bike

This little project was started partly because of this SFist article incorrectly proclaiming Junior to be the oldest bike messenger in San Francisco. The truth is that there are five bike messengers in San Francisco over the age of 60 with Junior being the youngest out of all five. Assembled in one place for the first time, here are all five of the senior bike messengers in San Francisco, starting with the oldest

Mike Freeman, age 67
Mike has been bike messengering for nearly 30 years since the mid 1980's..His first job was was with Aero, the second bike messenger company ever in San Francisco







Alex, 64

Alex has also been a bike messenger for many many years







Magic Mike, 62

Magic Mike has been an institution at Western Messenger for at least 20 years. He says that he would probably be in far worse shape if he wasn't biking all day, every day



Roger, 61

probably in the best shape of all of these guys, Roger can usually out race many of the younger 20 year olds




Junior, 61

Junior is apparently just a few months younger than Roger. However Junior has been a bike messenger the longest out of anyone in San Francisco. Junior's first job was with Sparkys in 1968. Sparkys was the first messenger company in San Francisco. They wore brownish uniforms a little like UPS drivers. Sparkys later became Aero messenger in the 70's and then was eventually bought out in the 90's by a group of messenger companies

And Junior is his legal name



This is for all the people who think being a bike messenger is a young persons job. These guys are out there every day, all day, biking 10-20-30-40 miles a day. They do it because it keeps them in shape, and it should be an inspiration to everyone, young and old, and not just bike messengers

the new phase of bulletin boards - bike racks, where you can even find health advice

Bike Messengers might have a tough time with this one. From the Santa Rosa Press Democrat

Bicyclists: Don’t pedal and talk on your cell phone.

That was part of the message Thursday from the state Senate, which voted 21-16 to add for the first time a $20 initial fine for bicyclists for gripping hand-held cell phones while riding. You’ll have to go hands free. Subsequent offenses would cost $50.

The legislation, which now goes to the Assembly, also would increase the base fine for motorists from $20 for the first offense to $50 for talking without using a handsfree device.

As Road Warrior readers know, that $20 fine for drivers really turns out to be $142 with all kinds of additional county and state fees. So for $50, that ticket is going to really cost $256. Under the bill subsequent offenses will cost you $100, which with fees will really cost $446. Click here to read earlier story on all of the fees.

But under the bill, sponsored by Sen. Joe Simitian, D-Palo Alto, bicyclists would NOT pay the extra fees. The total fine for cyclists would be $20 and $50. Period.

The California Bicycle Coalition supports Simitian’s bill, according to the Sacramento Bee. Spokesman Jim Brown told the Bee that drivers carelessly using cells endanger cyclists, and cyclists endanger
themselves when they clutch a cell while biking.

May 12, 7th and Minna, the 2010 bike-in Disposable Film Festival and Undergound Market in honor of Bike to Work day, which is today

from Craigslist

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sfc/bik/1550657481.html

Blue & white pinarello bike stolen from bike messenger, downtown, Monday -- please contact Chris if you see this bike!!! (219) 781-8984 REWARD!!! Please see pictues!

today is the anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor



But here's something many people don't know about how a bike messenger delivered the news

By Yokota Fritz


Today -- December 7 -- is "the day that will live in infamy," when the Japanese Imperial Navy launched a surprise attack in 1941 that crippled the U.S. Navy at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Here's a tiny little footnote in history about this day.

Japan intended to deliver a declaration of war 30 minutes prior to the beginning of the attack, but bureaucrats at the Japanese embassy in Washington were slow in decoding, typing, and delivering the message to Secretary of State Cordell Hull.

The U.S. Army had already decrypted the declaration on the evening of December 6 and dispatched war warnings to all Pacific area commands. Communication problems delayed receipt of the warning in Honolulu until after 7:30 AM, Hawaii time. A Japanese-American bicycle messenger was immediately sent to deliver the warning to General Walter Short, who was in charge of defending Pearl Harbor. The messenger was pedaling to Ft Shafter when, at 7:55 AM, the cyclist was caught in the attack. He finally delivered his message through falling bombs and bullets two hours after the start of the attack.

