Specialized Commuters

OldSkoolKona

No, not a thread about commuting on a Specialized bike, hybrids v road bikes or the like :roll: but about people who work for Specialized who commute to work by bicycle.

After a year bemoaning the lack of scalping opportunities , I've just realised that my commute to Leatherhead takes me pastSpecialized UK's offices in Chessington. But I've never seen anyone cycling along that road to that office, when I would of thought a cycle company would attract the sort of people who would cycle to work (and/or the company would encourage it) Perhaps I'm going past at the wrong time of day...

Not expecting anyone to come on here and declare that they work for Spesh, but it made me think, what type of firm attracts and/or encourages people to cycle to work the most. (e.g. IT, meed-yah, etc) or is it just down to management's view at individual firms. Have this idea that newer companies, eBay, Google etc would be forward thinking about getting employees to cycle to work :?:

Stuey01

There seems to be a high proportion of IT bods on most cycle forums. But that could just mean that IT bods like, and have the opportunity to use, forums.

Me, I work for a bank, in IT.

My firm provides secure cycle parking and showers in most buildings (certainly the last 3 I have been based in) and does do C2W, but you can only sign up once per year.
No active encouragement to cycle, but all the important facilities are here.

Nifkin

Stuey01 wrote:

My firm provides secure cycle parking and showers in most buildings (certainly the last 3 I have been based in) and does do C2W, but you can only sign up once per year.
No active encouragement to cycle, but all the important facilities are here.

Ditto for me; I work for TfL, so it's hardly surprising that they like to be seen to encourage cycling, at the very least...

N :twisted:

OldSkoolKona

After moaning about not having any decent cyclists to scalp on my commute, I only go and get scalped myself this evening on the way home :x . Is there a 'scalping' equivalent of the puncture fairy, brought on by boastful comments :?:

The Rookie

I work for a car company, and they aren't hot on encouraging commuting by bike for some reason.....actually they are just apathetic about it (but then our HR dep't are apathetic about most things that wouldn't seem to align with Dilberts 'Catbert evil HR director' type ethos so no surprise really!) rather than against it, C2W has been discussed, but the setting up costs of salary sacrifice mean we don't have it, they tried to kick of SS with pensions but couldn't get enough interest as people didn't seem interested in a 1% pay rise for nowt!

Of an office of 170 ish we have 4 regular cycling commuters.

Simon

FyPunK

Optician, and with the 13 members of staff between two practices we have 3, nope make that 2 and a part time commuter on bikes.

andy83

work in a residential home and out of 17 staff im the only one to cycle

come to think of it there are 5 homes in local vacinity and total of bout 100 staff and yes you guessed it im the only one that cycle lol

OldSkoolKona

Interesting, I think that only a few small things can make a big difference. My old team had 6 out of 12 people cycle to work (one guy with a 22 mile commute :shock:) and on a site of 3,000, over 300 people commute by bike at least occasionally, but I'm an engineer and don't work for a company that I would have fitted into the bracket of encouraging cycling (whereas I would have thought a cycle company, google, ebay etc etc would have).

I suppose coming from a mtb background, I've an image of the smaller cycle or component manufacturers where their employess seem really passionate about cycling, though perhaps thats an image they portray..

Hey Jax

Practice nurse, and of the 20 odd people who work in my surgery. I am the only one! and we have NO facilties for cyclists.
I have been pushing for a shower to be installed at least, but theres not been much enthusiasm for this, not surprisingly.
and i have to bring my precious into my consulting room with me, as its a dodgy area and wouldn't trust it to be anywhere else.

Gavin Gilbert

I once dated someone who worked for Specialized. I know she drove to work :?

Kieran_Burns

Since the sun came out the number of cyclists has quadrupled at work.

It's gone from me and the cleaner to 8 people now :roll: This in a building of about 300 people.

I'm the only one NOT on an MTB, and the only one in lycra. I kind of stand out in the morning. :oops:

I was self-conscious about the shorts with... padding... but since over-hearing a couple of comments, I've turned into a bit of a peacock 8) :roll:

cjcp

OldSkoolKona wrote:

After moaning about not having any decent cyclists to scalp on my commute, I only go and get scalped myself this evening on the way home :x . Is there a 'scalping' equivalent of the puncture fairy, brought on by boastful comments :?:

Princess Kharma?

OldSkoolKona

Gavin Gilbert wrote:

I once dated someone who worked for Specialized. I know she drove to work :?

Did she cycle at all?