or fixies) might be viewed by |
| San Francisco. A Fresno bike shop owner got the | | | | outsiders as an unnecessary headache bike |
| brilliant idea to set up a route from Fresno to San | | | | messengers use them for a good reason: when you |
| Francisco, which had remarkable success. | | | | cycle 80 to 100 miles everyday for work, the more |
| Soon enough big companies also started using bicycles | | | | pieces your bike has the more chances there are for |
| to do deliveries, at first including Western Union and | | | | something to break down. |
| eventually even the US Postal Office. | | | | However, many messengers prefer to take it easy on |
| With the appearance of UPS and DHL and other big | | | | their knees but still keep it simple so they use single |
| delivery companies messenger services started to | | | | speeds. For those who don't know the difference - a |
| suffer, but bicycle messengers still provide faster | | | | fixed gear is a single speed without a freewheel - on a |
| service for local deliveries. | | | | fixie the pedals will always spin while the bike is |
| In the 20's and 30's bike messengers. Even though | | | | moving. |
| most businesses called on specialized companies to | | | | Theft is a very serious issue for bike messengers, |
| take care of their needs some companies had their | | | | especially when you consider they have to leave it on |
| own messengers, Tamblyn Drug Stores being having | | | | the street and a suitable anchoring structure can't |
| one of the biggest messenger "fleets". | | | | always be found. Most messengers wear thick chains |
| Due to the fact that messengers became more | | | | around their waist and secure the bikes with U locks |
| commonly used to transport pricier packages (and | | | | whenever possible. |
| more than often even money) they became prey to | | | | |