Cyclone Blog

25 Years in Business

The story so far.

25 years ago three people decided that Dublin couldn't survive any longer without a cycle courier company. Cyclone was conceived and lived it’s early years in a back lane off Lower Mount Street which at the time was the hub for most of the companies associated with Advertising, Marketing and PR. It was 1988 and the founders hadn’t realised that they were starting a fledgling business in a recession. But it was just 3 people on bicycles eking out a living.

(Very) Fast forward to 2013 and a vastly different Cyclone looks back and wonders what happened to the intervening 25 years. Cyclone has grown up a lot and even matured (a little). Cyclone still deals with many of those clients who helped Cyclone grow during it’s fledgling years. Fortunately, positive demands from clients have subsequently led to the setting up of four divisions – Cyclone International, Cyclone Archive and Cyclone Shredding. 

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Cyclone Couriers talking about life as a push bike courier on RTE Radio 1's The Business

With National Bike Week running from June 15th - 23rd, we put the foot to the peddle and spoke with Liam Gerraghty of RTE Radio 1's "The Business with George Lee" about what life is like as a push bike messenger courier on the mean streets of Dublin. 

What makes one decide to become a courier, racing against the clock to meet deadlines and some of the unusual requests we are asked by customers to deliver. 

Many will never experience the adrenaline of zipping through traffic trying to meet a deadline for delivering urgent documentation across the city, or mapping out a route in your mind to include 4 or 5 collections and deliveries within a short time frame. Life as a courier is both mentally and physically challenging but for most it is not just a job but a way of life. 

For more information on Cyclone Couriers call 1800 303 500

www.cyclone.ie

25 Years of delivering excellence

Butcher Bikes, Cargo Bikes and keeping it Green, for National Bike Week 2013

This Saturday sees the return of National Bike Week which runs from 15th - 23rd June throughout the country. It got us thinking about our relationship with bikes here in Ireland. Although bikes were introduced in the 19th century, our relationship has been a turbulent one. Initially bikes were used before cars became an option for the every day man. We relied on bicycles to not only get us around our cities but also as a means of transporting goods from one part of the city to the other. In fact even with the influx of automobiles, bikes still remained the main port of transport for many small businesses around the city right up until the 1960's and early 70's. We all remember the infamous Francie Brady from the Irish cult film "The Butcher Boy" who delivered meat around the city on his butcher bike, equipped with it's large wicker basket. Albeit the design and structure of the bicycle has changed and advanced over the years, particularly since the first chain-driven bike appeared in 1885. 

As years went by, bicycles and cycling became more of a hobby or a way to keep fit for most people, or a back up means of transport to a car for some others. Learning how to ride a bike as a child was a memorable experience. I'm sure you all have a story to share that includes "remember that time I fell off my bike"! Cycling became fun, often including adventures as a child, family outings, races and sporting days out. Cycling is now recognized as an international sport with hundreds of million of euro spent each year in the industry. Indeed with over billion bikes worldwide there are actually more bikes in the world than cars. 

But has our relationship with bikes come full circle now again? With traffic congestion increasing since the Celtic Tiger years and the need to reach your destination NOW we are starting to revert to the ever reliable bicycle to meet our needs. Dublin Bikes launched almost 4 years ago and with 44 stations and plans to expand it has clearly been a roaring success. Bikes have again become an intricate part of life in Dublin and with this coming National Bike week we are taking to the roads to celebrate.

Our eco-friendly minds are working over time and we are constantly looking for greener more cost effective ways of living. With this in mind, here at Cyclone Couriers and Clickacourier.ie we have worked to meet the greener, quicker, cheaper demands of our customers and in doing so are the first courier company to add a fleet of cargo bikes to our offerings. These powerful beasts of bikes are becoming more and more popular as not only are they reducing our carbon footprint but are not confined to traffic jams meaning that deliveries are becoming more time efficient, and as they are running solely on pedal power and not hindered by increasing fuel costs it becomes a far more cost effective solution for larger deliveries. 

Copenhagen, where our bikes are built, are the leaders in cargo bikes with new uses being developed every day. From Mojito bars on bikes to newspaper stands, to music stages, to taxis. Families are now using them as their primary means of transport ferrying children to and from school etc. In fact you may have seen this too has crossed the seas and has made it's way to Ireland. There are two men I see each morning on my way in to work who ride cargo bikes with their children safely strapped inside and I'm sure it's only a matter of time before this trend becomes the norm across the city.

We were delighted to be asked to take part in the first ever Irish Cargo Bike Championships which takes place in the Phoenix Park this coming Sunday, June 16th with thanks to the lovely folks at the Dutch Bike Shop and Greenaer and supported by both the Danish and Dutch embassies. This fun packed festival is a family friendly free event with some great fun races planned for the day, so why not pedal on up and join in on the fun or even try a cargo bike out for yourself. We promise you won't be disappointed! Also be sure to check out some of the fantastic events happening around the country throughout the week here.

Here's to the Cargo Bike, we are looking forward to growing our fleet even more and leading the way for a cleaner, greener delivery solution. 

For more information on Cargo Bikes simply call 1800 303 500.

Preparing for the Bank Holiday with Clickacourier.ie

Another Bank Holiday weekend is looming and it feels like the whole of Dublin are impatiently sitting at the edge of their seats waiting for the home time whistle to blow announcing the beginning of the extended weekend.

Plans are being etched and rendezvous arranged as the countdown looms! Traditionally bank holiday Fridays in Dublin are like a mass exodus as people take to the motorways to escape the capital city for the 3 days, and no doubt with the secondary schools breaking up for the summer today, this will certainly be the case. There are however so many various festivals and events happening across the city that one might be tempted to staycate at home in the Pale this weekend, many of which are taking place outdoors making the most of this rare yet glorious weather.

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