An Afternoon At The Big Red S

I love visiting bike companies not just because it is incredibly cool to see how a part or a frame is made at a one man shop or a multinational corporation but because there’s always a ton of interesting tidbits I discover that speaks volumes about the brand.

Specialized headquarters
A Specialized Lefty?!

Located a stone’s throw away from Silicon Valley, Specialized is perhaps the biggest bike manufacturer that I’ve photographed. It also happens to be one of the most photogenic with plenty of easter egg moments.

Perhaps it was influenced by the Valley, but Specialized felt more like a tech company that makes bikes than a bicycle company.

Specialized headquarters wind win tunnel
Specialized’s own wind tunnel, officially named the Win Tunnel.

No, the Specialized headquarters don’t have a funky disorganized startup vibe straight out of HBO’s Silicon Valley. Nor does it have a flashy $303 million, Frank Gehry-designed building like Facebook. What Specialized does have though is a mixture of genuine fun and seriousness which was evident from things like their massive employee bike lounge and their state of the art R&D lab.

specialized headquarters
Headtube fatigue testing

Fun like a bicycle company, laser serious like 1 Infinite Loop. Here’s a bit of what I saw during our epic three hour tour.

We started the tour at the museum which showcased the company's storied history.