I'm so glad that I don't have to deal with building security guards, building, and office management on bicycle parking. It's tough enough in having to work one's way through urban morning traffic, only again to be hassled at one's work place.

What's funny about this whole situation is that you are just one guy trying to bring your bike into the building. And why are you doing that? Probably because they don't have anywhere safe you can lock it up outside. Now, just imagine if, say 40% of all the folks working in your building started cycling to work and wanted to put their bikes somewhere. Then you would have to agree bikes in the building are not acceptable. But if THAT were to happen, they would be forced to build some sort of safe bicycle parking area outside your building.

Which leads to the question: IS there any provision for bicycle parking outside your building? If there isn't, then the position you should take is: I'll be happy to leave my bike outside when you provide a space that is safe and secure and leaves me confident my bike will still be there when I get off work. If there IS bicycle parking outside the building, I think you might lose this battle.

We have a bike rack just inside our parking garage, which is patrolled by security. Yes, you need a good U-lock to leave it there, but it is under the garage so it is out of the sun and the rain, and it is in the front of the garage so it's pretty secure. The sad part is, the garage has parking for about 2,000 vehicles, and FOUR bicycles. Even sadder, I've never seen more than two bicycles in the bike rack.

No, he's not, he's power tripping.

No, he's not, he's power tripping.

Very good... especially the last sentence... Of course this sort of subtle suggestive tack requires thinking on the part of the receiver... so it may or may not actually work.

But indeed, I like it.

On a different note, in my town is the amount of land space set aside for retail parking is usually equal or up to twice the size of the building that it's accommodating. Any parking area size smaller than the building size, the retail business tends to have trouble financially.

If it was me, if possible I would find something to cable lock it to in my office at this point. In theory a security guard shouldn't just come in to your office over your lunch break and take your stuff, but you never know - just look at the "be nice to IT people or they'll erase your salary" comments in this thread. Once someone has convinced themselves and their buddies that it's ok for them to be an asshat, there's a certain number of them that will do anything they think they can get away with. The guy might say "my boss said it shouldn't be in the building, it's ok for me to walk into your office, take out your bike and leave it unlocked in the rack in front". Maybe he'll claim that he has no idea what happened to your bike. But if he has to cut a lock to move your bike, now he's more clearly stealing something, a line people usually won't cross because it clearly risks their jobs.

In theory setting up a discrete camera would be a good idea, but now that's some work.

It all comes down to building mgmt policy. Some places allow bringing in bicycles in while some doesn't. The ones that don't should provide adequate bicycle parking facility. The perception of safety is just.... perception unless it is backed by hard facts. It's a give and take situation here.

I don't know how some of you feel if someone wheels their bikes through your home on your carpeted floor. But I sure don't like it. Same with no outside shoes indoor policy at my home.

The company I work at (we own the buildings) has a no bike inside policy. They do offer bike lockers, but my bike won't fit (baskets at back don't work with triangular space). So I bring my bike in, so far no hassles from Facilities. If this happens it will be a reasonable conversation as our facilities and security are very professional (security is way above renta-cop.....mostly retired police, sherrifs, DA investigators)


notes on bike lockers
There are some interesting restriction on the lockers....mostly post 9/11 requriements about having control over structures that could be used to put a bomb in ins my understanding.. Bikes can't be stored overnight, Locker users have to use company provided locks (small master locks). Non company locks are actively removed. .

Yes. The security guard's job is to make the OP's life as a tenant smooth and safe. Period.

At my own employer's office building, there is a comb rack in the grass across the parking lot from the building. I see two bikes parked there sometimes, one on each side of the rack parked lengthwise in order to get a U-lock on the rack. They get rained on a few times a week.

Our building has large, unused areas of concrete patio covered by the building overhang, perfect for keeping a bike rack dry. I suggested to the building management that they locate a bike rack there, but they were uninterested, and claimed that they were not planning to make the expenditure. If they ever told me that they were going to start enforcing a no-bikes-inside policy, I would revisit the issue of the protected bike rack with them. I would even pay to install it myself, since the rack would be less expensive than replacing my nice bike left out in the rain day after day.

If that security guy win round 2, then change game plan for round three. Get a folding 26" bike. Put it in a soft case on your way in and smile at him. Just be sure you unfold it and rolled it out the biulding passing him when you're going home. That probably mess with his head.

