The Real Oldest Profession-Messenger!

Chasque-The Unstoppable Messenger

Long before there was money to pay for sex and goats to herd, somebody had to deliver the news to the cave next door. Whether it was good news-"The Mastadons are over the next hill!"-or something that might anger the recipient-"Your wife lives in Ork's cave now."-someone had to be trusted to securely transmit the message, and be neutral to the consequences of the message getting across.
Over the ages, the fates of whole civilizations have hinged on this sacred trust. From the tides of war carried to Athens to Bill Clinton's secret love letters to Monica Lewinski, the whole reason for the messengers existence was based upon his or her loyalty to the secure transmittal of the message.
This is why the professional courier must practice neutrality. I'm not saying that what Clinton did was right or that Athens shouldn't have been burned down by the Spartans, it's just that there are two sides to every story and it's not my place to say.
If every messenger dithered about the whether it is morally correct to get the message across, nothing would ever get done. Our job is to get everyone informed and then let the judges and lawyers sort it out.
This is why I believe a courier service wedded to a political philosophy is doomed to failure and a danger to the trust placed in our profession.
In Santa Cruz a slogan-happy ideology -"One Less Car"-is being attached to the messenger image. This has created a class division between those of us doing it to make a living and because we love the job, and those who are doing it to save the world-"one bike at a time" while gaining social status in our liberal community.
While this may help people feel good about themselves, it ads an unwanted connotation to bicycle delivery and undermines the only true value we can sell to the market-our dedication to the secure transmittal of the message while remaining neutral to the parties and the consequences of delivery.
You might say "if you want neutrality why not use a machine?"-because the truly important message must be trusted to a human vehicle. A machine will not run over water to get your message across. A machine will not find creative ways to get around obstacles in it's path. It will short circuit.
We are professionals and members of an ancient and noble trade-I have gotten messages through gale force winds, blizzards, floods, fires and armed guards, and I am proud to have done so.
I'm not too worried about our long term survival however. Long after all the "real jobs" have gone away and we're back to herding goats, someone will still have to deliver the news.

Clutch Couriers Forever!

-Rick Graves

Best Roadie v Hipster video ever!

You gotta get a chuckle from this one-The debate rages on!

http://www.bikejax.org/2009/08/mc-spandex-hipster-vs-road-cyclist-rap.html


Ha!-RG

Messengers who work hard...play hard.

The Kickballs! tournament

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=129168&id=104853234922&ref=mf

was a great example of how play is essential to the messengers long term survival. When I worked in NYC, messenger organized races called alleycats were the best way to get together, let off steam, and foster camaraderie. It wasn't really about who was fastest but how interesting and challenging the course was, and the after-party.
Reading the messenger boards and attending the "championship" circuit races these days you'd have very little idea that it's about the companionship and fraternity. It's all very serious and competitive and full of ready made conflicts.
Lets bring the fun back into messenger culture!-RG ps (Yer Out Zack!!!)

Kick Balls! Rockin' good time had by all.

Our Summer Kickball BBQ was a smashing success, much love to all those attending-more pics to come. Who knew Kickball was so gnarly-I'm still sore!-RG

Nate King-Messenger Extraordinaire!

I'm Nate, and I'm going to write my profile as a brutal exercise in narcissistic creativity. Enjoy!

I was a messenger in Salt Lake, and at some point in my life found myself in the beachside burg of Santa Cruz. It was in this murky, alcohol-fueled morass that I discovered Rick and Clutch. The rest is (a brief) history.

I used to race mountain bikes, so working as a messenger seemed a logical transition to the "real" world. I love a day full of legal runs, or busting ass down to Watsonville at a breakneck pace. I have a habit of not being able to ride slowly, and a knack for obliterating myself and equipment (both have more than their fair share of battle wounds). I love riding outside of work, too - you're likely to see me decked out in body armor at the local downhill mountain bike spot, or mashing up Empire Grade in lycra. I'm also fairly renowned for being a sarcastic, overconfident bastard, and I'm not sure I'd have it any other way.

And now, the Playmate Profile:

Name: Nate King
Age: 21
Hometown: Salt Lake City, UT
Interests: Riding bikes of all shapes and sizes, hating on fixies/everything, current events/history, photography, design, music, snowboarding, attempting to surf, sleep
Favorite Band: It's always changing, but you'll usually find at least a little bit of Johnny Cash, Mogwai, Warren Zevon, and Flogging Molly in the current rotation.
Life Aspiration: World domination...duh? That said, I'll settle for professional photographer.

Stand in the place where you live-Thoughts on bridge building and burning

Somebody once told me that you shouldn't burn bridges, and I agree. I am going to roll with the analogy however and hopefully the reader can figure it out.

