Lowrider bicycle

[1] These bikes often feature a long, curved banana seat with a sissy bar and very tall upward-swept ape hanger handlebars.

[7] Early modified bikes first appeared in California alongside Lowrider car culture popular in Chicano communities.

[5][8] Mexican American youth would emulate the craft of lowrider cars with their bicycles as a canvas for creativity, usually starting with common muscle bikes.

[3][9][10][11] Similar to lowrider cars, the bikes were stigmatized as a part of "gang culture" by mainstream America simply because of their origins within the Chicano community.

[12] George Barris, who moved to Los Angeles to "become part of the emerging teen car culture" opened a shop in Bell, California, a Mexican American neighborhood.

[5] With the increased popularity, classic Schwinns, which became the body of choice as a starting base to create unique designs and modifications,[18] were far more scarce and more expensive.

[21] The first bike to be featured on the cover of the magazine was known as "Claim Jumper" and owned by Danny Galvez, Jr. of Los Angeles, California.

Basic or classic characteristics of a lowrider bike (most accessories are highly polished chrome, though gold can also be used for added flare): Some custom modifications include twisted forks, spokes or handlebars, what are known as "bird cages" (twisted metal strips that resemble a bird cage) that are cut and welded onto handlebars, sissy bars or pedals.

Many bikes also feature custom framework such as tanks and skirts which are the addition of sheets of metal, usually welded onto the frame to give it a "filled-in" look.

One American bicycle mechanic Sheldon Brown wrote:they are built purely as an exercise in styling, with no real concern for riding qualities.

The space between the two rear wheels is sometimes used to mount either a two-seater "love seat", a "boombox," or even pumps for hydraulic or air suspension.

[28] In 1996, Marianne Dissard and Robert Kramer made the documentary film Low y Cool with the South Tucson, Arizona, lowrider bicycle club Los Camaradas.

[29] Also in 1996, as part of Kodak's Advantage camera systems advertising campaigns, the company shot Rene Vargas and his "Gangster Madness" bike (featured on the Nov./Dec.

[27]In 2000, Sprite shot a television commercial focusing on the youth of lowriding, which featured four-time LRB Bike of the Year Champion Mike Lopez, Jr. and his club, Finest Kreations.