Foodora's head of cycling operations has been cycling for 38 years and now offers road-tested advice to the professional cyclists, students and second-income earners who have taken jobs with the food delivery service.

"Rainy days are when you have to suck it up and get out there," he said. "Shiver a bit and you might get a bigger tip."

The likes of Foodora and Deliveroo have burst onto Sydney's streets from nowhere, an army of fuschia and aqua on wheels. Panting uphill, through downpours, hot spells and often on low-quality bikes, the bicycle delivery people are, against the odds, fast becoming a part of inner-city Sydney life.

It's a far cry from Berlin, where Foodora is based. There flat roads, pro-bicycle legislation and a cool climate contribute to a strong cycling culture.

"It's hilly, it's hot," Foodora Australia chief executive Toon Gyssels said of cycling in Sydney. But, "bikes have the advantage of being green and are operationally much faster in city areas. You don't need to find parking, you don't get stuck in traffic."

Since arriving in Sydney in June, Foodora now has "a couple of hundred" bicycle riders working for an average of $20 to $26 an hour, said Mr Gyssels. The most efficient riders can expect to earn more than $30 an hour, he said, though both Foodora and Deliveroo have been accused of putting bicycle delivery workers on sham contracts to avoid paying them properly.

While delivery people can choose their mode of transport, bicycles are most popular in the CBD and Surry Hills, where pedal power proves fastest. The average journey is four kilometres, said Mr Donald, completed in about eight minutes.

Mr Donald, who began with Foodora as a delivery person, claims the unwieldy boxes used to transport meals on the rear of bikes are lighter than they look and rarely carry more than five kilograms of food.

He said he hopes the influx of cyclists – weighted down by large packs or not – might make the roads a safer, less antagonistic place for everyone. There is, however, no easy way to get past the grind of steep hills.

"I remember doing eight jobs in six hours. And they were tough jobs, I thought the dispatcher was trying to kill me. I went up Albion Street into Paddington four times in one night," he said.

Foodora, which requires all riders to have personal insurance, now claims a 70/30 male to female rider ratio in Sydney.

"I am proud of those," Mr Gyssels said. "We have a significant share of strong, sporty women who are riding."