Lowrider Bikes History
Alastair Hamilton
Lowriding began as a cultural element of Chicano Americans,
part of the street culture of the American barrio where Mexican
immigrants maintained a lively urban culture. Lowrider bikes, one
of the most splendid and unique products of this culture, are a
cross between the Harley and the cruiser bike, decorated with
paint and chrome and streamers, found in any all-American
hometown parade.
As you might surmise, lowriding bikes hug the ground. The
highest points on a lowrider bike are almost always its two
hand grips, just like you might find on its motorized cousin,
the Harley motorcycle. The seat of a lowrider bike is down at
wheel level and its pedals are sometimes higher than the
seat! These bikes are typically a highly individualized
creation. Most of them are ridden with enormous pride by their
creators, although you can buy some standard models and a few
elaborate models in a good bike store, especially in cities of
the American West.
Despite the fact that these bikes originated within the poverty
of the barrio, lowrider bikes are anything but cheap. Makers of
these one-of-a-kind creations regard their bicycles as much as
an artwork and a mechanical marvel as a means of
transportation, though part of the joy of creation has always
been parading them down the street when completed—these are not
pieces of art meant for life in dusty museums, for the most
part. Each part is usually carefully selected for its utility as
well as its beauty, with the resulting bike a breathtaking
example of technical and artistic ingenuity.
Lowrider bikes are becoming a presence in more and more cities,
perhaps made more "respectable" among the affluent bicyclists
who drive the market by the increasing popularity of their
cousin, the recumbent bicycle. As the baby boomer generation
ages and feels increasing twinges of back pain riding on the
dropped handlebars of road bikes, expect to see more and more
lowrider and recumbent bikes alike.
And once you get your first basic lowrider bike, don't be too
surprised if you find yourself flipping through the real or
online pages of a lowrider parts catalog musing, "Hmm. I wonder
how that golden sprocket would look on my bike?"Lowrider bikes
have a tradition of creative embellishment and technical
improvisation that calls out the artist and the inventor in
many of us.
What, really, could be better to evoke, especially if you're
already a bike rider?
About The Author: Alastair Hamilton is a freelance writer for
http://www.bikecyclingreviews.com
. For additional information
on cool bikes have a look at his web
http://www.bikecyclingreviews.com/lowrider_bikes.html
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