couriering in perth

#45 mike

Hey,
I'm just wondering does anybody have info on the courier companies in perth? I'm an irish courier currently travelling in oz, and will be in perth sometime in the next month, and am looking for work on the road. I also need to buy a decent 2nd hand bike - left my roadie behind, and am a bit strapped for cash.
Anyway, if anyone can help...
Cheers,
#45 mike

climbo

http://www.messengers.org/contacts/...a/au/perth.html

Not from there but this might help you get some contacts...

hippy

Go to the Bike Cafe section from the main forum screen, then go
to aus.bicycle. There is a Perth courier in there who might be able
to help you. 'byron27' be his name. Tell him hippy sent you :-)

hippy

byron27

why thankyou hippy!
the link referred to above is out of date so dont bother using that.
If you have couriered before and know your stuff then give Scotty at Darowa Corp a call on (08) 9328 1999. They are the best company in perth and you will get plenty of work if you know your stuff. If you dont you will get the boot and have to work for one of the muppet companies in perth where you will be standing by all the time getting paid peanuts, so keep the wheel turning!!.
Mention my name if you like, but if you do, please put the hard yards in.
Darowa is the company i used to work for and we have had plenty of irish guys through working the road and they have all been bloody good guys (ones going to be on my wedding party!) so you have a good reputation to follow.
if you want to have a chat send me a private message and i will get back to you.
one more thing......uni and school finishes up in about 2-3 weeks and we always have heaps of guys wanting to get jobs over the summer so get in soon.
cheers,
byron #27

__________________
A turn of the crank,
is all that it takes to start,
a revolution

#45 mike

hows it going byron27,
cheers for the reply, i hope to be in perth sometime in the next month, i'm travelling from cairns to broome to perth, so it will be in and around 4-5 weeks before i get there. i was a courier for a year in dublin before i went travelling, so i reckon ill be ok. thing is ill need to get my hands on a decent bike when i get there, any recommended shops/mates with any to sell? i used a roadie in dub but would like to try a fixie. either way if you could help me out that would be cool.
looking fwd to perth anyway, hope to see ya on the road!
#45mike

byron27

my recommendation would be that you use a roadie or MTB as even though perth is generally not hilly, around the city it is and you will riding up to west perth at least 7-10 times a day and that is essentially the commercial suburb on a hill above the city. Also, perth is spread out and you will be doing the k's to make your money so a fixie will kill you. Not to say it hasnt been done, but only with companies who keep to the city and the burbs are a dirty word. I used a mountain bike with a road cluster for a couple of years and for the last 7 years have used a stripped down roadie.
I know guys who are selling frames but not full bikes at the mo. How big are you?, what size bike do you need?. Based upon that info i can give you a better idea on who i can scratch up.

__________________
A turn of the crank,
is all that it takes to start,
a revolution

hippy

What do you mean "stripped down"? What do you remove?

#45: What's the courier job like in Ireland? I'm thinking of moving to the
UK next year and want to try working as a courier. I'll probably start in
London or Edinburgh but you never know, eh?
What sort of bike would you suggest for the wetter UK? I saw some
guys on fixies in London earlier this year but that's a little too crazy
for me right now! I was thinking mtb with cut-down bars and gearing
to suit the terrain (I drove around Ireland this year too but hills always
seem smaller in a car!).

cheers!

__________________
hippy
http://www.thehippy.net/

byron27

I guess when i refer to a stripped down roadie i am referring to my courier banger. A bike that looks like sh*t but still has the goods to make my job easier. I had a Giant CFR3, 5 years old that looked like crap, but light and reliable, crappy old shimano 600 STI's that still did the job, RSX100, tiagra, 105 running gear. No speedo, nothing else on the bike that didnt help the wheels go round (and stop them i guess). I guess its not a very good description but it was what we always called our courier bikes as we just wanted a bike that, at a glance, no one would want to knick and if it did get knicked, wouldnt cause too many shampoo in eye moments. Of course, if i was really serious about it i would have used a SS but im in love with my gears and really dont have the knees to waste to only ride a fixie.

I know you asked #45 specifically, but i will throw in my 2 centimes on what bike to use in london. Mountain bike seems the goods, and definitely cut down bars. Get 48 - 42 chainring for the front and a 12-25 or even closer ratio cluster for the back. I found conti Town and country's (thats right i think) to be great tires for couriering. Mainly cause they last a long time i found. Use a crap old frame that you wont miss much and sticker it up or spray paint it home style. I used a GT karakoram for a while and its upright geometry was perfect for couriering.
If you are going to go hippy, let us know, as i know a few guys who work in london so i can give you their details if you like. The best company to work for is Metro's in London. Hard to get into but a couple fo guys work there so they might be able to work something out for you. go for it mate, you will love it!!

__________________
A turn of the crank,
is all that it takes to start,
a revolution

hippy

>byron27
>I guess when i refer to a stripped down roadie i am referring to my courier >banger. A bike that looks like sh*t but still has the goods to make my job >easier.

Yeah I get ya. A beater/shitter/shop-bike roadie basically.

>I had a Giant CFR3, 5 years old

The lugged carbon job? You didn't destroy it?!

>Of course, if i was really serious about it i would have used a SS but im in >love with my gears and really dont have the knees to waste to only ride a >fixie.

I still can't grasp the brakeless fix in inner city London, etc.. I just don't
get it. It's totally frickin insane!

>what bike to use in london. Mountain bike seems the goods, and definitely >cut down bars.

Like this:
http://www.addicts.tv/photos/Flying%20Fish.jpg

>Get 48 - 42 chainring for the front and a 12-25 or even closer ratio cluster >for the back.

I can't remember.. are there any real hills in London? It's kinda like
Melbourne isn't it?

>I found conti Town and country's (thats right i think) to be great tires for >couriering. Mainly cause they last a long time i found.

Touring cyclists use them.. they must last a while

>Use a crap old frame that you wont miss much and sticker it up or spray >paint it home style. I used a GT karakoram for a while and its upright >geometry was perfect for couriering.

I have a GT Talera and it's probably my most loved bike. It's just "right".
I'd love to use that but I'd hate to have it nicked. I figure I'd buy a bike
over there. If I could score another GT or similar that'd be nice.

>If you are going to go hippy, let us know, as i know a few guys who work in >london so i can give you their details if you like. The best company to work >for is Metro's in London. Hard to get into but a couple fo guys work there so >they might be able to work something out for you. go for it mate, you will >love it!!

I'll keep you in mind and let you know what happens with the 1/4-life crisis

I was looking at this site (http://www.muppetleague.com) and then read
your post about Metro.. I figure it's the same dudes? Those roller comps look
like fun! Need to work on my 200+ rpm cadence

thanks!
hippy

__________________
hippy
http://www.thehippy.net/

#45 mike

hey hippy,
i cant really say what it is like in the UK, I've worked with a few guys from both Edinburgh and London, Edinburgh is a pretty hilly area but the Scottish lads both used fixies. The London area is around 4-5 times larger than the one we cover in Dublin, which by the looks of things is similar to Perth (just arrived last night, gonna look for a job/bike after this!)
I used a roadie in Dub, generally the bike lanes are crap and there's quite a few potholes for a city centre area. I guess it what you're most comfortable with really, there is a good mix of mtb's,roads and fixies in Dub. Maybe you're cut down bars is a good idea to start off with, its what I did initially.
Hope this helped a bit!
Later, #45