DailyBicycle.com

by Oliver Carbonell

Quick Q&A with Dan Chabanov, NYC bike messenger, on what it takes to be a big city bike messenger.

DailyBicycle: How did you end up being a bike messenger? And why in NYC?

Dan Chabanov: I was going to school here and I was riding a bike for transportation. I made friends with several couriers who were going to school part time and during my free time I would ride around with them while they made deliveries. Eventually I made it out to some of the courier races (also known as Allycats). I started doing it part time while going to school and went full time after I dropped out for totally unrelated reasons. Why NYC? It’s just where I happened to be.   

DailyBicycle: What does it take to be become a bike messenger? Can anyone do it?

Dan Chabanov: It doesn’t take much. The average messenger in NYC is probably in their late thirties, rides a beat to shit mountain bike, and has lots of bills to pay. It’s a job that anyone can do. That’s really the appeal I guess. Many people just pick it up for a few months while they are waiting on something else to work out. For Some that’s long enough and others end up doing it for years.

DailyBicycle: How do you stay safe riding in and around traffic all day? Seems like you need eyes on the back of your head or some sort of sixth sense to survive this work day in and day out!

Dan Chabanov: Experience, experience, experience. Knowing how the traffic patterns work in the city, being able to predict what drivers are trying to do. Calculating risk. It all plays in to staying safe. I wouldn’t call it a sixth sense, it’s really just a matter of knowing your limits and being able to judge the speed of things around you and predict what they are going to do. Things move in very predictable patterns in this city and once you know these patterns you can predict the flow of traffic and pedestrians very accurately 90% of the time. For the other 10% percent quick reflexes and grippy tires help. It also helps if you avoid dumb situations. Never riding between a car and the curb is a good idea since the chances of getting doored there are very high. Things like that. Constantly avoiding high risk situations. Of course it takes experience to know what those are. Like any dangerous job common sense and being able to keep your ego in check will keep your safer then anything else.

DailyBicycle: Thanks Dan!

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