There's no word on if this unnamed messenger received a tip for his services.

this bike is currently stolen, and it was stolen with the Onlock U-Lock still locked to the frame (they broke the post it was locked to). It has a distinctive crack on the frame where the seat is and it's welded there to keep the seat up. Otherwise the seat would sink. You can see the weld if you blow up the photo. It's right where the quick release is


Even the saddle bags are very rare around San Francisco as only one store sells the 'banjo brothers' type



If you see the bike and/or saddle bags anywhere, please email

It's kind of idiotic to take this bike as it's not worth more than 100 bucks. Especially since it's going to cost to get an angle grinder to get the lock off the frame. It's 12 years old with a cracked frame and you can get a brand new Marin bike at the new Marin bike store on Folsom and 7th for 200 bucks

south of market

This guy claims because he modified the rear hub so that it's a freewheel that it isn't a fixie. Well it's still a fixed gear, buddy







there, that's better

In honor of Bike Messenger Appreciation Day 2009, I bring you a real live authentic bike messenger band called Family Scott recorded May 29, 1998 at the CW Saloon, 917 Folsom, San Francisco. This is the first time this recording ever appeared in public (Scott, the lead singer, aka 'dumptruck', is still a bike messenger to this day)

update > messenger art show this evening, Friday, Oct. 9th, held at the ILWU Union Hall, 255-9th Street, beginning at 7pm.

you can right click the player to download - on Firefox (Family.Scott.CW.Saloon.5.29.98.mp3) appr 50 min




10-9 = say again?

today is National Bike Messenger Appreciation Day

San Francisco Examiner article

Oregon Live article

Today is Bike Messenger Appreciation Day in San Francisco, AKA 10-9 Day (October 9). They deliver your packages in 1 hour or less, file fix your court documents at Superior court and federal court. Show your appreciation if you're downtown at Post and Market, Battery and Market, and 'The Wall' at Sansome and Market. click logo for homepage





981519 - September 22, 1998

[Messenger Appreciation Day]
Supervisors Ammiano, Leno, Medina
Resolution designating October 9, 1998 as Messenger Appreciation Day.


Supervisors Leno, Medina requested to be added as co-sponsors.
Resolution No. 759-98
ADOPTED



1994 - San Francisco



2007 - San Francisco

remember the alleged bike thief?. He's got a new bike

not likely to be missed going down the street

the Conference Bike rolled through San Francisco today. The, uh, other part of Rebar's Park(ing) day that seems to have slipped by the local media (except for Laughing Squid of course) ................enjoy









Park(ing) Day on Howard street, with the tree made out of bicycle wheels



These are the same people who brought you San Francisos newest park, also caught the attention of John King of the Chronicle, but who never actually made the connection between this public art piece, and that public art piece

read a bit closer on the Rebar Arts Collective here, involved in both of these projects

and now you know, theeeeee rest of the story

not only did 'office space' cubicle droids at SFist get it wrong about bike messengers being a dying breed, they got it wrong about The Wall, along with SF Citizen. But kudos to SF Citzen for linking to this article from 2 years ago, that is somewhat accurate because it's compiled by messengers. Vanishing is pretty much the wrong word to be using. Auto makers and actual professional paid reporters maybe, but not messengers

First, the photo pictured there is not The Wall. The photo that SFist and SF Citizen has is at Battery and Market

This is The Wall at Sansome and Market.



Second, you office workers are looking in the wrong places. here they are from a couple months ago in Golden Gate Park



Third, here's a t-shirt given to me from the downtown San Francisco advertising company that handled the movie when the movie first came out back in 1999. It's a rare version of the t-shirt specially made for us messengers from the office workers. And it's the message we want to send to the people in the cubicles being paid to write for the blogs like SFist



spell it and say it out loud, Brock (this is the back side of the t-shirt)



dying breed, my ass

think of it this way...If email, faxes, and internet were the death knell of delivery, then UPS and Fed Ex would be out of business. But the fact is that both companies are booming worldwide because of it(the internet), and in some other countries, like Ireland, bike messengers actually contract with UPS international for local deliveries, due to certain difficulties with immediate local deliveries (or, the difference between a few hours and a few days)

extremely rare in San Francisco to recover a stolen bike, especially when it's nearly all intact...woohoo!!

and there it is...I caught somebody riding it on the street and followed him for 20 blocks and called the cops

after 20 years, it was high time to get a new one, a Craigslist special.

Much better now. Another Marin, the original mountain bike