subject: What Size Of Shipments Can Bike Messengers Carry? [print this page] Bike messengers are a very important part of the courier infrastructure in large cities. Bike messengers have maneuverability and an ability to park anywhere that makes them invaluable in the crowded downtown centers of cities like New York and Toronto where parking can be almost impossible for companies that driver larger vehicles like courier vans. That is why a courier service in those cities usually has at least a small bike messenger division to operate within those downtown centers whenever smaller packages need to be delivered quickly.
Another great advantage to the bicycle messenger is the greatly reduced cost it takes to operate them. Compared to shipping something in a vehicle, a bike messenger has a minimum of expenses to contend with. There is no fuel or licensing costs, and the insurance that the courier will keep will be to protect the goods themselves, and cost a great deal less than the insurance that will need to be carried on other vehicles.
The only real problem with bike messengers is that they are limited in both the size of packages that they can carry, and in how far they can travel. The distance a bike messenger can travel is usually restricted to the downtown in a single city, as any further than that simply takes too long to travel.
Bike messengers can also only handle packages of a certain size. Generally speaking, the limit of the weight of a package carried by a courier is about 10lbs. The limit is established because anything heavier than that is hard for someone on a bicycle to conveniently carry.
If bike messengers try to carry anything that is heavier than that, they can make it dangerous for themselves. Riding a bicycle, especially at the high speeds that couriers try to move at, is a matter of balance, and things that are heavier than that can throw off the balance of the rider. Packages that weigh more than 10lbs are typically shipped in a small car courier instead.
Packages less than 10lbs don't automatically qualify for safe shipping by bike messenger. If a package is hugely oversized but weighs less than 10lbs, it could still be far too awkward for them to move on a bicycle. Packages need to fit neatly within either a backpack or courier satchel so that they can be carried on a bicycle without impeding the rider's ability to control his vehicle.
