Commuters working in downtown San Francisco have probably, at some point, caught a glimpse of curly-haired Kalman Zeiger — but only a glimpse, as he rushes past on his sleek black-and-blue road bike.
Zeiger is the co-founder and co-owner of Spirit Courier, which he believes is the only Jewish owned and operated bike messenger service in the city.
The 25-year-old grew up in a Jewish home in San Rafael and Berkeley, celebrating Shabbat and “trying to keep kosher.” He had a bar mitzvah, and became interested in sports at an early age, playing in the Maccabi Games as a youth. In a 1996 Jewish Bulletin (now j.) article, a then-12-year-old Zeiger discussed playing table tennis in the games and mentioned that he was surprised to learn he could compete in such a sport.
Soon, though, table tennis would give way to bike racing — and a burgeoning career.
Zeiger always loved riding bicycles, but didn’t start racing or couriering until after he moved to New York for college. He honed his racing skills while attending Hunter College in Manhattan.
At Hunter, Zeiger studied philosophy and German. The language was of special interest to him because of a familial connection: Though his mother’s parents were Polish, they both ended up in Germany after surviving the Holocaust. Zeiger’s mother was born in Munich before the family moved west to the U.S.
After graduating from college, Zeiger returned to the Bay Area. He joined a bike racing team, Godspeed Courier, in San Francisco’s Sunset District, and began working for local courier companies. He even met a fellow Jewish courier sporting Jewish-themed tattoos — though Zeiger says he’s not sure if that particular courier still works in the city.
Zeiger says he came up with the idea to create his own courier service after realizing that he was unhappy with the business practices at other companies. His idea was simple: to create a business where the all the messengers could be friends, have a good work environment and be treated well by their boss.
His Jewish background was a part of his decision to strike out on his own, Zeiger says.
“Giving honest rates, treating people I work with well — I feel like these things are common traits for Jewish companies,” he explains.
In August 2007, Zeiger and his business partner, John Williams, officially launched Spirit Courier. The name, Zeiger explains, was meant simply to be positive: “We’ve got spirit!” he exclaims.
Today, Zeiger enlists the help of four or five couriers who work for him as independent contractors. Zeiger also rides for the company, usually on his copper-colored Cannondale, though he can sometimes be spotted on one of his many other bicycles (including a fixed-gear bike and a mountain bike). On a good day, his riders carry 15 to 20 loads to businesses around San Francisco.
Bike messengers typically carry items that need same-day delivery but cannot be faxed, like first-copy documents or packages. Spirit Courier’s regular clients include design, advertising and construction firms. When there’s a lull during the day, Zeiger keeps busy running the daily operations of the company, answering phones and filling out all necessary paperwork.
It’s a lot of responsibility, especially for someone so young. But Zeiger says he’s up for the challenge.
“I don’t think that it is hard to be a young business owner,” he says. “The main struggle of the company, both in the setup and now, is getting clients to come on board.”
Zeiger works hard, but he also knows how to balance work with play. He still races with Godspeed Courier every weekend from January through September, and has competed in nearly 40 races this season.
“I got into bike messaging because I wanted to be good at bike racing,” Zeiger says. “I love my work, I really do — but racing is my real passion.”