The question in the subject of this post - "What's the best bike company you've worked for?" - is one I hear relatively frequently. It's usually due to the fact that I'm meeting up with a former coworker that I haven't seen in a long time, or when people find out I've worked in the industry most of my career. As I write this I'm not in the cycling industry, but it's hard not to think back often... especially when people ask me this kind of question.
It came up again a couple weeks ago and I've been thinking about it on and off since that time. I thought I'd try to make some sense of the question, for myself, and if others are thinking about this industry for their career. The more I think about it, I also think this kind of analysis would show similar patterns in other industries. Industries with a variety of similar companies in the same space, vying for the same customers and using pretty standard products (the bike hasn't changed too drastically in its 200+ year history - unless you're seeing it every day from the inside).
So for those that don't know, I've worked for the following 5 cycling companies in my career, in chronological order - SRAM Corporation, Hayes Bicycle Group, Quality Bicycle Products (QBP), Trek Bicycle and Specialized Bicycle. The last two being the largest US-based cycling companies in the world and both ranked roughly 2nd & 3rd globally. As far as I know, these two major brands only trail one company in annual sales, Giant Bicycle. This formidable, long-running and competent brand is not based in the US, but in Taiwan. They have often produced bikes for both of the other brands, and may still today. Side note: I've also worked for some regional/local bike shops (or independent bicycle dealers (IBDs)) - I would not trade this experience for anything and think it was a great place to start my career in bikes.
Back to the main question - "Who's the best?" My answer to this question is not an easy one and please don't feel bad if you get bored reading this and come back later (or not at all).
If we simply look at my length of tenure the best company would be QBP. I worked there for 8 years, straight through (never leaving and going back, which seems pretty common, in the cycling industry at least). The 2nd best company on this list would then be SRAM. I worked there for about 6 years, one stretch of 4 years (leaving for an MBA program) and then going back for about 2 more years. My time at the other three wasn't necessarily shorter because I didn't enjoy working there, sometimes life gets in the way and the employer-employee relationships doesn't last as long.
At this point I'm going to veer a bit off-topic and review some of the things that all or most of the companies on my list have in common. It's pretty interesting to realize how much they do share:
Hippies - not all but most of these companies were started by hippies or people outside of the normal business world drudgery who embraced bikes for themselves and wanted to share this passion with others. Steve Flagg, Dick Burke (who I never met but worked for his son, John) & Bevil Hogg (who I also never met but I know he started a whole different bike company later on), Mike Sinyard, and the four guys at SRAM. Steve was a true hippie and I think I would put Mike in the same boat. It suited them all very well and I only mean that term in this context as a complement to their desire to forge their own paths, er, trails. It's not a slight at all. In fact I'm not sure a regular business person (whatever that is) could have even started these companies in the US in the 1970s.
Vision - many of the men have a type of vision I rarely have seen in others, in or out of bikes. Steve proved this through his company's history, and when I've heard him speak or bring ideas to fruition, that he simply thought broader, more inclusively and down the road further than anyone. I suspect Mike is the same way, in slightly different facets of the bike word. I think most of these men are, whether I got to witness them firsthand or not... you sort of have to be to get some of this now large companies off the ground, with the shared values & vision that they started with.
Passion - I won't pick a winner here. Having worked at these places it's clear to me that all of these founders have major passion for the products, health benefits and incredible camaraderie in this industry.
Start-Ups - These guys started with nothing. One pulled a bike trailer behind his own bike to sell tires from shop to shop throughout the Bay Area. One started making bike frames out of a barn in the middle of Wisconsin (the winters get pretty chilly!). And another literally started out of his garage, selling spare bike parts to bike dealers around the country. In a certain twist of fate, these three companies all started about the same time, rode the gas crisis cycling boom straight to the MTB bike boom, through the Armstrong years, and now into what we have today. Of course, not all the men were involved the entire time, but they set-up their companies for lasting success, in my opinion.. whether the next leaders could keep it going or not. You can also find similar stories at other US bike companies, I've just not worked for them (yet).
Having discussed those shared traits, I think it clear to see that many of the companies in the bike world start out similar but I also know that every one of them changes a great deal and never stays the same. If they did I would probably still be at QBP. Of course, I am not and I've also recently seen and heard that's it's not really the same company as when I worked there. Their president has changed, the industry & companies have to change in some ways constantly and this year, all are dealing with the pandemic.
I will end this long diatribe simply by giving some awards to my former employers for things noticed by me as the best thing they did during the time I was there. They might be different now. If you're looking at cycling for a career, I'd encourage you to check out any potential employer for yourself, heck, maybe even try a few like I have.
Best Employee Engagement & Career Advancement - QBP
Best Vision for Cycling Globally & Embracing Technology in Bike Shops - Trek
Best Product Development & Passion for Racing - Specialized
Best Underdog - Hayes Bicycle Group
Best Growth Story to Witness Over Time - SRAM
To be clear, this is all simply my opinion, and I'm not even handing out any actual awards. One other thing I will point out, that all of the companies I've worked for share, is amazing coworkers. People who have passion for bikes, people who are smarter than me and teach me new things, people who are willing to lend a hand to anyone, people who I still consider my friends... and people who, in some ways, I still consider my coworkers to this day.
