Bike Messenger Style

4 Aug 2006 Category: Fashion, Features, Worldwide

The streets of Helsinki may not be the urban jungle that is New York, Tokyo or London, but the city has a thriving bicycle courier community nonetheless, which was recognised earlier this month when Helsinki hosted the European Cycle Messenger Championships (ECMC) 2006. During the four day event I met up with Jeremiah Tesolin, whose recently completed Masters Degree thesis for the University of Industrial Arts, Helsinki looked at the role design and branding will play in the future of the bicycle courier. He talked to me about the cycle messenger industry, the way it is changing, and how an underground subculture of bicycle enthusiasts became a global youth icon.

Written by Matt Sinclair

Jeremiah, what kind of people typically work as cycle messengers?

The first thing to say is that for many messengers it’s not so much work as a way of life - for some couriers it truly is the perfect job, being paid to do the thing they love. It’s true that messengers are usually young, but sometimes you’ll see older couriers, or couriers who have set up their own companies and now run the business or operations side of things.

Then there’s a number of books that have been written about ‘courier style’, and I’m sure many people have a stereotypical image of a cycle messenger with piercings and dreadlocks and wearing combat pants rolled up to the knee. But what’s interesting is that when you study you the industry you find that’s only one extreme - at the other end you find couriers whose style is much closer to a professional cyclist.

They wear expensive, high performance sports clothing and are often supremely fit. And then there’s a whole spectrum between those two extremes. So I tend to think that couriers are less united by outward appearance and more by an inner attitude to life. Most couriers love the freedom of the job, the freedom to wear what they like and work the hours they want, to be outside rather than in an office, and to be part of a tight knit community.

Salary is rarely a motivating factor, instead they find satisfaction from a fundamental understanding of how the city and the street work, in a similar way to how skateboarders understand architecture.

When you talk about the sense of freedom that a cycle messenger finds important, that’s one of the things that makes them iconic isn’t it?

Yes, the idea that a person’s motivations are about freedom and self expression rather than money is always attractive. And even today there’s something counter-cultural about a person who doesn’t work nine-to-five in a shirt and tie. Then when you add the fact that cycle messengers often ride in ways that can be viewed as foolhardy, dangerous or illegal, and which certainly annoy a lot of people, you almost have a recipe for a youth icon!

Is that why, for example, the messenger bag is now so common?

Yes, but what’s interesting is, in the same way as with other subcultures, the things which are appropriated by the mainstream aren’t really understood, and often they aren’t the things which the subculture themselves think are important. So with messenger bags, couriers see them in terms of function - they’re big enough to keep documents flat, and having only one shoulder strap means the bag can be swung around the body to remove packages or to read a map. (Those who regularly carry heavier items often use bags with two straps, more like a rucksac, which distributes the weight better and puts less strain on the shoulders).

Couriers don’t think of their bags as being cool. For them, style is about how someone rides, the way they weave elegantly through traffic, the fluidity of their movements as they navigate from one street to another, and the confidence with which they take a blind corner or jump a red light. Those things are invisible to most people, there’s no way you can fully appreciate the skill involved unless you’re trying to do it yourself.

Talking about the skills of an experienced messenger is a good way to come back to what goes on at an event such as the ECMC. This year in Helsinki, in common with similar events such as the World Cycle Messenger Championships, the competition featured a main race with a preceding qualifying stage, and a number of ‘satellite’ competitions. Typically the main race is testing two things - firstly the speed and stamina of the cyclist, and secondly their logic in working out the fastest way to deliver packages from one place to another.

A package is picked up at a checkpoint with instructions as to where it should be delivered, but the messenger can decide whether to take it there immediately or pick up other packages en route. Some events even employ ‘thieves’, who will steal a bike that isn’t locked up.

For obvious reasons, this kind of competition appeals to those couriers whose idols are professional cyclists such as those competing in the Tour de France that same day. But not everyone shares the same view. “Fucking spandex jockeys” was how one competitor described some of those he thought were taking the competition a bit too seriously. Then again, he probably hadn’t seen the guy racing completely naked apart from his cycling shoes and a Planet of the Apes mask…

Away from the main race, the satellite events are mainly about testing a messenger’s bike handling skills, and it’s these events which particularly interest you, Jeremiah. Right?

Yes. First of all, you have to understand the kinds of bikes that these guys are riding, which are essentially track racing bikes, maybe modified by changing the tyres or the handlebars. And the main thing about a track bike is that it has no gears, or rather only one gear, and a fixed hub on the back wheel.

