Specialized Bicycle Components Specialized Bicycle Components Specialized Bicycle Components, Inc., commonly called "Specialized", is a United States-based company that designs, manufactures and markets bicycles, bicycle components and related products under the brand name "Specialized". The Morgan Hill, California-based company was founded in 1974 by Mike Sinyard — and since 2001 has been 49% owned by Taiwan-based Merida Bikes. The company was founded in 1974 by Mike Sinyard, a cycling enthusiast who sold his Volkswagen Bus for $1,500 to fund a cycle tour of Europe, where he bought handlebars and stems made by Cinelli to take back to the US. Sinyard started out importing
Bicycle More specialized bicycle components may require more complex tools, including proprietary tools specific for a given manufacturer. The bicycle has had a considerable effect on human society, in both the cultural and industrial realms. Around the turn of the 20th century, bicycles reduced crowding in inner-city tenements by allowing workers to commute from more spacious dwellings in the suburbs. They also reduced dependence on horses. Bicycles allowed people to travel for leisure into the country, since bicycles were three times as energy efficient as walking and three to four times as fast. In built up cities around the world, urban