Bike friendly workplaces - mine's hard to top

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The Womble
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Re: Bike friendly workplaces - mine's hard to top

Postby The Womble » Thu Mar 31, 2011 8:00 pm

lethoso wrote:
wombatK wrote:Even if there were only a 10% take-up, you could have a 28 minute wait for a shower.
That's assuming everyone arrives at the same time, which is rather unlikely.
Why wait? get to know the cute brunette 3 partitions over by offering to scrape the dirt out from under her nails while it's still wet. All for one and all that

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Re: Bike friendly workplaces - mine's hard to top

Postby Fletcher » Fri Apr 01, 2011 8:00 pm

Wow, I'm surprised some of the workplaces described here don't employ full time soigneurs to massage your tired legs at the end of a hard commute.

My workplace for the last 18 months has a swipe card basement carpark with locker room - 2 showers & 16 lockers for the males & same for females. It took ages to get a locker, but only 4 of them are used daily. Lock my bike to a downpipe in the basement. Ive lost a bike computer and a whole bike was nicked a few months ago. Then last week all the drying clothing, towells and bike shoes were 'disappeared' from the mens locker room during the day. We couldn't ride home. We searched everywhere - the whole basement, nearby dumpsters and womens change room. Called building management and complained in case the cleaner had a brain fart, lost it and dumped all the smelly stuff. Amazingly, the next morning it reappeared in a shower cubicle in the women's change room :?

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Re: Bike friendly workplaces - mine's hard to top

Postby Aushiker » Tue Apr 05, 2011 3:02 pm

Rhubarb wrote:Workmates wouldn't necessarily recognise me instantly from these forums though as Rhubarb isn't my real name.
:lol: :lol: :lol:

Andrew

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Re: Bike friendly workplaces - mine's hard to top

Postby Aushiker » Tue Apr 05, 2011 3:03 pm

Lizzy wrote:I'm pretty spoiled where I am I must say (uni campus). Room for my bike in the office, there are loads of racks and a few bike cages around the place for those less fortunate ...
Pretty much the same here ... only thing lacking is a drying room :)

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Re: Bike friendly workplaces - mine's hard to top

Postby Ozkaban » Thu Oct 20, 2011 11:24 am

My work place is pretty ordinary on a lot of things (budget!), but being part of a Govt department that has specialist duties employees, there are a lot of facilities that are available. Good showers/locker rooms, reasonable indoor gym and enough bike racks in a secure underground parking lot. Works well as parking in the area is a bit of a nightmare...

The other thing that is great about them is the flex work time arrangements. I can go for a 1 (or more) hour ride down the Parra Valley Cycleway at lunch pretty much any day I like so long as you make the hours. Breaks the day up nicely :D

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Re: Bike friendly workplaces - mine's hard to top

Postby teamdanby » Thu Oct 20, 2011 4:39 pm

Puffy wrote:Showers? Lockers? Bike Racks? What are they? I work in a donga (metal box) and shower in the sink! No A/C in the toilet and typically I am just as sweaty coming out as I was going in. Could be worse, at least I don't have to worry about the bike being stolen.

glad to see i'm not alone in this

HMM lets see
bike is stored in disable toilet not lockable but it is out of the way
no locker my locker is my backpack so i have to bring stuff in and take it home each day
no shower unless a rag in the sink can be classed as one (lucky i work in a all male place)
no freash fruit hell no nother just water from a tap
no dryer so my sweaty cloths get hung over my bike and a chair to dry out thru the day and on raining day ohh well i will just get wet again anyway
funny enoght no iron either or a gym umm really we have nothing
opps to top things off the loacal bike store is only 25km way :roll:

there are alot of very lucky people out there with some really good jobs and bosses
and then there are people like us on the ground

BUT we do have a killer single track MTB course right next to us :lol:
Daily comuter
Gaint XTC mtb
city slicker wheels for the week
kenda nevegal for the tracks on the weekends

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Re: Bike friendly workplaces - mine's hard to top

Postby Ozkaban » Thu Oct 20, 2011 4:49 pm

Almost felt sorry for you... then
teamdanby wrote: BUT we do have a killer single track MTB course right next to us :lol:
But now I dont :D :mrgreen: :mrgreen:

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Re: Bike friendly workplaces - mine's hard to top

Postby teamdanby » Fri Oct 21, 2011 4:28 pm

yeh lucky for me i work at a waste managerment site (rubbish dump)
so i'm lucky i don't need fancy showers and things like that and even my BO smells better that some of the rubbish

also drive trucks and machinary so i'm only offending myself

i do need to get mysellf another set of wheels as i want one set for the road setup with slicks and road gears and the other for the tracks with the big gears and chunkys on them
once i do that it will be all too easy to change the wheels for a blat around the track
Daily comuter
Gaint XTC mtb
city slicker wheels for the week
kenda nevegal for the tracks on the weekends

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brasstinman
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Re: Bike friendly workplaces - mine's hard to top

Postby brasstinman » Sat Oct 22, 2011 8:21 pm

OMGosh I almost fell off the lounge when I read the first post. Does such a place exist??? Really??? lol

To sum my workplace up, the change room was an after thought and put in begrudgingly in case someone wanted to go for a run at lunch.
Cars are parked two deep by valet because there are not enough spaces so the number of bikes has increased and the change room is brimming to the max.