It’s the most efficient way to get power from the cyclist’s legs and move the bike forward, as long as you don’t have to go up or down hill. But the fixed hub means if the back wheel is turning, the pedals are turning - you can’t ‘freewheel’. The other thing is they have no brakes, because if you’re racing on a track you don’t need them. So here you have a bike which is totally unsuited to riding in a city, in fact in some cities they’re illegal. But messengers have taken these bikes and the skills needed to ride them, and turned it into an art form.

Most of these events would be impossible on a normal bike, you have to be riding with a fixed gear, which couriers call ‘fixies’. That’s because on a fixie you can ride backwards as well as forwards, and so in one event, the competition is to see who can make the most circles cycling backwards.

Then maybe you’ve noticed before, bicycle couriers at traffic lights who don’t put their feet down, they just rock backwards and forwards. Again it’s impossible on a normal bike. But couriers have a competition called Trackstand to see who can do it for longest. After three minutes you have to take one hand away, after three minutes more you remove the other hand. And after another three minutes you have to take one foot off the pedals, which is when most people fall off.

One other event is to see who can do the longest skid, it works because when the rider stops pedalling, the back wheel of a fixed gear bike locks up.

As we’re watching, Jeremiah recounts when, as research for his thesis, he shadowed some of Helsinki’s couriers during a typical working day.

There’s more to riding a fixed gear than purely the madness of travelling at high speeds in downtown traffic, without brakes. It’s the simplicity of the bicycle and the pedalling movement that makes it special. These guys have a fluidity of movement through traffic which means that they can make really quick decisions.

People who cycle a lot in cities often say that cars seem like personalities in their own right, the person behind the wheel is non-existant. Cars follow their own rules and logic, and by understanding that logic couriers gain a belief and a confidence that they can out-think or out-manoeuver a car. It was this confidence that amazed me, the intuitive trust that a gap will appear in traffic which the courier can slip through without slowing down. Later, when I asked if they ever rode wearing helmets, one of them replied we don’t come to work to crash.

A few days after the ECMC had finished, I met up with Jeremiah again to talk about his Masters degree thesis project.

Your thesis is also about how design and branding can play a part in the growth of the industry, but it seems to me that for most couriers their own identity is really important - as opposed to branding. Wouldn’t they be quite resistant to working for a company if it became more like UPS or DHL?

Yes, there’s an inherent contradiction for many messengers in the work that they do. On the one hand the notion of being outside of ‘normal’ society is important, but on the other hand they’re delivering documents to banks, businesses, lawyers firms…

But the problem is solving itself. In some big cities bike delivery is a multi-million dollar industry, and courier companies have realised they can make a lot of money by tailoring their image to what clients want. This might mean the company supplying its couriers with bags or jackets that display the company logo, or even supplying bikes. Of course some messengers are resistant to change, who love the lifestyle exactly as it is and would see wearing a company jacket as a uniform. But I think that attitude differs in different countries and you also meet couriers who are proud of the job they do and the company they work for, who would see company-supplied clothing as a perk if they didn’t have to pay for it.

You also designed clothing specifically for messengers. How did you actually go about designing this collection?

Messengers want clothing which breathes and allows them to sweat, essentially the same as a professional cyclist. But they also need pockets for keys, mobile phone, wallet, etc. They’re riding in all weather conditions, so they need different layers that can be put on or taken off as the weather changes. And of course they’re also wearing a bag, maybe a chain, over their shoulder, so the clothes need to take account of this.

And what was the results of these considerations?

One thing that helped a lot was working with Halti, a Finnish company with a lot of experience making clothes for harsh and wet conditions. And they gave me full access to their warehouse, so I was able to experiment with some very advanced, high-tech fabrics.

I concentrated on the style and cut of the garments, and the use of different fabric combinations. The theme of the clothing played with distances. I used reflection to create a pattern when viewed from a distance in a car for example. And stitching patterns when viewed up close. I also had in mind what the wider appeal might be, to anyone who cycles in the city. Bike messengers are a tough group to satisfy, though! If you can meet their requirements, you’ve probably thought of everything.

Thanks Jeremiah, for showing your work and giving us an insight into the world of the courier. Special thanks also to Tommi Hyvönen for allowing the use of his photos, you can see more of them at his website.

33 Comments

1. It’s absolutely possible for a “normal” bike to do trackstands. I do it all the time. It just involves a slightly different technique.

   The fixed gear bike can use forward or backward pedal motion to move the bike. The normal bike requires forward pedal motion and a backwards lean.

   But the backwards circles are impossible on a normal bike unless you start with backwards momentum already.

   Posted by: JJsan on August 5th, 2006 at 6:04 am

2. wow, i love this blog. Learn something new every day.

