Mike Sinyard

Mike Sinyard is the founder and chairman of Specialized Bicycle Components, the American maker of bicycles and cycling components. He started the company in 1974, aged 24, after travelling in Europe and building an import relationship with Cinelli, the Italian component maker. At first he imported and assembled bikes from Italian parts and supplied sought-after components to California bike shops, and within four years the firm was making about 18 million dollars a year and selling complete bikes. In 1981 he created the Specialized Stumpjumper, the first mass-produced mountain bike, and in 1984 he moved the company to Morgan Hill, California. He led the company for 48 years and retired as its chief executive in 2022. He is a founding member of the International Mountain Bicycling Association and the National Interscholastic Cycling Association, entered the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame in 1988 and the U.S. Bicycling Hall of Fame in 2011, and was profiled in the 2007 documentary Klunkerz.