Riding Low

A Farewell

2009-04-27T12:55:00.002-07:00

This will probably be my last post on this blog. Like I said in the beginning, I starting this blog for my capstone class, Border Beat. It has been a good experience overall. I got to see a part of the Tucson community I might not have seen otherwise.

There are too many misconceptions about lowriders and those who build them. Next time you see one rolling down the street, take the time to look at the craftsmanship and detail that has gone into it. Try to see it as a functional piece of art making the roads a little more interesting.

Though I may not write about it, I want to remind everyone about the upcoming show at the Tucson Convention Center on Sunday, May 18. It promises to be a big show with lots of rides from the area.

Hope to see you there.

Barrio Hollywood

2009-04-20T11:39:00.004-07:00

Sunday I went to the Barrio Hollywood Fiesta Grande held on North Grande Avenue between West St. Mary's Road and West Speedway Boulevard. The street festival featured vendors selling food, art, clothing, and all the other trinkets found at street fairs. Local mariachi bands performed and people enjoyed the sunny afternoon.

But the most exciting part of the fiesta for me was the car show, which took place in front of Pat's Drive In. The show featured about 30 cars, most of which were lowriders. Cars were parked on both sides of the street while owners and car clubs mingled in front of Pat's.

The sun set off the glossy paint jobs and polished chrome while I snapped photos and admired the cars. As the pictures show, the cars varied as much as the crowd in attendance. There were traditional lowriders without hydraulics and others that sat three-wheeling for everyone to see. It was a great afternoon and I highly recommend checking out the fiesta next year.

More Lowrider Bikes

2009-04-13T13:24:00.006-07:00

Today I went down to Ajo Bikes at 1301 E. Ajo Way. Ajo Bikes is known for its selection of lowrider bike frames, parts and accessories. The shop did not disappoint.

I spoke with employee Brad Nutting who provided me with insight into Tucson's lowrider bike community and its history. Much of the history echoed my previous post about lowrider bikes (see March 9 post).

Nutting said people usually start with a frame a build their own bike from there using a mix of pre-fabricated parts and custom made ones. According to Nutting, the Schwinn Stringray frame is the traditional start for a lowrider bike, but original frames are increasingly hard to find. Modern manufacturers have responded by making similarly-styled frames to meet the demand.

Ajo Bikes sells about 30 complete lowrider bikes a year and many more parts and accessories. The shop offers chrome and gold-plated parts galore. From wheels and kickstands to headlights and spare tire holders, everything is customized.

Nutting said the shop gets calls from distant locations like Indiana and Louisiana asking about its stock and the bikes in general.

Enjoy the pictures of the bikes and parts and look for a more detailed story about Ajo Bikes on Borderbeat.net in the near future.

Lowrider Wheels

2009-04-06T12:08:00.004-07:00

It's arguably the most basic element of most vehicles-something so simple it frequently gets overlooked on most. I'm talking, of course, about the wheel. Even with the surge in popularity of custom wheels on everyday cars, I still find myself overlooking wheels on most cars.

But in lowriding, as I've said before, things are different. A lowrider's wheels are not just objects that allow it to roll down the street, the wheels are part of the car's soul.

According to lowrider Magazine, there were few choices when it came to custom wheels in the early days of lowriding. In the days before hydraulics allowed cars to raise and lower themselves, smaller wheels allowed cars to be closer to the ground. Lowrider Magzine describes the application of custom wheels: "Instead of a sport coupe that doubles as a family car, it's now a jewel-encrusted 'king' that dances through the streets and punishes its rivals in competitions of honor and prestige."

Modern lowriders have a variety of wheel styles in all shapes and sizes. Spokes, chrome "moons," and allow struts are common features, but each wheel adds to the individuality of the lowrider it supports.

Lowrider Art

2009-03-30T13:02:00.002-07:00

As some of my previous posts have described, lowrider culture encompasses more than just cars. The work and details that go into cars show up on the canvas. Lowrider art has become an integral part of the culture. Paintings, sketches, tattoos and other art forms are popular medias for displaying the lowrider lifestyle.

The magazine, Lowrider Arte, features contributions from around the globe.

