YouTube has spawned many sudden sensations. Take scraper bikes, for example. A music video about the tricked-out bicycles posted to the site by some teenagers in Oakland, Calif., has attracted a cult following, with nearly 3 million views.
The video spawned what is becoming a worldwide movement, even as it changed the lives of the young men who customized the bikes and made the video.
"Actually, scraper bikes saved my life," says Tyrone Stevenson Jr., who prefers the title "Scraper Bike King."
"Because I was at a young age, getting into a lot of serious trouble, selling drugs and on the verge of going to jail. So my mom told me this is a way to channel anger and frustration, just focusing on something that's creative, something that's me, and the bikes is me."
Oakland is a town where hip-hop is king and cars known as "scrapers" are huge. They're large, bright and have rims so big that they scrape the inside of the wheel well. Stevenson and his friends took those aesthetics and applied them to bicycles, fitting large wheels on small frames.
Stevenson, 19, started making scraper bikes a few years ago. He couldn't afford a car, so he made do with a bike. But not just any bike.
"The idea from the scraper bikes, it basically came from the cars that ride in Oakland — we call them scrapers — basically it's an old model car, such as a Buick, that's painted a custom color to match the rims. I wanted to take that and put a bike onto it."
To do that, he put the few resources he had to work. He added colorful foil food wrappers — from Oreos or Skittles — to the spokes, so when they roll they flash with color. Then he spray-painted the frames to match.
But scraper bikes didn't really catch on until he and some friends recorded a music video about them and posted it on YouTube. And now…
"Oakland has been taken over by scraper bikes," says Stevenson. "On the Internet, it is worldwide. There's people from literally across the world making these bikes, from Portland, Oregon, to Japan to Australia to Jamaica."
Stevenson says he's already making a living scraperizing bikes, but he's got big plans for the future: trademarks, patents and, someday soon, a scraper bike shop.
"The true meaning of a scraper bike is basically, I want to give back something positive to the community," Stevenson said.
"Because there's so much going on. Drugs and killing and stuff, this is a way of giving the kids a way to a positive future, but being creative at the same time."
Jacob Fenston reports from member station KQED.
I ran across these wheel covers while looking at an event known as Bike Polo. Very interesting activity if I do say so myself and truthfully, I do not care to know the ins and the outs of Bike Polo, but what I do care to know is the ins and the outs of these funky wheel covers. I have a friend who does Spinner Rims for bicycles and I have always believed that these were just a tad to much. It feels like what we call in the neighborhood as 'Frontin'. That is the same thing as someone who can't afford a Gucci Purse to buy a Knock Off!
However, These wheel covers are just flat out NASTY. They could be the high of NASTINESS if they came in other colors than the present black...Remember I told you a few years back on this very blog that I designed something similar to these called Doogies? Well my friends, as they use to tell us in the Marine Corps..."Stand-by to Stand by!" The King of these types of wheel covers is still my man Da Champ of scraper bikes out in the Bay area...STILL Cruisin in HIS SCRAPER BIKE..
Views: 2,483,069
Yall know I love me some Scraper Bikes! I just checked their site and it seems they had...A CONVENTION OF SORTS! I tell you what, these cats, the Trunk BOIZ love what they re doing and they found a way, despite their circumstances to do something BIG! I admire their grit and their hustle. What is more I am hoping the CEO Da Champ is entering into some big time promotion relationships with other companies! Champ, you and your team GET IT! Their are companies out their spending MILLIONS per year advertising and can't (although they desire to)reach that niche you have in your back pocket MAN!
To my readers, I am going to share something with you that that Da Champ, Trunk BOIZ, and I understand that you may not;
1) Pushing your product in Urban Areas requires you to SPEND LESS big time advertising dollars and 'Get Hood' with it like Scraper does it! Aka- a more 'Viral' approach!
2) To my readers in the industry, IF you really wanna penetrate the Urban Bicycle Market, STOP BUILDING BIKES THAT ARE UGLY! Why do you think Scraper is such a popular movement? It is because they took THE JUNK you built, and turned it in to something kids all over the country are doing. They are in Cali and I am in Denver and their is a youngster up the street 'Cruisin on his Scraper Bike!'
3) Partner with Street Promoters, like Da Champ, Trunk Boiz, and Scraper for your 'Viral Marketing'. Not just to go promote, but to consult on your designs. They know what Urban Youth will like and what they won't.
4) This will sound contrary to everything you think you know, however, celebrities aren't the most effective way to promote your products. The most effective way is to design hot products, consistently, that will sell regardless of endorsements. Take some of that endorsement $$$ and stick it into infastructure.
These are just a few ideas, but ideas are the things that GREAT COMPANIES nd GREAT PRODUCTS are made of, no?
QUIT PLAYIN! The FABRICATOR OF FUNK sent me the link to these Wood Rims by Ghisallo classic wood rims (tubular and clincher). I am sittin here TRIPPIN right now because these things are just so bomb! I have been to Bike Swaps and shows and have seen rims that look like wood, and they look good but these wood rims are the real deal! You see, awhile ago I came to the conclusion that I didn't have to design EVERY component on my bikes and because of this conclusion I have come across a whole lot of 'Specialists' all across the world who focus on one component of bicycle and leave the rest to others. 
I must say that I can most certainly imagine some luxury wood rims on some of my designs. Here are just a few of the specialists I have come across during my journey to discover THE FUNK in bicycle designs:
- CDS Components: This is the company of the man you all know as 'The Fabricator of Funk' and the one who is set to build the hottest bicycles on the planet! Sorry I can't give his name right now but a brotha like me gotta keep him under wraps for now.