If that's your office, he has no business doing anything in there, even less so if he's trying to mess with your personal property such as a bike. We had one such wise guy trying to mess with people's belonging where I work, he almost ended thrown out of the window. He never did that again. Not to say I approve of such actions, but he picked on a wrong coworker, the one with a really bad temper when he's not in a good mood. His mistake. As per you, I suggest locking your office when going out, and telling that "security" whatever to stay out of your way and to do his job and let you do yours. That usually works for me, I've had similar situations and they eventually left me alone because they got the message that it is simply not smart to mess with me if they have nothing to do for whole days. I tend to resolve matters in a more subtle, but far more remembered way, such as having a little talk with their boss. About that it might be time to let some of them go, and find new people more suitable for the job. It helps that I'm pretty important to keep my part of the business flowing smoothly, so they usually listen. Now those trouble makers can hardly stand to look at me when I greet them :D I like to be outgoing and warm, and I make sure I greet them at least two times a day and ask them how is the job, do they think it is easy to find another job in this age, and similar small talk that I'm sure they enjoy :D

Off today, had an Orthopedic surgeons followup. I'm cleared to ride my bike to work now by him though!! LOL.

Tomorrow is the test. Emails back and forth today, all of which say it has to go outside. I did point out the stripped Specialized Globe that's 25 feet from the security station... asked how well the policy worked for that guy :)

My boss, who is the CIO instructed me to bring it inside, what door to use to bypass security, and where to put it once inside (empty exec office) so we'll see how this flies.

BOFH! Sick the pimply faced youth on him! LOL.

Au contraire! A common misperception is that the security guard is supposed to be some obsequious concierge. They are typically there to provide security, good order, respond to a limited set of routine & predictable if non-routine situations, and enforce a certain set of building policies. Now they should most certainly do so in a way that is as palatable as possible to the occupants / tenants, and in that regard it sounds like CCrew's nemesis may have been an abrasive little jerk -- he may have been doing his job, but he was probably doing it poorly. I am not defending him at all, and he likely has an inappropriate temperament for dealing with sentient humans as he confuses the shred of oversight that he has with some elaborate form of "authority." But on the flip side, I am tired of people lording it over "those security d-bags" as if their role is to make you feel important, special, and higher up the food chain while you do whatever you want.

Security guards that seek confrontation need to be terminated. But way too many other typically normal folk turn irrational or at least un-nice and escalate even the slightest engagement by a security guard into a "who do you think you are, lowly scum?" confrontation.

CASE A:
1 - "Pardon me, our building policy doesn't allow bikes indoors; there is bike parking in the basement."
2 - "Is that a new policy? I've been parking here for years with the consent of management. Where can I see the policy?"

CASE B:
1 - "Bike. OUT. Because I said so. Go ahead, punk, make my day!"
2 - "Show me the policy! Genuflect when you deliver it to me. With a cappuccino. Or I'll have you fired, scum!"

If you're responding to A-1 with B-2, you're got issues.

If you're not getting A-1 as a start, security person has issues. Maybe as a result of getting a lot of B-2s along the route. That's no excuse, time to go (vacation or for good TBD). But how many times do you see yahoos going ballistic on security guys, gate agents, etc. and want their jobs?

It takes a big person to respond to B-1 with A-2. Try to be that person. Or at least try not to see every mild act by a security person as a B-1-like affront to your dignity.

It sounds like CCrew got B-1 to start with and it went down hill from there. The Mexican standoff of 'what do I do with my bike right now' certainly makes for an interesting evolution, even if folks aren't hell bent on escalation at the moment.

BTW, CCrew, hope this all works out!

I don't work there anymore, but I went through the garage past perfectly good covered bike parking, up the freight elevator, and park the bike in an empty cube near my office thing for a couple of years. In "violation" of strict building management policy but with consent of my tenant facility person (site manager) and with the cooperation of the security folk -- 3 of whom were fierce mountain bikers and almost killed me on a trail ride.

I park my bike in my office and the building does have a policy on “no bikes in the building” but I am the policy enforcer.
The reason the policy is in place for us is due to a safety issue, set by OSHA. Most of us are smart enough to park a bike off into a corner of a room but laws / rules and safety concerns are not written for us but written for the select few who do stupid things that creates hazards, such as a bike in an office space which blocks a fire escape or causes a trip hazard in darkness or causing issues for wheelchairs.