The Metal Canvas

2009-03-16T01:24:00.003-07:00

As I've discussed on this blog before, lowriding is all about the details. A car that runs well won't be respected if it doesn't have the right paint job to accent it. And paint jobs for lowriders are not limited to specially-mixed base coats, but instead include intricate murals and hand-drawn accents that make a car unique.

Here is a video that describes the importance of paint in the lowriding community:

Another video shows the difficulty of laying down pinstripes by hand:

Lowrider Bikes

2009-03-09T12:07:00.004-07:00

If you've ever seen a lowrider with its glistening chrome accents, meticulous paint job, hand-fabricated interior and other details, you know instinctively that lowriding is not an inexpensive hobby. Though lowriders range in price from modest customizations done at home on a tight budget to outrageous show-cars with thousands of dollars of work and accessories, they are functioning cars and intrinsically expensive. But for those seeking to enter the lowrider world without investing in a car (or for those who may still be too young to drive) there is another option. Lowrider bikes are a popular subculture within the community.

Instead of restoring and customizing a classic car, lowrider bike owners work on classic bicycles. Schwinn bikes from the 1970s are especially popular, as their smooth lines mimic those of the traditional lowrider cars.

In a 1998 article about lowrider bikes for The Christian Science Monitor, David Holmstrom interviewed Maribel Alvarez. Alvarez organized an exhibit of lowrider bikes for the San Jose Center for Latino Arts. In the article, Alvarez attributes the interest in bikes to watching older brothers and fathers working on cars.

Lowrider bikes incorporate the same elements that the full-size cars do; they have chrome (or even gold) plated pieces, a low-to-the-ground look and custom paint jobs. There are magazine, such as Lowrider Bicycle, that focus on the lifestyle.

But not everyone has the skills, tools and materials necessary to create a custom bike. The solution: lowrider bike shops. Just like custom car shops for their older brothers, custom bike shops cater to those who want to buy or build lowrider bikes. Ajo Bikes in Tucson is one such shop. The store offers ready-made custom bikes and parts to do your own work.

Lowrider Magazine

2009-03-02T12:26:00.004-07:00

As I have said before, I grew up in Northern New Mexico where lowriders are a common sight on the streets. Though I remember seeing lowriders through the back-seat windows of my family's car or in parking lots, my most consistent exposure to lowriders and lowrider culture came from the supermarket's magazine section.

While accompanying my mom to the store, I frequently opted to skip grocery shopping in lieu of hanging out in the magazine aisle where I could see everything from sports heroes to exotic travel destinations on the covers. But I always found myself clandestinely checking out the cover of one periodical in particular-Lowrider Magazine. I say these early glimpses into the lowrider world were secret because aside from showcasing pristine custom cars, the magazine also features scantily-clad women. I was understandably sheepish ("Mom, I just like looking at the cars, I promise").

Lowrider is probably the most well known magazine devoted to these custom cars. According to its Web site, the magazine started in 1977 when two college students in San Jose, Sonny Madrid and Larry Gonzales.

Since it's inception, the magazine has become iconic in the lowrider world; having your car featured on the cover is a great honor. The magazine is so referred that its iconic logo, Lowrider Man, is a common tattoo for enthusiasts.

In an article for the LA Times magazine, author Charlie Schroeder described Lowrider Man: "Lowrider Man is the anti-Eustice Tilley, whose top hat and monocle helped define the wit, irony, and sophistication of the New Yorker. From behind a pair of dark shades, this confrontational Chicano from the days of disco wears a frowning pencil-thin mustache and looks you right in the eye from beneath a Mafioso fedora."

Today, Lowrider still draws my eye on the news stands. It hosts lowrider events around the country that bring enthusiasts together. The Denver Post covered a Lowrider show in Denver:

Lowriders in Museums

2009-02-16T12:53:00.002-07:00

While researching the history of lowriding, I found an interesting and informative article by Richard Gazzo. Gazzo traces the roots of lowriding back to Mexican traditions intended to show off one's horse:
"Stemming from an old Mexican ritual called paseo which made horses the utmost symbol of prestige, lowering stock cars to almost sidewalk level and customizing them dramatically has evolved into the same sort of symbol of status."

Lowrider culture is both public and private. It is public in the sense that lowriders are generally made to drive and be seen, but the construction of and culture surrounding these custom cars is usually unknown to the general public. Perhaps the hidden nature of lowriding has led to some of the negative stereotypes associated with the culture including gangs and crime.

