A vibrant subculture of swerving, big-wheeled bikes and wheelies has made its way to highschoolers. Teenagers are embracing the diverse world of cycle culture along with the community and passion that unites all of them.
SE Bikes, short for “Scot Enterprises,” is a BMX bike brand founded by Scot Breithaupt during the early 1970s in Long Beach, Calif. They played a significant role in popularizing BMX racing and freestyle riding. Throughout the years, SE Bikes has produced various models catering to different styles. Their 29” ‘Big Ripper’ has gained significant popularity and is one of the most popular models among teenagers.
Freshman Osiris Castillo favors a 29” SE Bike because the bike is well suited for personal tricks and has grown in popularity among other teenagers.
“I chose an SE bike because it was one of the top brands out there for the big wheelie 29-inch bikes,” Castillo said. “I got more into the SE brand because I’ve seen a lot more other kids riding the brand than any other bikes.”
Rob Carahan, president of Calabazas Cyclery, a well-known shop among riders for bikes and parts, mentioned that SE Bike’s successful advertising comes from years of first-hand experience in BMX racing.
“Todd Lyons, the marketing manager, has been racing BMX since he was a kid, and he’s seen, for decades, bikes. He’s got the lightning in the bottle, so he knows what’s popular, and he’s popular,” Carahan said. “He figures out colorways and color swatches that work, and so he usually hits the nail on the head. Out of 100 bikes, he’ll get it right 95% of the time.”
Carahan believes that the cycle culture itself provides riders with a modernized skill set.
“It’s just like back in the day where guys were rebuilding their muscle cars and doing drag races and that type of thing,” Carahan said. “They gained a skill set by working on the cars, which the kids are gaining the skill set by working on their bikes.”
Additionally, sophomore Delvis Guerra mentioned that cycle culture holds a major population of individuals who are active, allowing riders to ride together often.
“It’s just that a lot of people who ride go out almost all the time. We (riders) just have someone to go out with instead of staying home and playing games,” Guerra said. “We can make new friends, talk about the bikes we have and how we use them.”
Similarly, freshman Nate Silva believes that there is a sense of community among his classmates at school.
“To be honest, it (biking) just brings us all together,” Silva said. “Everyone is just into the culture.”
Despite the community cycle culture provided among riders, stealing bikes is a common occurrence riders suffer from in multiple ways.
“The negative of owning an SE bike is that a lot of people will look at you differently, especially the cops, because they’ll probably try to take away the bike, or they’ll probably either think you stole it or something like that,” Castillo said. “A lot of people that ride SE bikes can get them stolen.”
Rideouts hosted by riders are a major event for the cycle culture. Ranging from 100 riders to 1000s, taking place in many cities, weekly rideouts happen in Campbell, or in major cities like San Francisco and Oakland. Bringing riders from many different backgrounds, the rideouts are able to expose individuals to new scenery, fostering positive effects.
“They’re (rideout attendees) going on rides with a variety of people that are not just the clique of kids that they’re with but multiple people in multiple age groups, so they’re learning from those venues,” Carahan said. “When they do the rollouts, they’re taking kids from different neighborhoods that they’re not from, so they get to see different parks, different people, different businesses.”
Many riders agree owning a bike as a teenager gives them a skillset they can use for the rest of their life.
“It gives the child a chance to explore the world and be able to do things and go places without having to get a ride in a car,” Carahan said.
The few bikes seen on the racks are a part of something much bigger. For many, cycle culture is a way to bring those from different backgrounds together to create lasting relationships.
“What I like about owning an SE bike is that you get to meet a lot more people just by riding a bike,” Castillo said. “And they can come closer to you and your family. It’s basically like one big family.”