Filmmaker Hopes to Tell the Story of New York's Bike Messengers
For some mystifying reason, a lot of New Yorkers are still having a hard time accepting that bikes (and accompanying bike lanes) are a good thing for the city — an efficient, healthy and environmentally friendly form of transportation. And yet, despite the resistance, it's clear from just walking an
For some mystifying reason, a lot of New Yorkers are still having a hard time accepting that bikes (and accompanying bike lanes) are a good thing for the city — an efficient, healthy and environmentally friendly form of transportation. And yet, despite the resistance, it’s clear from just walking and looking around Brooklyn — and increasingly, Manhattan — that bikes are an undeniable part of New York’s urban landscape. From hipsters on colorfully painted frames to hardcore bike messengers navigating midtown traffic, bikes are here to stay.
We’re excited, then, to help spread the word about our neighbor at Hyperallergic HQ, Cinecycle, and the Kickstarter for their documentary feature, Messengers. The filmmaker, Daniel Leeb, has been working on the movie for the last ten years, getting to know New York’s bike messengers and learning about their subculture. The world of bike messengers is fascinating, and the riders are hardcore; in addition to their jobs, many of them compete in illegal races called alleycats (New York has one of the biggest, MonsterTrack) and go on to tackle more formal races like criteriums, often riding fixed-gear (no brakes) bikes. If you ever have a chance to check out some of these races in person, we recommend it. Until then, you can watch the trailer for Leeb’s documentary and help him fund post-production. He only has two and half days left!