Sometimes bridges are built in the wrong location and for the wrong reasons-like as a memorial to the builder or financier. Sometimes the world changes and a bridge is no longer well placed to provide access to where people want to go. This is when a new bridge needs to be built. A bridge that serves the true purpose of what bridges are for-giving traffic a way to get to the other side at the right spot where it is most needed.

When a bridge is built that makes more sense in terms of where it gives access to and from, and if it provides that service universally as opposed to selectively, traffic will naturally flow to that easement and access. As less traffic uses the old bridge, preferring the alternative, the old bridge may feel burned. It's not, it still exists, no one burned it down, it is just less relevant to the present public.

This is why Clutch Couriers was built-because the old bridges were no longer providing for the public at large. Santa Cruz needed a better alternative for providing professional courier services. Santa Cruz deserved a professional bike messenger company that was not wedded to a political ideology, and a better choice than the unsustainable all-motorized companies.

This is why the traffic is flowing to our bridge-because we are providing a legitimate link between commerce and ecology, and universal access to where it is most needed.

There are still many bridge building opportunities in Santa Cruz County. This is a beautiful place-why wouldn't you want to help make it work?

"That's why we got P.M.A." (Bad Brains)

In all sincerity,

Rick Graves

Santa Cruz Good Times Article by Linda Koffman

As a young boy growing up in New Zealand, Rick Graves used to ride to school on the back of his older brother’s bike, holding on for dear life as his brother would tear down gravelly roads in an attempt to knock off the pint-sized passenger. At the age of 10 his family moved to Santa Cruz and, now, with those early recreational bike days and a stint as a professional bike messenger in New York City under his belt, the 39-year-old is the one tearing down local roads on two wheels. Transplanting the cut-throat tradition of the Big Apple’s urban bike messenger system to Santa Cruz since starting Clutch Couriers in 2006, Graves helms a model green business that’s seeing the rewards of putting the pedal to the pavement.
Initially a one-man operation founded with a $1,000 investment and operating out of Graves’ home, Clutch Couriers has grown into a six-person crew that can service businesses, personal deliveries and legal filing from Monterey to over the hill, and also provides in-house print jobs. Aside from the occasional use of his Honda Civic Hybrid (for access to the furthest spots), the company has built itself up by going back to the basics: high quality delivery at a low cost via bicycles. The ultimate low-emissions approach that also means less parking hassles, less mechanical maintenance and less insurance fees, the company’s overhead is also less so that the price for the consumer is cheaper. It’s not just a green alternative, Graves says, it’s the best alternative.
“I don’t know how many times you’ve been sitting in traffic and watched a bicyclist pass you, but if you really want something across town quickly that’s the way to go,” he states, sitting in bike attire in his new but modest River Street office, band posters printed on 100 percent recycled paper laid out on the floor ready to be plastered around the county by his team, his phone ringing non-stop. “Whether it’s for increasing the efficiency of your business or for the environment, it’s the best option for social change and it’s also the best option for good business.”
With a clientele you’re unlikely to find mingling in the same room, Clutch Couriers caters to the flyering needs of the Museum of Art and History, the Watsonville Brown Berets, Santa Cruz’s Hell’s Angels, Moe’s Alley and Temple Beth El, to name a few. Major daily accounts include handling the full-service banking for a local raw-foods company, delivering the mail for the Nonprofit Insurance Alliance of California and the Santa Cruz Metro Transit District, along with constant court filings from top Bay Area law firms. Establishing a route between Santa Cruz and Watsonville since last April, Clutch Couriers has hooked up the two regions so that commerce can now go back and forth in a sustainable way. In addition, Graves is a certified process server and notary. Just because he’s on a bike doesn’t mean he can’t answer the call of the white-collared conservatives.
“Ultimate change for the planet is going to come from the business community, because those are the people making what we consume and what we put out into the environment,” he says of his inclination to work for lawyers and corporate clients just as much as your local grandma sending cookies or your local rock band advertising a gig. “If you’re only promoting yourself to like-minded individuals, you’re not expanding your reach into conservative markets and you’re doing the environment a disservice.”
Covering important ground philosophically and physically, Graves rides up to 60 miles on his bike each day, and together his team racks up approximately 700 miles each week. His commitment to exceed customer expectations and prove that you can make a career out of something that’s a win-win situation for everyone and the environment, is what keeps his wheels turning.
The other reason he toils past you in traffic each day? Good old-fashioned fun.
“The personal aspect to it is, I won’t lie, it’s absolutely the most fun physical labor I’ve ever done and that’s why I’ve been addicted to it and worked so hard at it for over 15 years,” Graves explains matter-of-factly. He then muses in a softened tone, “At the end of the day, doing what you love just adds to your soul.”
Learn more about Clutch Couriers at clutchcouriers.com or 466-0560.