   Posted by: Jonathan on August 5th, 2006 at 5:35 pm

3. Greetings from Helsinki! The messenger backs look very usable.

   Posted by: ヤーッコ on August 6th, 2006 at 2:03 am

4. Wow! Great article! I’m so buying a messenger bag now, I’ll have a great amount of books to carry when my studies resume this fall :)

   Posted by: Rafael 'Cdammen' Fyen on August 6th, 2006 at 7:09 pm

5. its really a cool job! working and self expression, wonderful life.
   but I still no found any bike messenger in china.

   Posted by: x-noise on August 7th, 2006 at 6:26 pm

6. Seems like the guys have fun. But sometimes it looks a little bit weird what they do.

   Posted by: Sebastian on August 7th, 2006 at 7:42 pm

7. [...] PingMag have a nice article about bike messengers that you should check out. My opinion is that bike messengers are crazy, the way they push through traffic seemingly fearless but it’s hard not be get impressed seeing them do what they do. [...]

   Posted by: KiNK.se » Bike messenger style on August 8th, 2006 at 10:05 pm

8. I still don’t get why its cool to not wear a helmet. What yobs. My pal with a cracked skull and 3 weeks disbility from work sure doesn’t think its cool anymore.

   Posted by: bryan kennedy on August 10th, 2006 at 12:55 am

9. Very interesting. I’ve always thought that there were interesting ideas to be learned from the way bicycle couriers understand and negotiate cities, streets and maps.

   Posted by: Adrian on August 10th, 2006 at 11:02 pm

10. i just have one question for you guys who built that wheel the one under the naked guy in the left. i want to learn to build wheels like that.

    Posted by: nick on August 16th, 2006 at 3:48 am

11. thats called tying your spokes- its helps make your wheels stronger. there are some people that know how to build wheels like that but its not that different from building a wheel normally. you can also put actual wire ties over your spokes where they cross to keep them from flexing as much, which has the same effect.

    Posted by: win on August 17th, 2006 at 3:28 am

12. [...] Bike Messenger Style - PingMag Helsinki hosted the European Cycle Messenger Championships this summer: here is a review by Jeremiah Tesolin, whose recently completed Masters Degree thesis for the University of Industrial Arts, Helsinki looked at the role design and branding will play (tags: messengers events fashion) [...]

    Posted by: velorution » Elsewhere … on August 18th, 2006 at 6:18 pm

13. Someone above wrote rudely: “I still don’t get why its cool to not wear a helmet. What yobs. My pal with a cracked skull and 3 weeks disbility from work sure doesn’t think its cool anymore.”

    It’s not to do with looking cool or not. It’s to do with the fact that helmets can actually increase the risk of injury. Read http://www.cyclehelmets.org before you start insulting people. Yob yourself.

    Posted by: Sorcha Ni Chonnaill on August 19th, 2006 at 5:00 am

14. [...] In terms of clothing, cycling kit is quite specialist and when it comes to messengers, has its own unique dress code as shown on PingMag. Worth checking out is Chrome Bags, who are featured in the article. They have some awesome looking messeneger bags. Indigo can supply bags, and if you are intrested in a bulk order of these kind of bags (also check out Crumpler) we can arrange to get them ordered and customised with your team/company logo. [...]

    Posted by: » London Cycling | Indigo Clothing Blog on August 25th, 2006 at 5:47 pm

15. Not sure whose data makes the claim, but %95 of all cyclist fatalities are non-helmeted.

    Maybe they do increase the risk of ‘injury’ like sprained neck or something.

    However, ‘Injury’ vs. ‘Fatality’ … helmets are looking pretty good.

    Posted by: chip Dix on August 30th, 2006 at 1:43 am

16. 95.2345% of statistics are made up chip. Helmets increase the risk of death by providing a bloody big lever on head: longer lever == greater force applied == snapped neck.

    Helmets are only designed to reduce very minor injuries like surface abrasions.

    Posted by: Sorcha Ni Chonnaill on August 31st, 2006 at 4:18 am

17. Tying your spokes dose not make your weels stronger. It is easy to do looks good but dose weeken the wheel. diffrent spoke patterners provide diffrent properties to the wheels. I ride BMX as well as a racing bike to get around london and build my own weels for both. From my own experice and engineering background I foud that twisted spokes wheel are the first to go.

    Posted by: ThBrick on September 6th, 2006 at 1:04 am

18. Funny to find one self on a japanese website.
    I´m the one who build that wheel,and the only reason i twisted the spokes, was because i didn’t have the right lenght. I build the wheel for a friend of mines, and it still runs.
    I have done a couple more you could check them out here:
    http://fixie-king.dk/Galleri/blandedebolsjer/Jumboscykler.htm

    Posted by: Jumbo on October 2nd, 2006 at 6:01 am

19. hahaha! funny you found it then! thanks for your comment!

