| Call it fashion that you can sit on. Lowriders – bicycles where the rider sits close to the ground – are the most recent trend to hit Calgary.
"It's definitely fashion over function," says Anna Docherty, one of the people who has been instrumental in promoting Calgary's burgeoning lowrider phenomenon.
Owner of Anna's Lowrider Bicycles and Accessories (2115 - 4 St. S.W.), the 22-year-old jumped on to the lowrider lifestyle approximately five years ago when she was out searching for a bike that was unique.
"The local bike shops said they were never going to carry these," says Docherty, pointing to a lowrider bike that would make any would-be Elvis proud. Affectionately called Bling-Bling, it is decked out in gold paint with a Continental kit mounted on its rear end and spiral-like handle bars that would look good on any Harley-Davidson.
Not one to be rejected by the conventions of the retail industry, Docherty, a full-time industrial design student and entrepreneur, started importing her own lowrider bikes to Calgary. She now sells a full line of customized lowriders from her newly renovated shop.
"So far I haven't sold one that's the same," she says.
Much of the individuality of lowriders can be attributed to the range of accessories they can be outfitted with – everything from knockoff Louis Vuitton fabric for the saddles to custom chrome rear-view mirrors.
"It's all about the accessories," says Docherty.
And with individuality comes expense – some of these tricked-out bikes ring in at thousands of dollars. Big Red, which costs $3,000, resembles a motorbike more than a bicycle, and comes complete with a small electric engine that you can flick on whenever you're tired of peddling.
Lowriders, along with their close cousins the beach cruisers (with frames as high as 26 inches) and choppers (distinct because of the long forks that lengthen them, dropping the skin-to-pavement ratio), have been seen in other parts of Canada for the past several years.
"I found out right away that the bike scene for these styles of bikes is much larger out East," says Calgarian Curtis Dell, who operates a Web-based mail-order business (chainganglowrider.com) offering lowriders, beach cruisers, choppers and accessories. "Consequently, 80 per cent of orders are shipped to Eastern Canada," he says. "As interest grows in Western Canada you will start to see more bikes in our neck of the woods."
Dell, who works full-time as the general manager of a local car shop, says he first became curious about lowriders as an extension of his interest in cars. That is no coincidence – lowrider subculture traces its roots to 1960s Southern California, where Latinos began turning mundane family sedans into pavement-hugging fashion-mobiles.
"I got involved in lowrider bikes because I like vintage cars and lowrider cars and also was bored of my mountain bike," says Dell. "So I started out messing around with old bikes, turning them into lowriders and old-style bikes. It gave me projects to work on during the winter when it’s too cold in the garage to work on cars. The more bikes I built, the more fun I had building and riding them."
Today the 29-year-old is a self-styled lowrider aficionado, keeping several models around for his own riding pleasure.
"My favourite at the moment is a vintage restored 20-inch wheel folding bike, I think, because I looked at it for so long and finally got it finished this winter," he says.
"I'm also riding a new Krate bike, a Schwinn Orange Krate, a 24-inch stretch beach cruiser, and a Stretch Classic Chopper. (It) just sort of depends on the mood I'm in that day. The notable exception is a 20-inch lowrider – I love those bikes, but I'm too tall. The ergonomics of a small lowrider make it almost impossible for me to pedal it."
Noticing the growing interest in lowriders, even big bike manufacturers are returning to earlier designs by creating new versions of retro-style bicycles. In April 2004, Schwinn released the updated Sting-Ray, a 20-inch cruiser/chopper bicycle (available at local shops including Mission Cycle) that was originally created in the 1960s. Described by the company as the "rebirth of cool," the Sting-Ray is, according to Schwinn, "the fastest selling bicycle of all time."
"I think right now we’re just at the beginning of something huge," says Curtis. "I've even noticed a significant increase in interest since last summer."
For those who want to check out Calgary's lowrider scene, Show N' Shine events will take place Tuesdays at 6 p.m. at Anna’s Lowrider Bicycles and Accessories. Bring your bike and go for a low-down stylin' ride.
"Everyone does it," says Docherty. "Skater kids, little kids and couples. We take over a lane on 17th Ave. and get harassed by the police." |
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