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Re: Bike friendly workplaces - mine's hard to top

Postby DavidS » Mon Oct 24, 2011 12:10 am

I do pretty well working at a uni. They have been adding more and more bike racks and still can't keep up with demand. Then they introduced fenced areas (in the open) for secure parking at $20 per annum. Didn't really see the point of this until I moved to another part of campus. Suddenly the option wasn't a fenced off outside area but a basement car park with bike cages opened by your access card (or student card for students). So now I use the basement car park. My ride in is only 12Km so I don't shower, if I want to there are facilities in the car parks and there are lockers available although they might cost a couple of dollars a day. I just take all my stuff in each day as I put it in a bag in the basket on my bike. I can leave it hanging around in the office where I am so no problems.

The facilities of the OP are amazing, free soap, cheap coffee, that would be nice.

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Re: Bike friendly workplaces - mine's hard to top

Postby blossy84 » Mon Oct 24, 2011 1:50 am

I thought my workplace was pretty good, that was until I read the first post! We have a small office of only 14 people. There is one shower room and as I'm the only one that really uses it I get free reign. I leave all my toiletries in the shower and my towels and clothes are hung up on the hooks. My bike is actually stored in the shower room too. Which is safe as only office staff can get to it. My husband works in the same office and he takes in my lunches and clothes that I need (he drives). I keep spare undies and socks in a draw at my desk just in case. We do get fresh fruit supplied though that is for everyone not just for riders (me). There is a coffee machine, a nespresso, which is free to use though I don't drink coffee. My boss actually rides a fair bit, but he usually does early morning rides when he can as opposed to commuting work. This helps though with me taking over the shower room for my bike. He understands.
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Re: Bike friendly workplaces - mine's hard to top

Postby jasonc » Mon Oct 24, 2011 6:30 pm

Oxford wrote:I also have a spare desk next to me which will never be taken as it has a spare office resource PC hat everyone accesses remotely from their desktop rather than physically coming to it. That was by my design so I would always have the desk empty for me to keep my stuff on it. Going to be a bummer when I set up virtual office resources. :cry:
don't you need redundancy ;)

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Re: Bike friendly workplaces - mine's hard to top

Postby PB12IN » Sun Jan 01, 2012 7:07 am

I work in Australia Fair shopping centre on the gold coast. there is a 4 story car park for staff. and it seems that I am the only one thatuses the bike racks there. the only secure bit is that the racks are near the booths where they take a finger each day for staff to have the honor of parking their cars there. Considering it costs $3 a day to park and its free to park a bike I don't know why I'm the only one that rides.

I also ride in bordies and a tshirt and I still cop heaps about my riding clothes, my manager has even taken to calling me a girl. I don't understand why it is so weird for someone to be seen in board shorts on the gold coast.

but no my work place is not bike friendly.

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Re: Bike friendly workplaces - mine's hard to top

Postby gururug » Sun Jan 01, 2012 11:23 am

Rhubarb wrote:subsidized barista coffee
!!! :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:.......Any jobs going?

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Re: Bike friendly workplaces - mine's hard to top

Postby kodakmomentz » Sun Jan 01, 2012 12:32 pm

Oxford wrote:
Oxford wrote:I also have a spare desk next to me which will never be taken as it has a spare office resource PC hat everyone accesses remotely from their desktop rather than physically coming to it. That was by my design so I would always have the desk empty for me to keep my stuff on it. Going to be a bummer when I set up virtual office resources. :cry:
well I spoke to soon, the desk across from me was filled while on worker's comp and due to some expansion, the desk next to me will be filled this year in a few weeks. just as well I do not ride a bike to work anymore, but I do commute by moto, but the server room is the storage space now.
What a shame but definitely worth going with virtual desktops. I store my ride a store room in front of my little server room, the air conditioners in there cool down the store room too. Win win situation especially during summer!

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Re: Bike friendly workplaces - mine's hard to top

Postby Christina Brinkmann » Tue Jan 03, 2012 6:39 pm

CommuRider wrote:
Rhubarb wrote: Workmates wouldn't necessarily recognise me instantly from these forums though as Rhubarb isn't my real name.
...
I rang one cyclist- colleague today and he normally talks slowly but he spoke to me as if he had just snorted crack since he was talking at 200 words a minute. Then he told me he had just been out for a ride.

Seems once you're a cyclist, one tends to become rather obsessive about it.


