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What would you wear to weave
through city streets in bitter temperatures? One bike courier shows his
layers
By Maxine Mendelssohn
Montreal Gazette, March 08, 2007
Bike messengers are a staple in many big cities. You've seen them
straddling salt-covered bikes as they weave between cars, braving the worst
winter weather to deliver documents.
Sebastien Patenaude, 29, has been a courier for four years, through heat
waves and deep freezes. This slim six-footer says he has always been in
pretty good shape but wasn't prepared for the rigours of the job, which
include cycling up to 60 kilometres a day. (The Tour de l'Ile, Montreal's annual
bike rally, is 48 kilometres.)
"The first few days killed me. I couldn't walk and my knees were
completely swollen. I didn't know the city, I would bike around in circles
looking for addresses," the Lacolle native says.
When fax machines and email threatened to render bike messengers obsolete
these two-wheel warriors pedalled on.
Their numbers are still almost as strong today as ever, according to Paul
Etheridge, owner of QMS, a Montreal
messenger service that employs bike and car messengers.
"All this new technology has brought business down about five per cent
for the bike messengers," Etheridge said. "But we employ as many
bike couriers as we did in the 1990s. Until everyone starts emailing and
faxing every single document, there will always be a need for them.
Technology can't always replace people."
After all, how else can you get cheques or legal documents across town as
fast as possible?
Patenaude claims he delivers many times faster than a car. "I go down
one-way streets the wrong way and don't stop at red lights. I don't really
respect the rules of the road, so of course I'm faster." Patenaude's
sometimes risky manoeuvres could get him in trouble, but he says police
generally ignore infractions committed by couriers.
Though there are no statistics kept on the number of bike messengers in the
city, Patenaude puts the number at about 300 in the summer and 150 in the
winter.
"Not everyone has what it takes to do this in the winter," said
Patenaude, who claims that biking in ice and snow are no big deal. It's the
wind and rain that slow him down.
"Every morning I check the weather but I pretty much dress the same
all winter. I put on lots of layers and keep moving - that keeps me warm
enough. So far, it's never been too cold for me to work."
According to Patenaude, road rage is almost an everyday occurrence, but
he's learned to deal with it in his own Zen-like way.
"I come close to getting hit two or three times a month. Honestly, I'd
say half the time it's my fault. I learned to let things roll off me or
else I'd get into fist fights all the time. Sometimes if I get cut off,
I'll follow the car to the next red light and tell the driver what he did
and why it's dangerous, but in general I just keep on going. You know, time
is money."
A bike courier, layer by layer
Here's what Sebastien Patenaude wears for work in winter:
1. Giro helmet, $150. "It's broken, but I'm going to buy a new one
soon."
2. Black Adidas tuque, found downtown. "I'm always finding things on
the streets downtown. I've found money, new gloves, hats."
3. Oakley sunglasses, $150, at Sports Experts. "Some guys wear ski
goggles but I think that's a little overkill. These sunglasses do the
trick."
4. Fleece neck warmer, $8, at Mountain Equipment Co-op.
5. Waterproof Outlast gloves, $55, at Sports Experts
6. Long-sleeve black polyester top, $59, at Mountain Equipment Co-op.
7. Chlorophylle polar fleece, $150, at La Cordee.
8. Nylon bike jacket (patched with matching blue duct tape), $150, at
Mountain Equipment Co-op.
9. Walkie-talkie and cellphone, provided by employer. "The
walkie-talkies are like on TV, we say '10-4' and everything. Sometimes we
chat but it gets annoying because you have to talk one at a time."
10. Waterproof breathable stretchy black pants, $74, at Mountain Equipment
Co-op.
11. Loose bike shorts by Giant, gift from a friend.
12. Nylon knee-high gaiters, $45, at La Cordee. "They also use these for
cross-country skiing, it stops the slush from going into your boots."
13. Salomon boots, $150, at Sports Experts.
14. Thermal socks, $15, at Mountain Equipment Co-op.
15. Cocotte messenger bag, $150, provided by his employer. "It's got a
single strap that wraps diagonally across so I can swing it around for easy
access."
Total: $1,156
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