More companies that really promote bicycle commuting

If you enjoyed commuting to work by bicycle last week, you might to interested to know that there are some companies that support their bike commuters monetarily year-round.

Some bicycle-friendly firms pay a stipend, others reduce health-care charges, while others help pay for, or even give away, a commuting bike.

Here's a list of six companies recently listed in Business Week (“Who's Pushing Pedal-Pushing”) and some I've written about in the past:

Calvert Group: This Bethesda, Maryland-based company manages mutual funds offers employees $350 toward the purchase of a bicycle;

Discovery Communications: The Silver Spring, Maryland-based sponsor of the cycling team also doles out $350 for a bike or repairs;

Environmental Protection Agency: No surprise that the EPA would support bicycling. Its Washington DC headquarters has a secure indoor parking area for 100 bikes, also showers;

Google: The company pays $100 to a favorite charity for every 20 days of bike commuting. The Mountain View, California, location has bike racks on its shuttle buses, while it plans to give away 1,000 bikes to employees in Europe;

New Belgium Brewing: Employees at the Fort Collins, Colorado, based brewer get free cruiser bikes on their one-year anniversary;

Vulcan: The Seattle-based investment arm of the Paul Allen (Microsoft co-founder) empire gives $100 a month to bike commuters and taxi fare if a heavy downpour is imminent.

Other bike friendly companies previously covered:

Dahon: The California-based foldable bike maker give a free bike to any employee who bicycles to work three times a week (including those who incorporate mass transit into their bike ride);

Stark Mountain Woodworking: This is proof that small companies can be bike-friendly too. The Vermont company's health plan pays $500 for a bike and cuts $650 off the cost of insurance to bike commuters.

Also, Treehugger has reported that retailer Ikea in the UK gave 9,000 employees free folding bike for commuting.

Please leave a comment if you know of any others; it might be useful for potential job-seekers.