- Sweet Skinz: Maker of the HOTTESSSTTT tire patterns on the planet today. DANG, the name is even hot.
- Bike Dubz: Maker of urban style spinners and rims for bicycles.
- Scraper Bikes: Simply put, bicycle wheel ARTIST who believe in and promote the individuality of each rider. They have a design called 'Peaches & Creme'...come on man....QUIT PLAYIN! Youtube video with over 2.5 million hits...they got me saying, as on the video "I'm cruising on my Scraper Bike..I'm cruising on my Scraper Bike."
- Wil Min: This is SUPER UNDERCOVER because this person has the MOST AWESOME color coordinating mind on the planet, has kicked out over 100 original tire color coordinated patterns, and does it with CRAYONS and MARKERS! You won't find anyone in the world with the gift this person has.
Scraper Bike Fan says:
Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "An Urban Entrepreneur After My Own Heart":
THIS IS CHAMP DA SCRAPER BIKE KING AND THIS ARTICAL IS TOUCHING AND MOTIVATING..CONTACT ME PERSONALLY AT scr..........
I reiterated my message to him and remind ALL OF YOU.....
My response;
Thanks for the comment on my blog! I want to encourage you to forward the link to everyone you know who loves to roll on scraper bikes. The reason is although Da Champ and I have different areas of design focus as it concerns bicycles, (Champ does wheel covers-me the whole bicycle) our goal is the same I believe, and that is to introduce the world to the way WE do it! Da Champ and his concept reminded my mid-30s year old mind that honest hustlers and urban entrepreneurs (legal) don't see what is around them, only that which is in front of them.
Champs story of where he grew up (poor neighborhoods,etc like me) further reminded me what I used to know, and had apparently forgotten, and that is, no matter what is going around you, ask yourself this question; what do you have that can make a difference that is right in front of you? With Champ, it was stuff from relatives back yard, and look where he is today? RYDZ by Marshall Taylor (my company) is rolling out our 1st proto-type bicycle design (called 'Illuminati') in 2 weeks and will have 5 (all hand built) by April 2009.
Names of the other 4 are as follows:
1) Low Down; A kind of inner-city dirt bike design I guarantee you have never seen.
2) Red Monkey; Mix between a .... and .... Bike. Rear wheel base is..well..CRAZY!
3) Iron Riders; Dedicated to the memory of the 25th Infantry Buffalo Soldier Brigade of 1892 (Google it, you may find it interesting)
4) Le Major Valante (French for 'The Flying Major) which was the nickname for the greatest forgotten American Sports Hero of all-Time, Marshall 'Major' Taylor (Google it)
With what Champ is doing and what I am doing, we will bring a inner-city vision to the bicycle industry. Sadly enough, the minority youth market is being totally ignored by bicycle companies and it makes me sick! IPODS, nice sneakers, hair styles, clothing, designer cell phones.....And they are riding around on junk?!
One reason Da Champ's concept has caught fire is because he knows, I know, and you know that in whatever we do, we like to look good, floss our RYDZ, and make them unique to us. How do you think Sean John clothing is doing $500 Million a year? BABY PHAT is doing $1 Billion a year? GMC is using MOS DEF to sell their cars to black folks? A Company I helped launch, Banneker Watches, has partnered with Jostens to sell High School Rings, etc? Jostens did this deal because they know that minorities have flair and style as well as BIG $$$ to spend and they don't have the flair to reach that market!
http://www.bannekerwatches.com/
http://www.bannekerjewelry.com/
http://www.jostens.com/
I promise you my designs are going to represent what I call 'Urban Funk'!
One of the most well known entertainers of the 20th Century started this. Your boy LIBERACE started this! Oh yeh my dear readers, check it out!
During my worldwide search for that 'Other Level' Urban Bicycle Design I have been ranting and raving about over the past year and a half, I ran across an urban bicycle entrepreneur from Northern California Tyrone Stevenson Jr., aka "Champ". Champ has been a bicycle enthusiast and builder since his teens. He is from the inner-city Bay Area and his love for bikes led to him building them out of any parts and design material he could get his hands on. Champ is a 'Real Hustler' yall in that he started his company with almost nothing and was creative enough to take old bicycle frames and project his personality through his creations.
Another thing that caught my attention was the 'Grass Roots' level guerilla marketing this guy has undertaken. He started in his neighborhood and ventured out from there. He is selling T-Shirts on his website and various other clothing items that will get the word out long before he undertakes any production level bicycle designs. This is creating demand for his product, educating people on his company while at the same time building the 'Ground Swell'. I am sure that there are other key people helping him with this, nevertheless, the vision is what drives the process!
He literally used scraps to build bicycles. To all of you bicycle designers and others who think that you need huge investment $$$ to live your dreams, take a page from this dude's playbook and just look around you at what is already available, use it and go from there. Champ has 'Street Promoters' out there in Cali pushing his concept, believing in the dream and following wherever he leads. Man, I am speechless.
His website is http://www.scraperbikes.net/ and not only am I going to recommend that you visit his site, but also support him through the purchase of some of the T-Shirts and apparel he has for sale there. Today, I am truly humbled and blessed to know that fellas like this are keepin' it real and hustlin' out there to make their bicycle design and funk dreams come true. Champ is truly a Bicycle Design Urban Funkmaster after my own heart and more than anyone or company featured on my blog, he is someone that will be a part of resurrecting the Marshall 'Major' Taylor legacy. Champ, keep hustlin' and making your designs 'Do what they do'!
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