Funniest post I have read here, thank you. :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

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Re: Bike friendly workplaces - mine's hard to top

Postby gretaboy » Wed Jan 04, 2012 9:33 am

My work is very bike friendly.

We have a shower room with lockers. There are individual lockers and shared ones.

There is an covered outdoor bike rack which can hold 10-15 bikes at a time. In the office we have lots of bike riders so seeing someone in lycra doesnt prompt stupid statements or giggles.

Our company did, yet to see if it still will due to a management change, provide subsidized cycling gear for major cycling events across Australia. Things like Ride Around the Bay in Vic and Syd to Gong in NSW. We have to pay for entry fees and for an additional $25 we get knicks, jersey and sometimes gloves, hats, socks and drink bottles. If they do it again this year, the design of the gear changes so I will get a whole new set again ..yay

One office has regular rides on a friday lunchtime and it can have close to 10 people riding at a time.

On the ride to work day our office puts on a BBQ breakie for everyone that rides.

So it isnt too bad a place to be if your a bike rider
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Re: Bike friendly workplaces - mine's hard to top

Postby blossy84 » Wed Jan 04, 2012 10:07 am

Sounds like a great place to work gretaboy :D
i love my bike(s)

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Re: Bike friendly workplaces - mine's hard to top

Postby gretaboy » Wed Jan 04, 2012 10:10 am

erin wrote:Sounds like a great place to work gretaboy :D
The company itself is as cut throat as any..job security is not a high point....offshoring to onshoring is 80/20

we lose contracts we lose onshore staff..but the people in the office are great and make it worthwhile turning up each day, like any job these days, it has it pros and cons
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Re: Bike friendly workplaces - mine's hard to top

Postby blossy84 » Wed Jan 04, 2012 10:36 am

Of course... I made my comment purley based on the bike friendliness score :) it's disappointing re onshore / offshore numbers, but good to hear the people you work with are nice. That sometimes can make all the difference.
i love my bike(s)

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Re: Bike friendly workplaces - mine's hard to top

Postby simmo71 » Tue May 01, 2012 9:47 pm

My workplace has about 250 people, 6 of who are regular commuters. I am the only one to wear lycra and clip in! So you get the calibre of the other riders.
I mostly have the showers to myself, and like Lizzy think of one of the shower cubicles as mine! :D

My bike lives inside in a common area near the mealroom, no one locks bikes. When the new employer took over the contract we had to fit in twice as many people so they halved the size of our lockers, which means my shirts reach the bottom and get a bit crumpled :(

I still get stares as I walk through in lycra, you think they would be used to it after 6 years, but apparently not. I joke that its the new company uniform and theirs will be arriving soon, much to their horror.

This week however some scummy pratt stole the AA rechargeable batteries out of my front light, lucky I discovered it at lunchtime and was able to get replacements. Riding home in the dark with no light would not be fun. :x Thinking about putting in a hidden camera!

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Re: Bike friendly workplaces - mine's hard to top

Postby Mulger bill » Tue May 01, 2012 9:57 pm

simmo71 wrote:...Thinking about putting in a hidden camera!
Sucks that some 'orrible lowlife has done this but tread carefully on the camera thing. Potentially huge backlash if it's discovered and there's a complaint.
...whatever the road rules, self-preservation is the absolute priority for a cyclist when mixing it with motorised traffic.
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Bike friendly workplaces - mine's hard to top

Postby dino1969 » Tue May 01, 2012 10:13 pm

I work in hospitality so have a secure locker, hot shower facilities and my bike lives in my office in the kitchen!No other bike commuters but fellow Team members are respectful of my choice!I think that they secretly admire my Lycra!lol!



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Re: Bike friendly workplaces - mine's hard to top

Postby DoogleDave » Thu May 03, 2012 7:19 pm

I havent had a chance to start riding into work yet (still waiting on my new rear light to arrive), but our workplace is very good.
I work in the Melbourne CBD in a 26 storey building which has catered for their tenants nicely.
There is an basement level, swipe card secure bike caged area with 24/7 video survaillance, male and female shower/changeroom areas with around approx. 250 lockers in total.
The male changerooms have about 16 cubicle showers which adjoin the locker room, all requiring security cards to gain access.
I must say, I am looking forward to making use of these facilities soon.

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Re: Bike friendly workplaces - mine's hard to top

Postby Rhubarb » Thu May 03, 2012 10:38 pm

So for all those people who read my initial post and have been insanely jealous, it should hearten you to know that I no longer work at that building. The facilities at the building I work in now are "adequate" but very basic in comparison.

To be honest I don't need a lot so it doesn't really bother me. A shower and a secure place to lock my bike is really all I need.

In reality the worst thing about my new place of work is that it is 7kms closer to home, and that 7kms was the safest, fastest and most picturesque part of the trip.

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