    Posted by: Uleshka on October 3rd, 2006 at 2:38 pm

20. u all suck dick. but you do it goood!

    Posted by: Anonymous on October 6th, 2006 at 8:02 am

21. [...] Natural materials and the economy of their use seem to be a common theme see Pinmag for a flavour of the latest news from Japan, where they have featured several Finnish items. Oh and they like to make films over here to! Finland has established a considerable reputation in Japan. This is reflected in the increasing number of Japanese tourists on the streets of Helsinki, and also, for instance, in the new film Ruokala Lokki (”Kamome Diner”) by Naoko Ogigami. The film, which is set in the Punavuori neighbourhood of Helsinki, has achieved cult status in Japan.Design brands such as Artek, Marimekko, and Iittala also have their ardent fans. (via) [...]

    Posted by: lewism | Japan and Finland with a Shared Design Culture on October 6th, 2006 at 5:01 pm

22. “I still don’t get why its cool to not wear a helmet. What yobs. My pal with a cracked skull and 3 weeks disbility from work sure doesn’t think its cool anymore.” i agree!!! in two cases it’s been me myself that would have been DEAD without my helmet. DEAD. it did not avoid »abrasive injury«, then, it avoided my skullcap to be smashed ionto bits! in both cases it’s been due to other peoples misdemeanor. got it?

    Posted by: Anonymous on October 10th, 2006 at 3:14 am

23. You mommasboys will be more effective with your helmet rants if you direct them at people who give a shit about your opinion. These people make up their own minds & not by listening to crybabies

    Posted by: wah wah wah neener neener on January 5th, 2007 at 4:57 am

24. The art of the courier fascinates me. Being a surfer I fear for the outcome of their popularity. By seeing the art that I love, gradually become polluted by the mindset of profit.

    Posted by: Granny on March 1st, 2007 at 8:42 am

25. money came in and destroyed a lot of special things, art, skateboarding, music ,… You name it. Hurts to see my love and passion of many a year go that way as well.
    About the helmet issue, death or invalidity, my choice’s made… Head first…

    Posted by: grandpah on March 20th, 2007 at 11:47 am

26. Ha! that’s funny, i built a wheel with twisted spokes like that for the exact same reason! The wheel held up very well for many miles of MTB-ing.

    Duane in Seattle

    Posted by: Duane on June 24th, 2007 at 3:58 pm

27. hell look at that guy in the green messengurilla mask.. HIS JERSEY IS ROCK SOLID… there is no re-run of that. The Jersey is the sydbma pre cmwc edition and is a valuable commodity … ROCK..
    being a courier was one of the best times of my life… and its good to see that lots of people want to dress like US… utility, sport and style come together to provide this years hottest looks.

    but you will never look as good as anyone in a sydbma.org jersey

    Posted by: yogi on July 23rd, 2007 at 4:05 pm

28. Hello! great idea of color of this siyte!

    Posted by: Vilyamyw on August 8th, 2007 at 10:36 am

29. live, ride, die… with the pleasure that you lived happy riding.

    fuck the clothes, feel the breeze

    Posted by: likv on September 21st, 2007 at 11:53 pm

30. [...] Cycle Messenger Championships were held in Helsinki (you can see an article I wrote about it for PingMag here). That means horizontal rear drop-outs and provision for a front brake so I can put a fixed-free [...]

    Posted by: we dont do retro » Blog Archive » Learning from bespoke design - a custom built bike on January 8th, 2008 at 8:42 pm

31. curan wright has been biking backwards across america for the homeless, hiv/aids and a federal medical marijuana law. he started his journey in venice, california on aids awareness day, august 17th 2007. before arriving in apalachicolca, he biked backwards from the west coast to the east coast to glade springs, virginia. he started his east coast back to the west coast with the hiv virus. you can track his journey backwards back across america at: http://www.bikingbackwards.us

    Posted by: biking backwards across america 2007-2008 on February 12th, 2008 at 3:03 pm

32. cool article. I have a lot of respect for fixed gear riders. That would scare the shit out of me! I do love flowing through traffic though.
    oh and it is completely possible to track stand on a non fixie bike. I do it every day!

    Posted by: mike on June 18th, 2008 at 4:56 pm

33. Nice blog. I can see that you know were you’re talking about.

    I’m a messenger in Holland and it is the best job in the world. The freedom and the options you have in a city to ride from a to b and to c and back to a. :)

    Posted by: Sytze on December 17th, 2008 at 4:15 am

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