Normally we focus on bicycles here, but we're going down a slightly different road this month and feature something for the younger kids. Growing up, we all had our share of riding toys. For myself, it was a big Wheel on which I hauled ass around the park doing rear wheel slides. Then there were the Radio Flyer wagons, and lately you've probably seen vintage strollers and new toy Indian motorcycles rolling around the shows.
The de albas have been building these strollers and toy motorcycles for a couple of years now and albert de alba gave us a bit of background on the process. They find them all over, and most are in pretty bad shape when they get started on. The strollers are mainly 1940s and '50s vintage pieces, most of them wound up being planters and other things before being rescued by the de albas. There's normally a one- to three-month build time, LRM May 08 125 depending on the original condition and how crazy someone wants to get.
The green stroller received a little body reconstruction with many of the changes being subtle. The tray was welded to the body, then everything was smoothed out and readied for paint. The de albas worked their special magic on it, also painting the wooden handles to match. adding $2 bills to the foot tray tied together the name of the stroller, "Terrible Twos," quite nicely. The accessories were all chrome or gold plated for all three of them, and each received whitewall tires to complete the look.
Mario de alba III is the lucky kid who gets to ride in Terrible Twos, and Greg de alba Jr. gets to ride in his green stroller, complete with a Louis Vuitton upholstered seat. Jalyn Vega is the lucky little princess who gets to ride in the "Pretty in Pink" stroller. even though these are show quality toys, they get heavy use from the kids and attract plenty of attention wherever they go, including the lowrider shows where you might have seen them being pushed around.
The Indian motorcycles are another one of the toys that the kids get to play with. They were purchased online and then taken apart to be prepped and painted. They also received some custom touches like whitewalls and some chrome plating to bring them up to spec with their real-life counterparts. The blue bike belongs to Mario III and features light blue paint with liberal doses of pinstriping, including his name on the seat.
The gold bike belongs to Greg Jr. and has patterns on the tank and fenders, and a Gucci pattern painted on the seat. The green bike belongs to nathan de alba and flies mint green paint with silver accents, and the de alba autoworks logo on the tank. and on close inspection, you'll see that these are toys with all of the nicks and scrapes that you would come to expect from a kid excited about riding his new toy.
The lowrider exhibit at the Petersen Museum is the temporary home for a pedal car and another stroller also built by the de albas. Their inclusion lets the rest of the world know the reach of the lowrider culture. The strollers range from $1,500 and up, and the motorcycles from $400 and up... a small price to pay to have a stylish toy for your child that shows their lowrider pride.
These toys are yet another example of lowrider creativity being applied to everyday life. Whether a '64 Chevy Impala or a '40s stroller, it has to be low, slow and colorful. a