I'm looking for any info on Manchester couriers, i've just chanced upon this site, looks predominatly London, but hey maybe someone can help? I just want website or contact info, as im an old (twentys) racer thinking of getting out of the office and back on the bike!

ta

£20 a day guaranteed? when was this?

you'd have to be pretty desperate to do an 18 mile round trip too...

"...£20 a day guaranteed? when was this?..."

Not as long agao as one would hope:
Late 2001 and into early 2002.

My friend started messengering as a way to keep training for his new found love of cycle racing.
£20 a day meant his weeks rent was paid in just under 2 days and the 18 mile trips were a bonus as he was chuffed to discover he'd got his resting heart beat down to 54 bpm.

Actus in Bristol used to pay me £25 a day garra. That'd be in about '98. That was better than no garra like when I started there, I often used to make under £25 a day.

Without telling me they changed it to a £125 a week garra which is why I quit, any good day was sure to get swallowed up by the crappy ones so I'd end up with £125 most weeks. Also around the time I left them was when they brought in the minimum wage which was more than I was making. That made it a bit more pointed how crap they were. At next firm ICS I often made over £150 a week and once even broke £200 for a four day week (but never for a five dayer)

Good news is that from what I hear things are a bit better than that in Manchester.

When did I say that there aren't London couriers making less than minimum wage?

In my opinion, no one in London should be working for less than £200 a week. I hear that some are, but I think they are seriously misguided. I would go so far as to say that if you are regularly pulling down less than £300 a week, you should quit - it's not worth it.

there's very little work in manchester. tiny circuit and not enough clients

there's mebbe a scratch over 10 riders up here

lots of bitchiness and stupid politics between company owners...

for the record, bms riders are earning approx 75 -150/week. thats right, 75 a week. i dont consider that gravy. other folk are mebbe doing 200+ish on a very busy week. but thats a rarity

there's a coupla "companies" which are basically van co's with one bike messenger as a loss leader.

i was earning 375ish/week when i first moved up north, which dropped to 225ish/week last december. that was with bms

living costs are on a parallel with london

i do know of a busy guy that needs *experienced* part time help - whisper me - or the next best bet is a company called xen on grosvener street. but they already have a bike messenger, but might need a standby sometimes...

you would need an insulated box attached by bungee cord to a trailer or rear pannier rack.

although you would be making more money, you probably wouldn't feel 'cool' or 'important' anymore.... not that that matters in the long run

Ack!! £75 a week!? how do you survive!? You're committed, that's for sure. If i was earning that low I'd just go on the dole, and automatically get full-rate housing benefit and then just ride my bike all day care-free to wherever i felt like (I mean I wouldn't chose to ride to delivery entrances and take goods-lifts all day if I had somewhere more fun to ride to).

darwins - they deliver sandwiches dontchaknow... you can see them cycling up the hill from camden through to Swiss Cottage most mornings & they don't like it what with 40kg odd of food / cake / fruit etc

nhatt - the problem with food delivery is that you don't get the choice. but yeah it would be good if people could be more green about these things I spent £6.10 in pret today. i must be crazy.

i reckon beer delivery would be best

These burritos deserve a top box rate?

Dominoes Pizza deliver by bicycle around the EC1 post code.

my brother will deliver you breakfast...look on his website www.londonbreakfastcompany.com

Come and say hello if you move to Brum

theres no work here tho