| Most bicycles are dull and boring - they come | | | | But what's the point of getting a lowrider |
| out of a cookie cutter and they all look the | | | | without accessorising it? (I prefer the term |
| same. Not so the lowrider bike. Once their | | | | accessorizing to "pimping," personally, |
| owners get their hands on them, their | | | | although "pimping" is what all the "young |
| lowrider becomes a personalized piece of art. | | | | studs" call it.) |
| | | | |
| Custom upholstery, rims, special whitewall | | | | It's quite easy to get carried away, and more |
| tires, and sound systems are common on this | | | | is not necessarily better, although some |
| mode of transport. | | | | lowrider artists seem to think so. Two |
| | | | mirrors on each side, two horns, a spare tire |
| Think I'm talking about a car? No, I'm | | | | mounted on the rear..it can be a bit much |
| talking about customized lowrider bicycles - | | | | (although you can't tell them that!) |
| the latest craze sweeping the urban areas of | | | | |
| the country. | | | | So before you start fitting out your |
| | | | lowrider, think for a while about what you |
| A lowrider bike is not about biking, although | | | | want it to look like. Are you a talented |
| they do get ridden up and down neighborhood | | | | artist? Then purchase some paint made |
| streets, or perhaps on the beach, to show off | | | | specifically for bikes and give it a unique |
| the "pimped up" ride, but mostly they are | | | | mural. Match the rest of the accessories to |
| about viewing. | | | | the mural. If it's of a series of volcanos, |
| | | | get red upholstery and red rims, for example. |
| People have put steering wheels on their | | | | If you've got any mechanical talent at all |
| bikes, neon, handpainted murals, and even | | | | you can "distress" various of the parts to |
| hydraulics. What are "hydraulics"? You might | | | | give it a unique look. |
| be asking yourself. That's a fancy name for | | | | |
| brakes powered by liquid. (Hydro means water | | | | Most of all, you've simply got to join a |
| in Greek.) The imagination is the limit when | | | | lowrider club in your area, because most of |
| it comes to designing a lowrider bike. | | | | the fun in having these types of bikes is to |
| | | | show them off to your friends. Lots of clubs |
| You can get a plain old lowrider bike of | | | | have competitions and give prizes for the |
| course - simply a bike with a low, | | | | best-looking or most outrageous-looking |
| comfortable seat, usually a banana seat, the | | | | bikes. |
| pedals set further forward then normal so | | | | |
| it's almost like you're pedaling while | | | | Surf the web for online stores that offer |
| sitting down, and high, swept up handlebars | | | | lowrider accessories, so you'll know what all |
| called apehangers. | | | | is out there. Then, let your imagination run |
| | | | wild! |