Commuting - Finally! A bike rack at work!

So here I am, about four months into being a bike commuter, and finally, I think work understands that I'm committed.

This morning, the building manager held the door for me as I wheeled the machine inside. Currently, I park in an empty cubicle, and one other bike has joined me. The building manager said,

"If I put in a bike rack, would you use it?"

"Absolutely!"

There are probably 150 or so employees at this location, and many of us live locally (within 5 miles), so here's to hoping that bicycles displayed out front will encourage others. I take heart in the fact that management has noticed and plans to take action.

Anyone else have a good success story, or tips on how to build and maintain this sort of commuter-advocacy momentum?

congrats

After I got my last job offer, I negotiated with the company for a bike-specific storage closet. Being Greenwich Village, they begrudgingly accepted. I put hooks into the ceiling. So far I'm still the only one who uses it though, unfortunately.

Excellent.

Why do you prefer parking your bike outside when you can park it inside?

I currently park in my cube and would never think of locking up my commuting ride <gasp> outdoors.

Why do you prefer parking your bike outside when you can park it inside?

I currently park in my cube and would never think of locking up my commuting ride <gasp> outdoors.

It's not a preference so much as giving more people the opportunity. I'm just lucky that 1) there's an empty cubicle and 2) it's not mine! (Survived the layoffs). My feeling is that if more bikes are visible, more people might catch the bug. And the rack will be right in front of the windows, so security will not be too much of an issue.

Gosh, you can fit a bike in your cube? Lucky. We can only get two in a completely empty cube. Maybe I should call OSHA?

Gosh, you can fit a bike in your cube? Lucky. We can only get two in a completely empty cube. Maybe I should call OSHA?
If you think that's amazing, you'll think I'm lying when I say that the locker room (showers) is less than 10 yards from where I sit and HR gave me a cabinet to hang up my clothes when they realized I was keeping them folded in my desk (unacceptable!). :D

If you think that's amazing, you'll think I'm lying when I say that the locker room (showers) is less than 10 yards from where I sit and HR gave me a cabinet to hang up my clothes when they realized I was keeping them folded in my desk (unacceptable!). :D

Are you hiring? :)

My wife's work is like that. She has a fitness room where she can park her bike and they have showers and enormous cubicles and a kitchen with stoves and ovens and counter space ..... But I am only 1.6 miles from home, so that's a plus.

I count myself darn lucky at work. We have sizeable offices/cubes, and my bosses said it's just fine for me to lug the bike up three flights of stairs and keep it in my office all day. Tack on that I can use the athletic center here for showers (I work at a university) and I have the perfect commuting environment in my opinon :)

I just had to promise not to track in too much dirt ;)

No one minds that I wheel my ride into the office area and park it in my cube. I roll it into the hall via the side door and park it in the hall while I hit the locker room for a shower and change, then move it to the cube farm when I'm done. The facilities staff has even offered to put a set of hooks up in the back corner of the locker room if I didn't want my bike taking up space in my cube, but I don't mind it there because less space means less people will stop by and interrupt me. Less interruptions means getting out of work and back on my bike quicker. :)

We have a locker room with shower. I bought an ironing board and iron.
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y130/capejohn/commute/Dosomeironing.jpg

A microwave, fridge, coffe maker and toaster

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y130/capejohn/commute/Breakfast.jpg


And....an empty office to store my bike.

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y130/capejohn/commute/Bluesrestplace.jpg

Doesn't everyone????

I park mine outside on one of 2 bike racks at the company. It doesn't rain much here though. There are a number of us that commute, especially in the summer. It's not fair to ask for special treatment. We have a number of locker rooms with multiple showers.

I work PT at the public library, where there's always a bike rack outside. I'm fortunate that my boss insists that I park my bike inside in one of the workrooms. We also have lockers.

A few weeks ago I was pushing my steed through the main reading room and little boy--maybe four years old--cried out, "Mom! That man brought a bicycle into the library!"

I stopped and told him, "You know why? I work here. My boss wants me to park my bike inside so there's more room on the bike rack outside for others to park their bikes."

His response was not at all what I expected--and note the verb choice, "You drive a bike to work?!?!?"

We have a locker room with shower. I bought an ironing board and iron.
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y130/capejohn/commute/Dosomeironing.jpg
Doesn't everyone????
OOh...I'm slightly jealous. I must acquire an ironing board and iron for my locker room. Where do you store said ironing board when you're not using it?

Make sure you get some input on the bike rack. My last company got one for me, but they didn't let me pick it out. So it wound up being this dinky flimsy front-wheel-style rack. Luckily for me this was a zero crime area so it didn't matter if my bike was locked or not :rolleyes:. Because that rack would have survived about 5 seconds if a thief wanted a bike attached to it.

I could lift the bike rack at my workplace and put it into the back of a pickup, if I desired. It's not bolted to anything! What's more, it's situated under the sloping roof of an office trailer, so rainfall is dumped directly on to your ride. Philistines.

So I chain my bike to a mature mesquite tree in the gated parking lot.

Make sure you get some input on the bike rack. My last company got one for me, but they didn't let me pick it out. So it wound up being this dinky flimsy front-wheel-style rack. Luckily for me this was a zero crime area so it didn't matter if my bike was locked or not :rolleyes:. Because that rack would have survived about 5 seconds if a thief wanted a bike attached to it.

It turns out that they already had a rack, but it wasn't set up. It's not the greatest rack ever, but they're going to bolt it to the sidewalk right outside the windows -- we're a first-floor operation. Our parking lot is a bit of a thoroughfare for the homeless, so I'll not leave my bags on the bike or anything. I suspect that a fairly decent lock, coupled with the oversight of co-workers, should keep it safe.

The more difficult trick is to convince other co-workers that it's both safe to ride and safe to store a bicycle. That seems to be the hesitation of some.

It turns out that they already had a rack, but it wasn't set up. It's not the greatest rack ever, but they're going to bolt it to the sidewalk right outside the windows -- we're a first-floor operation. Our parking lot is a bit of a thoroughfare for the homeless, so I'll not leave my bags on the bike or anything. I suspect that a fairly decent lock, coupled with the oversight of co-workers, should keep it safe.

The more difficult trick is to convince other co-workers that it's both safe to ride and safe to store a bicycle. That seems to be the hesitation of some.

Yeah don't leave anything that once had value attatched to the bike, the meth heads of your town will soon get word that a new bike rack has appeared.

My employer has locker rooms, a washer and two dryers. For bike to work week I talked my boss into buying a $500 ten bike rack that stays in doors. So for I'm the only one who uses it. I hope the craze catches on so he thinks he got his moneys worth.

Tim