Olympia Man Peddles Low-Rider Bicycles

By Taryn K. Gerhardt, The Olympian, Olympia, Wash.

Apr. 1–OLYMPIA — Jimmy Sanchaz’s hobby of making unusual bicycles took off after he took a leisurely ride along a beach boardwalk, and someone noticed his bike and offered to buy it on the spot.

At first, Sanchaz was hesitant, but then he changed his mind because he realized he could just make another one.

“I was just riding it on the beach in California, and someone asked me if I was selling them,” he said. “At first, I told him ‘no’ because I was like an hour from home. Then, I thought, ‘Why not?’ So I sold it for $100, and I caught the bus home.”

Inspired by his first sale, Sanchaz, 24, became creative. Now his hobby is part art, part recycling and all passion. Using his welding skills, he designs and makes cruiser- style bicycles that he describes as “chopper bikes” or “crazy bikes.” His bikes look like small motorcycles and often incorporate motorcycle parts such as tires, wheels and decals.

“Some people like it, and some people honk their horns. Some people just laugh,” he said. “I always watch chopper shows, like Jesse James and ‘Monster Garage.’ I always thought I could make bikes like that, and then I tried it.”

Sanchaz either fabricates the frames from scratch — using aluminum or steel — or modifies an existing frame. To make a frame, he will go to the hardware store and purchase metal tubing. Then he’ll drill holes and use bolts where necessary.

He also will fabricate other parts such as the forks and bars. For the other components, he often uses bike parts such as cranks, tires, chains and chain rings off of old bikes.

“Sometimes I get an ugly, ugly bike at Goodwill for $6 and just spray paint it. I cut it right down the middle and weld some metal to it and make it really long.”

He’ll also buys parts new from motorcycle shops.

“Sometimes, I will go to a real motorcycle shop — I don’t buy engines, I buy handlebars or a speedometer — and people will ask me how fast I am going,” Sanchaz said with a chuckle.

Sanchaz, whose day job is body piercing at a local tattoo shop, says he also knows how to fix motorcycles and cars, often welding the parts he needs to fix something.

He makes custom bike parts, too.

His welding career began with a class in high school at the age of 16. Even then, his first projects were making bike parts. He also studied welding briefly at a community college in Cerritos, Calif.

“They (teachers) told you what to do in class, but in my free time, I made bars and forks — and the teacher let me take them home,” he said.

Sanchaz, who moved to Olympia about 10 months ago, says cruiser-style bikes are popular in California, but he doesn’t see too many here — they are kind of a conversation piece. When people see him on his bikes, they often ask him questions and often offer to buy them.

He usually will sell them because he loves to make them. In fact, whether or not he gets compliments is the litmus test for whether or not he thinks the bike is good.

Sanchaz says his hobby has evolved quite a bit since he first started. His first bikes were rather heavy, but he keeps improving his processes.

“One bike I made was so heavy that I didn’t want to ride it — I just pushed it home.”

His new techniques include handpainting artwork such as flames and having the frames dipped in chrome.

Once, instead of a chain, he created a fan belt-type apparatus. He used thick rubber and sanded down the teeth.

“It worked,” he said.

The next technique he hopes to incorporate is upholstering the bike seats.

“I’m going to try to use velvet, but I haven’t learned how yet,” he said.

Sanchaz often works on a couple of bikes at once. He says he can weld a bike in three to five hours and it might cost about a couple of hundred dollars to make, depending on how fancy it is.

While he often sells or trades his bikes, that is not the reason he makes them.

“Biking and welding is a combination of what I love to do,” he said.

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Copyright (c) 2006, The Olympian, Olympia, Wash.

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