Bicycle Friendly Business

Mountain Gear| Silver Level

Business Highlights: Mountain Gear offers employees indoor bike storage, maintenance and repair area, and on site shower and locker facilities. There is also a strong emphasis on education: Traffic Skills 101, 102 and commuting classes are offered to employees during bike to work week, along with bicycle repair classes, layering and lighting seminars, and a bicycle fit and selection class.

Most Compelling Bike Related Statistics: Twenty-two percent of the staff participated in the bike purchase and free financing program. During National Bike to Work Week, Mountain Gear had 48 percent of employees commute by bicycle, an increase of 6 percent from 2008. At an average of 18 miles per commute and 20mpg estimated average auto efficiency this is roughly 68 gallons of fuel diverted away from employee gas tanks and turned into a healthy lifestyle.

Most Compelling Bike Related Accomplishment: Mountain gear initiated an annual employee survey to solicit ideas for improving the cycling programs. The business also developed a partnership with local bike shops to provide resources (bikes, tools, etc) for employees.

Benefit of Being a Bicycle Friendly Business: "Mountain Gear has found that by encouraging ridership it creates strong co-worker camaraderie that improves employee moral by providing a sense of inclusion and connection in cycling as a common activity. Making the initial facility investment was critical, without it encouraging these programs would not have had the same impact. In the past four years bicycle commuting has grown its way into the fibers of the Mountain Gears employee cultural identity.” – Paul Fish, owner