The Evolution of Lowrider Bikes

In the beginning there were bicycles. An efficient, inexpensive mode of transportation. Which made it perfect for kids. Everybody wanted a shiny red Schwinn, but if all you had was an old Raleigh, that was fine, too.

And then, in 1963, Schwinn came out with the Sting Ray, a lowrider bike that looked like a chopper. It was sporty and very cool. Suddenly, your shiny new red Schwinn looked as old and clunky as Grandma's bloomers. And when the 1964 television season started and Eddie Munster had a custom Sting Ray lowrider bike, they were the only bike a self-respecting kid could ride.

By the end of the 60's however, interest in the Sting Ray faded, and we wanted 10- and 12- and 15-speed bikes with thinner and bigger tires, and then we wanted mountain bikes, and then BMX bikes.

But not all of us. Latinos in East LA liked those old Sting Rays. They bent the fork so that they rode close to the ground, and the lowrider bike was born.

Technically, a lowrider is any bike, truck, car, motorcycle etc. that has been modified to be low. Lowrider bikes are a cultural phenomenon. The point of owning a lowrider bike is not to ride it; the point is to turn it into a highly customized work of art.

Nearly all lowrider bikes have a banana seat, a sissy bar and apehanger handlebars, just like the old Sting Rays. They have lots of chrome and glitz, custom wheels, whitewall tires, modified frames, mirrors, streamers, custom paint jobs - even sound systems and luxury accessories.

And now, guess what. Schwinn is making Sting Rays again. And everybody wants one again. And they are very, very cool once more.