ask me about being a bike messenger.

[99killed]

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are the pitt hills hard to ride up?

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the hills are killer. great exercise though. i heard they are tougher than SF because the hills here are all over and u cant avoid them.

[99killed]

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how often do you have to replace a bike?

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the winters here absolutely kill bikes, so u have a 'winter beater'. pretty much a $200 disposable.

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do you have a certain type of bike you prefer and/ or *is this based on cost?

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alot of messengers ride track/fixed gear bikes but with the hills here, i don't find them practical. up AND down is hard w those. i either ride a road/geared bike or a singlespeed freewheel.

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*related: how much do you spend on a bike?

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spending more than $500 on a 'work' bike is stupid cos they get beat up/stolen.

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helmet?

[/ QUOTE ] YES! some guys don't, which is just being young and dumb.
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insurance?

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the company takes care of that.

[99killed]

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What do you do when this happens?


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quit being an emo pussy and U-lock that jock in the face.

[kevin017]

do you stop at red lights and/or stop signs?

do you ride far enough from parked cars to avoid sudden door openings or do you just hope for the best?

do you ever use the hand signals?

how often do you use the sidewalk vs the road?

you say bikes get stolen a lot? Is this even being locked up, people just figure a way to get them, or steal only a tire or leave only a tire or something?

I always used to hate bikers, but i'm in a city going to school now and its really easier/faster to ride my bike the ~2 miles to class when i can. My anger towards dbag drivers is growing. fast.

[99killed]

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what bike do you ride?

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cannondale w 105 group.
redline 925 w mustache bars.

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witness or been a part of any bike messenger fights? be it with other messengers, drivers or pedestrians.

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i've been in a few. i grabbed some dudes glasses off his face and threw them into traffic.

punched a few ignorant rednecks. "stay on the sidewalk, bike [censored]!" thats always a classic.

and some art students in town think they are cool when they give us [censored] until one of us radioes the whole crew and we surround them and their friends disappear and they [censored] their pants, crying not to hurt them.

[punkass]

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and some art students in town think they are cool when they give us [censored] until one of us radioes the whole crew and we surround them and their friends disappear and they [censored] their pants, crying not to hurt them.

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haha

[99killed]

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do you stop at red lights and/or stop signs?

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i tried to count one day. it was well over 100 lights/signs blown.

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do you ride far enough from parked cars to avoid sudden door openings or do you just hope for the best?

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i try to ride 2-3 feet away from parked cars to avoid getting doored. and i instinctly look into each car to see a head above the headresr. no head no worry.

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do you ever use the hand signals?

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i try to everytime but sometimes not. i try not to be a hypocrite because i HATE drivers who don't. and i see hundreds every day that just turn w/o one.
i look at the wheels- ppl usually lean the car slightly before making the turn.

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how often do you use the sidewalk vs the road?

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try not to use the sidewalk ever, but sometimes to go a few blocks its the quickest.

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you say bikes get stolen a lot? Is this even being locked up, people just figure a way to get them, or steal only a tire or leave only a tire or something?

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actually pittsburgh has some of the dumbest bike thieves. crackheads will steal a full susp. walmart bike before a $500 coz they just dont know. i've never had one stolen but its usually a msgr leaving his bike unlocked thinking he's gonna be just a minute then getting held up inside.

[99killed]

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Noah,

Dude he lives in Pittsburgh so I doubt he does, unless they both go to the annual bike messenger convention in Vegas.

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actually there is bike messenger world championships every year in a diff city.
http://www.cmwc2008.com/ this year was dublin. 2008 in toronto.
and theres the NACCs. North American Cycle Championships.
http://www.naccc07sf.com/

[Iconoclastic]

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do you stop at red lights and/or stop signs?

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i tried to count one day. it was well over 100 lights/signs blown.

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Have you ever received a traffic ticket for one?

[99killed]

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do you stop at red lights and/or stop signs?

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i tried to count one day. it was well over 100 lights/signs blown.

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Have you ever received a traffic ticket for one?

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no. been pulled over 8-10 times. my trick is "sorry sir, its my first day. will not happen again." works like a charm. luckily all different cops, i'm guessing.

the messenger/police relationship is weird.
the police cars know they cant catch you, so they seem not to care. the police bicycles guys are cool and run them with you. only ones that give us static are the motorcycle cops. and if u see one, stop at the light.