In the cycling community, Specialized is often seen, along with Trek and possibly Cannndale, as one of the "800 pound gorillas" of the bicycle industry.
While those three companies have gobbled up some smaller bike and parts makers, and often dictate what dealers can and can't sell in their shops, I should point out that the companies that make cheap bike-shaped objects sold in big-box stores are much larger. And, even those companies are dwarfed by corporations in other industries such as automobiles, petroleum and high technology.
Having said all of that, I want to give Specialized a shout-out for their recent announcement: They are giving away 500 bikes to essential workers.
Ian Kenny says Specialized will be distributing half of those bikes in California and the other half in New York. The wheels earmarked for the Big Apple will be distributed via Transportation Alternatives, and arrangements will be made with local shops to ensure that recipients also receive helmets and other safety gear.
He explains that Specialized will give bikes to workers that are deemed essential under Federal guidelines. So, while people in the health-care professions will be among the recipients, so will workers like grocery store employees, bus drivers, farm laborers and others whose usual modes of transportation have been "flipped upside down" by the pandemic.
Most beneificiaries will get the "Cirrus" commuter model, which retails for about $550 new. A few workers with longer commutes, however, will be gifted with one of the company's electric bikes.
As I said in an earlier post, if anything good comes of this pandemic, it might be that policy-makers, planners and the general public will see that the bicycle is not only a viable alternative form of transportation and recreation, but also an integral part of any locality's infrastructure.
While those three companies have gobbled up some smaller bike and parts makers, and often dictate what dealers can and can't sell in their shops, I should point out that the companies that make cheap bike-shaped objects sold in big-box stores are much larger. And, even those companies are dwarfed by corporations in other industries such as automobiles, petroleum and high technology.
Having said all of that, I want to give Specialized a shout-out for their recent announcement: They are giving away 500 bikes to essential workers.
Ian Kenny says Specialized will be distributing half of those bikes in California and the other half in New York. The wheels earmarked for the Big Apple will be distributed via Transportation Alternatives, and arrangements will be made with local shops to ensure that recipients also receive helmets and other safety gear.
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| Artist's rendering of Specialized's bikes-for-essential-workers program |
He explains that Specialized will give bikes to workers that are deemed essential under Federal guidelines. So, while people in the health-care professions will be among the recipients, so will workers like grocery store employees, bus drivers, farm laborers and others whose usual modes of transportation have been "flipped upside down" by the pandemic.
Most beneificiaries will get the "Cirrus" commuter model, which retails for about $550 new. A few workers with longer commutes, however, will be gifted with one of the company's electric bikes.
As I said in an earlier post, if anything good comes of this pandemic, it might be that policy-makers, planners and the general public will see that the bicycle is not only a viable alternative form of transportation and recreation, but also an integral part of any locality's infrastructure.
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