By Alex Owens |Contributor

In a world where photos, documents and other important messages can now be transmitted just by pressing “send” on a smartphone, is there a place for an old fashioned messenger service?

Joven Sibug believes there is.

Sibug, 26, is a co-owner of Pedal Pushers Courier Service, a bike messenger service that started up in November to serve both Downtown and Uptown San Diego.

“Old school messenger work may have gone to the wayside, but certain legal documents, bank receipts and other documents still need to be delivered in their original form,” Sibug said. “Escrow documents can’t be done with e-signatures and computers don’t have big enough screens to show architectural blueprints.”

Although Sibug is only in his mid-20s, he’s an old soul in the bike messenger world. He estimates he’s delivered more than 30,000 parcels in a 10-year career as a self-proclaimed two-wheeled badass.

Sibug worked in San Diego for five years until plying his trade in San Francisco and New York, two cities where bike messengers are a normal part of the urban landscape.

“San Diego isn’t as congested or as aggro as San Francisco or New York,” he said. “There are some hills here, but after riding 40 hours a week, I’m used to them.”

Other courier services in town use cars, but Sibug is hoping to convince locals of the benefits offered by bike messengers.

“It’s the fastest way across Downtown traffic,” he said. “We can weave in and out and not worry about finding parking.”

It’s not easy, and the risk of injury is real, but Sibug says he has developed a sixth sense for cycling.

“I compare it to surfing,” he said. “Just like you can tell after a while what a wave is going to do, you can tell how a car or pedestrian is going to react.”

The company has divided both Downtown and Uptown into four zones and charges based on distance biked and how soon a parcel must be delivered. For example, a document delivered from the County Courthouse on Broadway, to say, East Village, would cost $9 if delivered in a four-hour period and $17 if it needed to be there in 30 minutes.

Delivering that same document up to Hillcrest would cost a dollar more, while two bucks more would get it to Kensington.

Since the bulk of documents are delivered between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Sibug is also contracting with local businesses to deliver meals and other items during the lunch and dinner rushes.

“We contract those out so there is only a $3 delivery charge added to the bill,” he said.

Two of the restaurants that are now riding with Pedal Pushers include Rare Form Deli on J Street and Lefty’s Chicago Pizzeria in Mission Hills.

Lefty’s General Manager David Eskra is a fan.

“We hadn’t figured out the best solution to our restaurant’s delivery needs until now,” Eskra said. “It’s a fast and efficient way for us to offer delivery to our customers. And the fact that they are on bikes is definitely a plus!”

Carlos Franco, owner and florist at Green Fresh Florals in Hillcrest, is also happy to deliver flower petals via bicycle pedals.

“It’s awesome because they staff a fleet of cargo bikes to get even the biggest job done when we need it,” Franco said. “I mean, what is more romantic than getting flowers from your sweetheart on a bicycle?”

While Pedal Pushers is only a few months old, the reaction and response to his two-wheeled endeavor has Sibug optimistic about the future.

“San Diego is becoming more bike friendly. There’s a new cycling culture blooming,” he said. “I can see us as part of the fabric here.”

That said, Siburg admitted there is still more work to be done.

“I do wish people would use their blinkers more,” he said.

Pedal Pushers Courier Service is located at 330 A St., # 215. For more information, check out sdpedalpushers.com or call 619-456-8589.

—Alex Owens is a San Diego-based freelance writer. He can be reached at [email protected].