Why you Shouldn’t use the Deliveroo Box

The Deliveroo box is the iconic symbol of the company. It can be spotted from miles away as a rider wobbles through the streets wearing it. Every rider has one, so what’s it really like to use one?

Deliveroo Rider

The Deliveroo box is huge. Actually, it’s massive. Cycling with this thing on is really as bad as it looks. When you’ve got a whole family’s Wagamama order stuffed in there, it’s hard enough just to get on the bike, let alone cycle through traffic to the other side of your zone. However, to be fair the box does have some good straps and a chest buckle to try and minimise the shaking around, but there are sometimes where this has little effect.

The other thing to notice is the price, it costs £50! Crazy! This is a price which came out of my paycheck right at the beginning (Deliveroo have now started helping riders out with the cost of the gear). The problem is that the quality is pretty poor. My zip tore off after a month of delivering. I couldn’t believe it! A £50 bag only lasting a month! I strapped a bungee around it to make it remain closed, but I do always wonder when the moment will come when that gives way and someone’s Nando’s is going to go flying all over the road.

The back is reflective which is good. The whole panel is this reflective material which shines bright like a diamond when a car’s headlights point at it. It’s actually a really clever safety feature which makes me feel a lot better when cycling in rush hour. I guess it kind of counteracts the danger of wearing such a huge bag.

The last annoying bit is the aerodynamics. This bag is like wearing a huge sail on your back. Any slight wind and you’ll feel like you’re trying to cycle up a mountain.

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But….

Deliveroo has come out with a new bag!

This is a roll top bag (much easier to fill) with the same reflective coating to it. Because it’s not a rigid box, it’s going to have a much better fit to your back (less shaking around) and it will be a lot more aerodynamic. Good on you Deliveroo!

Like this article? Read my post on how much the Deliveroo kit costs.

October 9, 2017October 31, 2017

How to sell Deliveroo kit on eBay

If you’re finished with the job or moving on to something else, eBay is your best bet for selling on your gear. Luckily for us, there’s a weird trend in workwear fashion, so Deliveroo jackets are selling pretty hot right now; you can actually sell them for more than you bought it for from Deliveroo. Great success!

Sell eBay

Check out this link for more info on selling with eBay: http://pages.ebay.co.uk/help/sell/sell-getstarted.html

October 9, 2017October 31, 2017

Can you use your own kit for Deliveroo

Yes.

You can use your own kit if it suits the requirements. To be honest, you only have to show the required items when you show up for your interview, and then after that, you can use any item you like.

For example, they say you “have” to wear the Deliveroo jacket, but I find it as breathable as a piece of cling film, so I just use my own jacket. The delivery box is probably something you should use because it’s unlikely you’ll find one which suits this purpose online. You really don’t want to turn up at a pizza joint and find out you can’t fit the boxes in your bag. They also want you to use a thermal bag as well, which is useful at first but it can take up too much space in your delivery box. They have really specific requirements at Deliveroo for the kit you use, so they can push you to just buying their own branded equipment. It’s really annoying because they’re basically making money off their riders, but it’s part of their whole push towards the “unemployed” vibe.

Sign up to Deliveroo through this link to receive a free £50 signup bonus (when you complete 20 deliveries)

When you start riding, you’ll soon find that Deliveroo cyclists have lots of variations on what kit they use. Not many wear the jacket because of how sweaty you get when cycling (they’re not very breathable) and also some boxes are covered in stickers to hide the Deliveroo branding.

Overall, you should feel free to use whatever gear you like, it just has to meet the requirements when you sign up. I would personally recommend you get your own cycling jacket (it will cost you like half the price of the Deliveroo jacket) and then try and get the delivery box and thermal bag on eBay (you can find some good deals from retired Deliveroo Riders). The gear is really expensive if you buy it from Deliveroo.

Deliveroo kit

October 9, 2017September 19, 2018

How much does the Deliveroo kit cost?

As a new rider, you might be wondering how much the new Deliveroo kit cost. In this post, I’ll go through all the details of pricing for the required kit.

UPDATE 2018

Deliveroo has now made the Deliveroo kit FREE for new riders! Brilliant!

Here is a list of what Deliveroo kit is included in the free deal for new riders:

Jacket – FREE

Courier Box – FREE

Thermal Bag – FREE

Helmet – FREE

Phone Holder – FREE

There have also been massive reductions in the price of kit for current riders. The jacket is now £17.50 (down from £40), the courier box is £22.50 (down from £50) and the thermal bag is £5 (down from £10). This is a really good move from Deliveroo and shows that they are listening to their riders. Good move!

How much does the Deliveroo kit cost?

The core kit for a cyclist is the jacket, courier box and thermal bag. All of these can be bought from the Deliveroo shop and cost as follows:

Jacket – £40

Courier Box – £50

Thermal Bag – £10

You can also buy extra items for more. 💸

The total cost of the core kit is £100, and you get charged £25 of this win you sign up, and then the next £75 is taken out of your wages.

Gear for Deliveroo Deliveroo Kit Cost

I think it’s really bad that Deliveroo now charges such an extortionate amount for the kit (they used to just make you give a £150 deposit which they would repay when you hand it back). I mean there is just no way the courier bag costs them £50 to make, which means they are actually making money out of the riders.

Uber eats also charge their riders if they don’t have the required gear. However, the only thing they require you to have is a delivery bag (which can be bought from them for £30 upfront).

