The rider kit that actually pays for itself

1. Power — your phone is your salary

Cold kills phone batteries. A phone that shows 40% at 6 pm can die at 6:20 pm in December. Dead phone means no orders, no navigation, no proof of delivery, and a shift you worked for nothing.

• Powerbank, 20000 mAh, two of them — Powerbank One charging at home while one is on the bike. This is the single most important thing on this page. See on Amazon.de
• Short cable that lives in your jacket pocket A 2 m cable flapping in the wind will get pulled out. Buy 30 cm. See on Amazon.de
• Waterproof phone mount for the handlebar — Handyhalterung Fahrrad Buy the one with a rubber strap over the corners, not only a spring clip. Cheap clips throw phones onto the road at the first pothole. See on Amazon.de
• Phone case with a raised edge, plus a screen protector You will drop it. Everybody drops it.
• Keep the phone warm on breaks Inside jacket, not outside pocket. Free, and it adds an hour of battery in winter.

2. Rain — the real German enemy

Snow is rare in most of Germany. Cold rain from October to March is not. Being wet at hour two of an eight hour shift is what makes people quit this job.

• Rain jacket and rain trousers, as a set — Regenjacke, Regenhose Trousers matter more than the jacket. Everyone buys the jacket and forgets the legs. See on Amazon.de
• Waterproof shoe covers — Überschuhe €15. Saves your only pair of shoes, which cost €60. See on Amazon.de
• Waterproof gloves, not just warm gloves Wool gloves in rain are worse than no gloves. See on Amazon.de
• Dry bag or waterproof backpack cover For your own things — wallet, papers, spare gloves. See on Amazon.de
• A second pair of everything, drying at home Wet gear does not dry in one night in a German flat. Two sets or you start the next shift in wet clothes.

3. Cold — hands and feet first

Your core stays warm because you are pedalling. It is the fingers and toes that stop working, and then you cannot use the phone or brake properly.

• Touchscreen winter gloves If you have to take a glove off for every order, you will be cold all night. See on Amazon.de
• Handlebar mitts (Lenkerstulpen) Odd looking, and the best €25 a winter rider spends. Warm hands with thin gloves inside. See on Amazon.de
• Thermal insoles + thick wool socks Do not wear two pairs of socks in tight shoes. Squeezed feet get colder, not warmer. See on Amazon.de
• Neck warmer / Buff and a thin cap under the helmet See on Amazon.de
• Thermal base layer, top and bottom See on Amazon.de
• Thermos flask with chai A €30 café coffee habit six nights a week is €700 a year. A flask is €20 once. See on Amazon.de

4. Being seen — this one is the law

• Front and rear lights, StVZO approved, USB rechargeable — Fahrradlicht StVZO Look for "StVZO zugelassen" in the listing. Cheap non-approved lights are not legal here. See on Amazon.de
• A spare set of lights in the bag Batteries die in the cold, always at the far end of the shift.
• Reflective vest — Warnweste €8. Wear it over the delivery jacket. German drivers genuinely do not see dark clothes in rain. See on Amazon.de
• Helmet — Fahrradhelm Not required by law for adults in Germany. Still: you are on the road eight hours a day in the dark. Wear one. See on Amazon.de
• Reflective stickers on the bag and the bike frame

5. The bike itself

Your bike is your job. A puncture at 8 pm with no repair kit is a cancelled shift and a long walk.

• A serious lock — folding or heavy chain — Fahrradschloss Do not save money here. Bike theft in German cities is constant, and a €400 e-bike behind a €10 cable lock is a gift. Spend €50–70. See on Amazon.de
• Puncture repair kit + two spare inner tubes Learn to change a tube on YouTube before you need to do it in the rain. See on Amazon.de
• Mini pump and a multi-tool See on Amazon.de
• Mudguards, front and rear — Schutzbleche Without a rear mudguard, every wet road paints a stripe up your back. Riders forget this and suffer all winter. See on Amazon.de
• Chain oil, wet-weather type Rain washes the oil off. A dry chain wears out in weeks and makes pedalling harder. See on Amazon.de
• Brake pads, one spare set Wet riding eats pads fast. Check them monthly. See on Amazon.de
• Saddle rain cover, or a plastic bag Wet saddle at the start of a shift is eight wet hours.

6. Your body

This job is hard on the back, knees and wrists. People notice at month six, when it is already a problem.

• Padded cycling shorts under your normal trousers Sounds unnecessary until day four. See on Amazon.de
• Gel saddle or saddle cover See on Amazon.de
• Set the saddle height properly Too low is the number one cause of knee pain in riders. Leg almost straight at the bottom of the pedal stroke. Free to fix.
• Small first aid kit in the bag See on Amazon.de
• Vitamin D through the winter You are outside, but there is almost no sun here from October to March. See on Amazon.de
• Water bottle and something to eat in the bag Never the customer's food. That is instant dismissal, and rightly so.

7. If you deliver by scooter, car or van

Amazon Flex, DHL, Hermes, or restaurant work with your own car. Different job, different problems — and a few of these are German law, not advice.

• Ice scraper with a brush, plus de-icer spray — Eiskratzer, Enteiser Keep the scraper inside the car, not in the boot. A frozen boot lock is a bad morning. See on Amazon.de
• Warning triangle, first aid kit, hi-viz vest — Warndreieck, Verbandkasten, Warnweste All three are legally required in a German car. Check the date on the first aid kit — it expires. See on Amazon.de
• Car phone mount + two-port car charger Navigation running all day drains a phone faster than one port can fill it. See on Amazon.de
• Head torch — Stirnlampe German doorbell panels have twenty tiny name labels and no light. This is the item every parcel driver wishes someone had told them about. See on Amazon.de
• Hand truck (Sackkarre) with stair glides German buildings are old, lifts are rare, and the heavy boxes always go to the fourth floor. See on Amazon.de
• Work gloves for parcels Cardboard edges in cold weather cut hands open. See on Amazon.de
• Insulated food bag — Thermotasche If the app does not give you one. Cold food is a bad rating, and ratings decide your shifts. See on Amazon.de
• Scooter riders: helmet is the law, and anti-fog spray A helmet is compulsory on any motorised scooter. A fogged visor in November is genuinely dangerous. See on Amazon.de
• Small coin pouch, €20 in change Some customers still pay cash and nobody has the right note.
• Hand sanitiser and wet wipes

8. The rules nobody tells you on day one

Nothing to buy here. This part decides whether the job is worth doing.

• Know your work-day limit A non-EU student on a §16b residence permit may work 140 full days or 280 half days per calendar year — a shift over 4 hours counts as a full day. During lecture periods there is also a 20 hours per week limit. Both apply at once. Going over puts your permit at risk, so keep your own record.
• Minimum wage is €13.90 per hour in 2026 If an offer is below that, something is wrong with the contract. Ask questions before you sign.
• Employed or self-employed — know which you are An Arbeitsvertrag means the company handles insurance and tax. "Selbstständig" means you handle everything yourself, including tax filing. These are very different jobs with the same uniform. Read what you signed.
• Keep every receipt for the bike and gear If it is genuinely for work, it can count at tax time. No receipt, no claim. One envelope, all year.
• Photograph the delivery when nobody answers Follow your app's rule for it. That photo is what protects you when a customer says the food never came.
• Note your hours yourself, every shift Apps have wrong days. A phone note takes ten seconds and has won a lot of arguments.