Save Our Profession

Like Hip-Hop-The Messenger Image has become a sad self-parody. By my count and definition there are at least six sub-genres from the traditional bike messenger (those of us still doing it for a living).

Hipster(enger)-Used to be a purely musical animal with tight black pants and colored raybans. Add fixie-bike,beard,chrome bag and cap--instant hipsterenger!

Posenger-An offshoot of the hipster, these people look the part but haven't done a lick of work. They religiously attend all alleycats, if only to add to their spokecard collection.

Snobenger-An actual working messenger that has forgot that they belong to the larger human race. They only hang out with people who ride fixed gear bikes, have matching girl/boyfriends, and act like the rest of us take up too much room on their road.

Protestenger-Started out as a critical mass rider and devolved into an individual or "mob" who does stupid shit that makes motorists hate us even more.

Smugenger-An offshoot of the protestengers, these people actually believe they are saving the world by riding a bike. Avoid these people like the plague, they have the ultimate justification for everything they do.

Trustenger-A trust-fund subsidized messenger or collective only in it for the social status. They are willing to work for fees so low as to skew the industry standard below a living wage. Not to be trusted with your documents, they don't really need the work.

Don't let these cliques represent our profession.

My only consolation is that you can only ride so many miles on cool points. Those of us that love the job itself and get up to feed our kids and pay the rent will be around long after this flavor of the month bullshit is over.

Rick Graves
Clutch Couriers
SC/NYC

Cultural differences

Some things I'm enjoying in Watsonville that you hardly ever see in Santa Cruz:

Girls popping their gum.
People actually loading stuff in trucks.
Cowboy Hats.
$1 tacos.
The 98 cent store.
No Volvos.
Red Tail Hawks.

I promise to get a new camera soon, somehow the screen on my cybershot got cracked.

Ride safe

Watsonville and Beyond!

While prestigious Santa Cruz law firms like Bosso, Williams and Nancy J. Kerrigan, have contracted with Clutch Couriers for daily court filing at Watsonville Superior Court, Clutch Couriers already provides legal services to several Watsonville based-firms, (see client list).

We have now expanded our range to North Monterey County, providing daily bicycle courier service to Alpine Gem Flower shippers in the Aromas/Royal Oaks area. A fifty-mile round-trip from our base in Santa Cruz!

Owner Anne Duran says, ”While Clutch Couriers service is excellent, their cost is around the same as the motorized companies, and because they deliver by bicycle they help us achieve our goal of reducing our carbon footprint.”

This is an exciting opportunity for businesses in Las Lomas, Pajaro, Watsonville and all points north to Santa Cruz to be provided with professional courier services at an affordable rate and in a sustainable way.

Because residents of Watsonville have seen Clutch Couriers riders on a daily basis on their streets, courthouses, and post office, and because of the positive word of mouth being generated from their south county clients, Watsonville-based companies are now requesting bids from all providers motorized or otherwise.

Clutch Couriers strategy towards these emerging markets is to submit bids comparable to the motorized competition and then provide a better service.

That way the transportation link is established in a sustainable and economically viable way for both the purchaser and the bike messenger doing the work; a point not lost on most of the potential south-county messengers we have talked to.

It is Clutch Couriers philosophy to raise the expectation and standards of performance in the industry, and provide each rider with a professional skill-set.

The result being a client base that is wide-reaching and amazed at what a bike messenger can provide, and messengers who can be paid a fair rate for those professional skills.

I am seeking your help in getting the word out about this vital link that truly is taking cars off the freeway every day.

For more information visit www.clutchcouriers.com or call 831-466-0560

Thank you for your time,

Richard Graves
Clutch Couriers/Owner