Gothamist

A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.

Gothamist

WNYC Listen Live

Donate

 

 

Sponsored

Think You're Tough On Your Phone? Watch An NYC Bike Messenger Give His Phone A Hard Run


Sponsor's image

Article sponsored by

Published Dec 3, 2013

Modified Sep 1, 2015


Share

FacebookTwitterRedditEmail


Never miss a story

 Email address

By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .


Sponsor's image

Article sponsored by

Published Dec 3, 2013

Modified Sep 1, 2015


Share

FacebookTwitterRedditEmail


We rely on your support to make local news available to all

Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today

Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations

This post is brought to you by our advertiser, Speck.

This is a crazy city full of crazy people, some of whom earn a living weaving through traffic, dodging pedestrians, and generally risking life and limb to get things from A to B on time. But it's not just the paycheck that makes it worthwhile. These guys revel in it.

Mikey Quackenboss is one of those people, working as a bike messenger in New York for the past five years. He's been doored, cracked ribs and wiped out more times than he can remember, but he'll still say it's been the time of his life.

But just like the next guy, he relies on his phone for everything: calls, texts, directions, music, photos. We know Mikey can take hits, but what about that fragile little smartphone? We took a military-grade Speck case out on the road to see if it could handle a drop test of our own: a typical afternoon in the life of a bike messenger. We have to say, the phone comes out great—and this old city doesn't look too bad either.

For more info on Mikey's case, check out it out here. Speck has tested a number of its cases and determined that the identified cases meet or exceed certain standards often used by the military to determine effectiveness of protection. To be clear, this does not mean that your devices will never break. If you drop them hard enough, or from high enough, or at just the wrong angle, your device may still be damaged.

Tagged

bike messenger

gothamist collaboration

speck phone test

video


Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations

Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations


MORE arts-entertainment

The Knicks are NBA champions. Now they have to start dressing the part.

Before they attempt to fend off LeBron James and the 76ers on Tuesday, the Knicks will have a chance to show off their winning mentality through their tunnel fits.

By

Sonia Rao

Published Oct 19, 2026 at 12:43 p.m. ET


Will Barnes and Noble in the East Village spell doom for smaller shops? It's complicated.

Independent booksellers are grappling with whether the big-box chain is a threat or an ally in the fight against Amazon.

By

Sonia Rao

Arts & Entertainment

Will Barnes and Noble in the East Village spell doom for smaller shops? It's complicated.

Independent booksellers are grappling with whether the big-box chain is a threat or an ally in the fight against Amazon.

By

Sonia Rao


Can eligible NYC singles find love with 30 minutes and some really spicy food?

By

Elizabeth Shwe

and

James Ramsay

How the NYC Marathon has changed in the last 50 years

By

Hannah Frishberg

A visit to Art of Play, the Brooklyn store in an animatronic bird beef with Kelly Clarkson

By

Sonia Rao


Never miss a story

Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.

Sign upEmail address

By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .