Salesforce “Tour de Force” Bike Room

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Challenge

How do you turn a long, narrow storage space into a functional and attractive bike room?

Solution

It would have been easy for Salesforce to have installed some bike racks and called it good. But, they wanted to create something special for their bike commuters. So they turned to Bikes Make Life Better for help.

We started with room layouts that included a combination of vertical and horizontal racks to accommodate a variety of commuter bikes, from lightweight to heavy. Then we incorporated a DIY bike repair stand with tools and an industrial grade floor pump, as well as cubbies, hooks and a shoe rack to store gear and dry wet clothing (this room is in Bellevue, Washington).

The space—11 feet wide by nearly 40 feet long—didn’t afford many layout or rack options. So we recommended paint and a mural, because there’s nothing like color and graphics to transform a space. That’s when Salesforce got creative!

Results

The Workplace Services team wanted bike commuters to feel a sense of ownership over the room so, they asked employees to help with a name. Playing off the company’s tradition of using “Force” in its naming conventions (think Dreamforce) and the famous annual bike race in France, they came up with “Tour de Force.” Now when cyclists step inside their bike room, they are greeted by “Tour de Force,” painted in Salesforce gray and blue on the far wall.

To give the room extra oomph, the team turned the walls into art, using characters known well to Salesforce employees. With a little help from Astro the squirrel, Codey the bear, Cloudy the goat and Einstein the scientist, pedaling together through the mountains, the space was transformed. The colorful mural, employee-generated name, variety of racks, DIY repair station, cubbies, hooks and shoe racks make this space one that bike commuters want to use.

Head to our Photo Gallery to see the bike room.

“Bikes Make Life Better’s role is to educate us,” said Lauren Bennett, Senior Transportation Manager at Salesforce. “[They showed us] what the future can be like. Here’s what your bike room can be like. It doesn’t have to be this sad basement. We can put some color in here. Imagine what that will do for you. Let us help you get there.”