Lowrider bikes history
by 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
Find further information on
lowrider bikes at
http://www.bike-cycling-reviews.com , your online
resource on road and mountain biking reviews, the hub of
cycling information.
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