I live in a gated apartment complex, these are usual in this city. Every day I ride past the security guards, and smile, both on the way in and the way out. Other than that we never interact.

There are two bike parking places in spaces under apartment buildings in the complex, both staffed by older women. A friend who lives in the complex as well told me to avoid one, but that the other was good. The live in a small room off the backs of their respective bike parking areas. I started parking my bike in the good one. However on the first Monday morning, when I have to leave earlier, I had to wake her up so she could unlock the gate.

Since then I take my bike up to my apartment in the elevator and keep it there.

I have been expecting somebody to say something, but they never do (though this may partly be a language problem).

All seem happy when they get in the elevator with me and my bike, even when I am covered with sweat or dripping with the rain at the end of my commute home.

Hope it works out CCrew.

z

Yes, it is simply amazing the amount of space we devote to automobiles... a visitor to this planet might conclude that autos were sacred, by the way they are often treated.

Lol, yes but I imagine our treatment of automobiles would pale in comparison of their treatment of their space ship. :-P Blowing a tire on a car is bad, but not as bad as getting a leak in outer space...

I can't help myself but to check back and see how this turns out.

I used to take my bike into the office when I worked at Verizon Wireless, and never had an issue. I had a little recessed area between my cube wall and the window that I could back my bike into, and basically no one could see it unless they walked all the way down my row. Now my bike sits right outside our office window, about 20 feet from where I sit.

Yup: he's just doing his job. :(

I have a pretty low opinion of security guards, because I can't recall ever hearing about them providing security. A 15 year old girl was mugged in a bus tunnel recently, in Seattle. Five attackers punched, kicked, and stomped her while the security guards looked on, twiddling their thumbs. Thank goodness security is still able to harass cyclists, or they'd be completely worthless.

In all fairness, they were forbidden by policy (at the time) to intervene. If I were making a security guard's salary I would have to think twice about doing something I could get fired over.

In my opinion, you're just reinforcing the original point. If policy says that they had to stand by, that just goes to show that even official policy acknowledges that the "security guards" are pointless and useless.

As for personal responsibility, I can't say what exactly I would do if I was one guy who's job officially required me not to intervene and I was faced with taking on 5 guys myself (other than that I would definitely call the police). I'm not sure I would want to get fired AND get beat the crap out of in exchange for maybe, possibly helping out the person who was being beaten up. That's just a craptastic situation, period.

Today was the first day back. I parked in the parking garage, but not in the racks. I'll take pictures of the racks, no true cyclist would put their bike in them.

Interesting though was that I got in at 5:30am, and the racks were almost full. There aren't 20 people in the building at that time (2200 people in the building during hours). Talked to one of the other guys that cycles, he said most have been in the racks for MONTHS. Seems that many employees store their bikes there rather than storing them at home.

This afternoon when I left, the racks were literally a *mound* of bikes. I've never seen anything like it. I had found an area in the back of the next floor down that was clear and locked off to a gas pipe.

Funny part is that the security monkeys made three trips through my office area today.. obviously looking to see if there were bikes up there. First time they've ever been there in two months. I figure I'll play nice for a bit, let it blow over, document the mess that the bike racks are, and start taking my bike upstairs again. I'll give it two weeks or so.
In the meantime the lower floors seem to be unused with plenty to lock to, probably because the ramps between floors are hella crazy steep. But what's also funny is that I can get into the parking garage, then hit the elevators without security ever seeing me, since I only have to deal with them when entering the alley to the garage.. once I get past them and badge into the garage there's no more checkpoints.

^ wow, that's awesome! Unfettered access to bicycle parts! WIN!

You must've not visited some of the road bike forums. Why, you should just peruse the "where do you store your bicycle" thread. There are a few that brings their outdoor vehicles into their living room. Obsessed? It's all relative.... ;)

Funny part is that the security monkeys made three trips through my office area today.. obviously looking to see if there were bikes up there. First time they've ever been there in two months.

Because there is no greater threat to the security of an office building than a bicycle in the office of a subversive bike rider.

I don't mean to defend security guards in general. In my mind, they're just here in case I forget my key card. However, in this case in Seattle, these guys were getting ripped up in the media for doing nothing, which I felt was a bit unfair.