Filipino riders promote unique street culture through ‘lowrider’ bikes

Posted at 3:23 pm September 13, 2011

Tags: Games and Hobbies

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By KC Santos

PASAY CITY, METRO MANILA – You will often see members of this group riding their flamboyant and extremely polished bikes along Baywalk in Roxas Boulevard on weekends.

Called Pinas Lowridaz, the group is composed of bike enthusiasts who share the same fascination specifically for lowrider bikes.

Justin Orosa, one of the group’s pioneers, says the group wasn’t formed until this year but there are several others in the metro who have already started the culture in the Philippines as early as 15 years ago.

“This group is both a solid and a loosely knit unit in that we stand by another member who doesn’t really have the resources to upgrade his bike and that we don’t exclude others who want to ride,” Justin shares.

He adds that maintaining customized lowrider bikes entails commitment from the owner and admits it can be a bit expensive. One should prepare to spend from at least 10,000 pesos (some spend up to 100,000 pesos) for one lowrider bike.

Lowriding as a lifestyle which traces its roots from the Latino street culture in the US. Most of the money one needs to shell out will go to the sourcing of the parts later needed for its customization. Some even shell out “finder’s fee” for an intermediary who is able retrieve vintage spare parts from older bike models.

For the past five years that Justin has been lowriding, he has invested all there is he could give to transform his “toys” into the meanest marvels of the road. Whereas others see lowrider bikes as mere cousins of the Harley Davidson, Justin considers his toys one-of-a-kind and more appealing.

“It’s really a collector’s item. For someone who doesn’t have much, this is all I really have. It’s an ultimate toy that I would never swap with even the most pimped out cars,” Justin says.

One of his favorite bikes is a customized lowrider trike with swirled grips and made from a hybrid of antiqued and new parts with shiny, polished accents.

Luckily for lowriding enthusiasts and potential enthusiasts, there are a couple of spare parts suppliers who cater to those looking to customize lowrider bikes. Although there are only a few who are artistically skilled in bending metals, Justin says locally customized bikes are different, maybe even better than their Western counterparts.

“Though there are only a few, local custom artists have this distinct way of playing with metals. Their works reflect the artistic ingenuity unique to Filipinos,” Justin says.

Justin says the group often taps Robert “Low Mechanix” Perez, a Filipino bike enthusiast and custom artist, to customize the lowrider bikes.

Justin says lowriding is purely for leisure purposes. “We can’t expect every person to understand and appreciate what owning lowrider bikes entails but they should also understand that we expect them to be respectful of it,” he says adding that they see their bikes as precious works of art.

Aside from the weekend rides, Pinas Lowridaz members would often be spotted in events like the recent Dutdutan Tattoo Convention and are actively spreading word about the group through their Facebook page.

“We maintain visibility wherever we feel the bikes blend and we feel the crowd has a better grip of this kind of culture,” he says, adding that the group continues to promote lowriding as a part of local urban culture.

Get more information about Pinas Lowridaz

One comment to “Filipino riders promote unique street culture through ‘lowrider’ bikes”

noy la compte on September 17th, 2011 at 2:04 pm

Wow! Thumbs up to the low ridaz group, especially to justin for the dedication and concern for the group!

Filipino riders promote unique street culture through ‘lowrider’ bikes

One comment to “Filipino riders promote unique street culture through ‘lowrider’ bikes”

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