But some trends are combating the negative stereotypes. The Chicago History Museum features a lowrider as an example of folk art and commissioned the creation of this video:

Closer to Tucson, the Mesa Arts Center featured an exhibit called "Low and Slow: The Art of the Lowrider" earlier this year.

I hope a local museum will display lowrider art in the near future.

Some Events

2009-02-09T12:20:00.004-07:00

This week I decided to find some upcoming lowrider events. I was able to find at least two shows in the next couple of months. Lowrider Magazine is presenting a show in Phoenix on March 1. According to the flyer, this show will feature 500 custom cars as well as music and other attractions. I definately want to try to make it up to that show.

Closer to home, the Second Annual Latin Festival and Car show expects to pack the Tucson Convention Center with over 200 lowriders. The show is on May 18 and also has music.

I was able to find a promotional video assembled by BIG Latin Entertainment, who is promoting the show.

A Work in Progress

2009-02-02T12:29:00.005-07:00

Last week I showed some lowriders in a professional shop. This week I decided to look at the other side of building these custom machines. Many lowriders are restored and customized in private garages and yards. One of my neighbors, Sal Romano, has a lowrider project car. His work-in-progress in a 1974 Chevrolet Nova and it has a lot of work left. Sal plans to refurbish the interior with "NOS" products. "NOS," or new old stock, refers to unused parts that are no longer manufactured. Finding unused original parts is difficult, but Sal said the Internet has made it easier to find the parts he needs.

In addition to restoring the interior, he plans to install Dayton wheels with spokes-a common lowrider style. Though he has no plans for hydraulics, Sal wants to lower the car by chopping the leaf-spring suspension in the front and installing new springs in the back-this will give the car its low-to-the-road stance. Restoring the Nova's small block Chevy 350, and getting a custom paint job are also on his list to do.

Though the list of work to be done seems daunting, its what makes a project car exciting for Sal. He enjoys putting in the time and seeing the car transform. This is not his first project car, but it is his most ambitious project.

I hope to check back in with Sal later to see the progress he has made on the Nova.

Empire Customs

2009-01-26T12:44:00.007-07:00

This morning I took a trip over to Empire Customs at 847 N. Stone Ave. I used to drive by this custom car shop during my commute and it seemed like a natural place to start my exploration of Tucson's lowrider scene. Empire usually has several custom cars parked in front of the shop, giving those who pass by a taste of the art coming out of the shop.

Empire Customs owner, Jason Akers, showed me around the shop and let me snap some pictures. Akers, who moved to back to Tucson to enjoy "a mellower pace of life" opened the shop a bit over two years ago. Empire specializes in hot rods and lowriders but takes on a variety of projects including customization and restoration.

Some of the projects in waiting behind the shop.

Though it sounds cliche, Akers said that each project means a lot to him--they are like his kids.

A Lincoln Towncar undergoes work converting it from four-door to two-door. It will be the first car of its kind, Akers said.

Sitting in the shop's lobby, a 1947 Chevrolet Fleetline entices customers.

Details are everything in the lowrider world. Above, the Fleetline's engine shows Empire's attention to detail.

Again, the attention to detail shows in one of Empire's custom hydraulic systems.

An Introduction

2009-01-26T11:05:00.003-07:00

Hi, welcome to my blog, Riding Low. My name is Mike Jarvinen and I am a senior at the University of Arizona in Tucson studying in journalism and environmental science. I am starting this blog as a requirement for my capstone course, Border Beat, which is an online publication focusing on the U.S.-Mexico border in Southern Arizona. This blog will take a look at lowrider culture in Tucson and the surrounding areas.

I grew up in Northern New Mexico where lowriders are a frequent sight on the road. To me, lowriders are functional pieces of folk-art that have always fascinated me. I would not describe myself as a "car guy"--I don't know a lot of technical information about cars and customization but I hope to learn more while working on this blog. That being said, don't expect to see a lot of technical discussion on this blog; I won't be posting instructions for engine overhauls or hydraulic installations. Instead, I want take a more general look at the lowrider community in Tucson. I want to find the people who are passionate about these custom cars and make the road more interesting for the rest of us.

Check back frequently, I will be updating this blog at least once a week. In addition to original features, I will also post about upcoming events I find.