These “food on demand” companies are all moving to the riders buy the gear system because it’s part of their effort to demonstrate that all riders are unemployed. This means that the riders are technically freelancers and so they need to provide their own gear (such as delivery bag and jacket) to suit the requirements of the job. The problem is, the requirements which companies like Deliveroo give for the riders are so specific that pretty much the only equipment which fits it is the stuff they sell themselves!

If I were you, I would get the bag second hand on eBay and then buy your own jacket. This will easily save you about £60. And if you sign up using my link here, then you get a £50 signup bonus 👍 which will easily cover your equipment costs. Bear in mind you can still sell your gear on eBay when you finish.

Deliveroo also give you another £50 voucher to spend on gear once you complete 50 deliveries. I used this to get another jacket which I then sold on eBay for £50!

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October 9, 2017October 9, 2017

Do you have to buy the Deliveroo kit?

Because you are technically self-employed, Deliveroo can’t force you to buy their own kit, However, because of their extremely specified needs (e.g. a full foil thermal bag and a 40% reflective jacket), it can be extremely difficult to find any of the gear by yourself. In your interview, Deliveroo will give you the link to their website where you can buy the gear from them.

October 9, 2017October 31, 2017

What kit do you need for Deliveroo

Even though you are self-employed, Deliveroo requires you to have the following items:

Jacket
Delivery box
Small thermal box
Helmet
Lights

Deliveroo kit

I would also personally recommend you get a portable phone charger as well. Your phone will definitely run out of charge during a three-hour shift, and you don’t want to be stuck without it. I usually find I need about one full recharge per session.

It’s also surprising how many calories you burn while you’re cycling and running up and down flights of stairs. This and the combination of looking at a ridiculous amount of tasty food will make you extremely hungry. I would recommend bringing a banana with you or something to snack on, as well as eating a shit ton before your shift. Also, bring some water with you. You’re doing a lot of exercise and not all restaurants are friendly enough to offer you a glass (they usually try their hardest to get you out of the door as quickly as possible).

When it’s winter I also pack a jumper. You usually spend the beginning of your shift (sometimes the whole of your shift during off-peak hours) sitting around waiting for an order. This means getting very very cold. However, when you start cycling you’ll most certainly warm up and begin sweating if you’re wearing a jumper (which will make you even colder when you stop, and also it’s just gross). I like to pack a jumper for those periods when you’re hanging around with nothing to do.

Now you might be wondering “Ok nick, this is great and all, but where the hell am I gonna put all this shit?”. And you are correct in thinking that. The box you get is for food and it would get pretty messy if you’re jamming all your own stuff in there with it. That’s where I like to use the shelf. The delivery box has a velcro shelf which is completely useless apart from for this purpose. By placing the shelf a couple of inches above the bottom, you can still fit your thermal bag in, but you also have room for all your schniz in the lower section. Easy peasy.

Core_Kit_PDF

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October 9, 2017October 11, 2017

What Bike Should You Get for Deliveroo

The type of bike which you should get is very dependent on your cycling skill, the terrain and also your budget. Below I’ll go through every different type of bike and its good and bad aspects for a deliveroo cyclist.

Road Bike: the classic drop down handlebar boi. A serious road bike will shoot you between restaurant and customer in a matter of seconds, increasing your delivery rate and so your earnings. Must be the obvious choice…or not. Road bikes are notoriously expensive, which draws a line through this option for most people, but they’re also very susceptible to being stolen. When working for Deliveroo you’re always having to leave your bike outside restaurants and houses while you deal with an order. The chances of your shiny new road bike still being there when you come back out is pretty slim. Yes, you can lock it, but you’ll quickly find out that there are pretty much no places to lock up bikes outside restaurants. Also, all that time you made by cycling quickly will be taken away while looking for a place to lock up. The road bike is great for speed, but the drop down handlebars make it pretty difficult for handling when weaving between traffic in the city. Also, your back will be absolutely screwed at the end of an evening shift.

My recommendation: Mizani Men’s Swift 500 Road Bike

Fixie: Yes I know they look sick. They’re like the minimalist perfection of bikes; everything stripped away apart from the essentials. Just a pure charging machine. The lack of components also means there are fewer things to break. But…when you’re nearing the end of an evening shift and you’ve got one fat mother of god hill in front of you, you’ll be wishing you had some gears. Fixes are cheap, reliable and quick, which makes them probably the most popular courier bikes. But, just think about your legs.

My recommendation: Critical Cycles Fixie

Hybrid/city: Comfortable, fast and reliable. You want a bike which just works. A hybrid will take you easily through traffic with the flat handlebars, but also give you some nice speed on the flats. They also look pretty average, which is a good thing. You won’t give it a second thought leaving one of these outside a restaurant. I mean really who in their right mind is going steal a fucking hybrid bike.

My recommendation: Falcon Monza Hybrid

Mountain bike: If it’s your only option or you’re doing deliveroo in Fort William, then yeah sure go for it. But in a city, the weight, tyres and suspension are just going to kill any weeny bit of speed you’ve got.

My recommendation: BEIOU® Hardtail Mountain Bike

BMX: wtf no.

Conclusion: In my opinion, you want to get yourself a second-hand hybrid bike. Make sure it’s like a road bike (slick tires and light frame) but has flat handlebars for the control. Gumtree is a goldmine for bikes and you can find a great one for less than £100 (I got mine for £30). To be honest though just start on the bike you already own and it’ll do just fine. But, if you don’t have a bike then this will be your best bet.

Click HERE to get a £50 bonus when you signup to Deliveroo