You've seen them on the covers of magazines, on tv, and on the streets. Low rider bikes are blazing into popular culture and it looks like nothing is going to stop this cultural phenomenon from growing to massive size.
From the mechanic who builds low rider bikes in his spare time to the new kid on the block who finds an old beat up junker to turn into his personal statement. People from all walks of life are getting involved with the essence of this lifestyle. What is it about this phenomenon that makes it so popular? Some believe that it is the intrinsic yearning within humans to make a statement about who they are and what is important to them. These bikes are an excellent medium to do this. They provide new and experienced artists with the canvas to create a work of art that will stop people in their tracks and get them to think about who it was that created these amazing bikes.
The popularity of this bike is visible everywhere. The shows that used to be purely devoted to cars are increasingly integrating low rider bikes into the entertainment. From show producers point of view it is a great way to involve a greater segment of the population. From the attendees point of view, its just plain fun to see the massive amount of creativity that those who design low rider bikes bring to the shows.
What are the origins of these bikes? In order to explore this we have to step back in time and visit another type of show... In this case a tv show. Low rider bikes are said to be a descendant of a bike that was used in the popular 1960's tv show "The Munsters". With the popularity of the show, the bike took off and became THE bike that kids wanted to get. Low rider bikes began to be seen on the streets of otherwise conservative neighborhoods. The popularity of these bikes was short-lived. As the years went by the predecessor of this bike was seen less and less frequently.
Then came the 1980's. The decade of greed and indulgence would also be the decade when the this style of bike had new life breathed into it. With this newfound life, the bike took off and has steadily been gaining popularity. These bikes have now reached the point where they are starting to make headway into the mainstream. So, these bikes are rocking the bike world and, in the opinion of many, the low rider bike is here to stay.
How does one get involved with this vibrant pool of life? Today there are shows that provide a venue for low rider bikes, clubs and online resources where people interact and figure out how to build more outrageous low rider bikes. The exciting thing about this lifestyle is that the builders are always pushing the envelop and trying to come up with new and unique ways to present their bikes. There is also a growing number of people who want to build these low rider bikes and are seeking tips on how to do this.
