Hi, My name is Jeroen van de Wier. I'm from The Netherlands, I'm 26 years old and the proud owner of a customized Kustom Kruiser Roadster. The place to talk and argue about my bike and how to customize has always been the forum of Slow'n Low Pedal Scrapers. The first time I heard about them was when they visited "Spokes", that's a small custom bike shop in Tilburg (NL). Since that time I followed them for a while and decided to join them! The main guy and the brain behind the forum is Richard Jacobsen (a.k.a. cruz-®) from Norway. He designed it and keeps the site how it's supposed to be. I admire him for all the energy he puts into the world of stretched cruisers and how they are built up to be real scrapers.

Hi, My name is Jeroen van de Wier. I'm from The Netherlands, I'm 26 years old and the proud owner of a customized Kustom Kruiser Roadster. The place to talk and argue about my bike and how to customize has always been the forum of Slow'n Low Pedal Scrapers. The first time I heard about them was when they visited "Spokes", that's a small custom bike shop in Tilburg (NL). Since that time I followed them for a while and decided to join them! The main guy and the brain behind the forum is Richard Jacobsen (a.k.a. cruz-®) from Norway. He designed it and keeps the site how it's supposed to be. I admire him for all the energy he puts into the world of stretched cruisers and how they are built up to be real scrapers.

For example, he started up a line of Slow'n Low merchandising and he organised the first "get together" in Copenhagen. BR&K asks readers to post interviews of people they admire, so this is the time for me to ask Richard all about Slow'n Low Pedal Scrapers. Ready?......you better be!

^Kustomized Roadster by "26inch"

Some Slow'n Low Member's Rides

^Felt sled by Creme Fresh

^Diamond Roadster by Jeroen van de Wier

^Orgullo Mexicano by IndiJan

Jeroen with his kustomized KK Roadster

^Jaco's Roadster

^Mammoetbike by Pogo

^Mother Tribute Bike ( MTB ) by Space Piraat

^The Mad Caddy by Jeroen van de Wier

^Almost original Roadster by FullTwisting

^Dyno by Rat's finest

^24 inch Lowrider by Rat's finest

^Rustcore Scraper by Rat's finest

^The So-Cal Speed shop Scraper by Richard

^The Ferrari-bike by Enzo & Richard

Jeroen: Everybody knows the old-skool chopperbikes, they made custom bikes popular, but the industry goes on. Well, first question: What was your first experience with cruisers / low-glides? And what was your first ride? Richard: I remember that I loved my kiddie trike but my first real bike was a Puch. It looked like a vintage banana-seated Schwinn Stingray. Man, I was so proud of that bike!! Jeroen: Was that also the reason for you to start the slow and low forum? Or how did it evolve? Richard: That's a question with a looong answer I guess. Yes you can probably say that the Puch was the reason that I started a bicycle thing. Some 40 years later, I've had so many bicycles through the years. And I always customized them all one way or another. I remember the first time I saw pictures of Gary Fisher and his friends go fast down a trail somewhere in California, man I loved what they did with the bikes. From that day I have loved mountain bikes. I was so much into having a cool MTB that I traveled to California to buy parts at the shops that I read about in magazines like Mountain Bike Action Magazine. I remember shopping a Manitou suspension fork at Cambria Bicycle Outfitters in the early 90's, that was a big moment for me. A few years later I went to Santa Cruz and visited the factory of Santa Cruz bikes. I was pointing out a frame and a set of wheels. And then I went on a "parts vendetta" down the coast. Back then it was hot with anodized aluminium. That bike cost me over 10 grand! Remember this was in the mid 90's, it was a lot of money. On all my trips to California I spotted them cool cruisers on the beach. I loved the style- and this was not a style we had back in Norway. You could only see them in movies, TV series and in magazines. And since I was a "California-nut" I just had to have one of those cruisers. The first beach cruiser I got was a Trek Beach Cruiser. A regular cruiser with no fenders and foam on all of the handlebars. I got a Springer fork on it and that was it. I didn't use it too much, so after having it in my garage for 10 years I sold it. Then a couple of years back I spotted an ad on the internet here in Norway, on a Dyno Roadster. It was only ridden a few times and the price was good. Jeroen: You are from Norway, where there aren't any custom-bicycle shops. How do you manage to build up your rides? Richard: Yeah tell me about it! We have a lot of bicycle shops. But none of them are selling cruisers or cruiser parts! So everything we need we have to order from out of the country. Like if you need a new tire, get it from Holland, if you want another handlebar, get it from Germany. And it takes forever to get the parts. Sometimes you wait 5-6 weeks on a set of valve caps. That stinks. Jeroen: You got a special place in your heart for Coasters /Roadsters; what makes 'em special for you?  While your namesake Richard  (owner of GT bicycles) didn't believe in the design when he said: "Are you Fucking serious, you actually think you can sell those?" Richard: I love the Coaster/Roadster frame because I think it looks so "old school" and the fact that it looks almost like a normal bike only stretched. And I love the look and the stance it gets with a bent springer fork. That bike was the first customized stretched I spotted on Huntington beach. Jeroen: What's your top 5 of all time favourite factory-bikes? And why? Richard: 1. DBS, (Norwegian), because they are the most common bike in Norway. 2. Cannondale, because that was my first big MTB love. 3. Santa Cruz, because that was the best/coolest/hottest MTB I have ever had. 4. GT, It's my MTB brand now, and because they made the Dyno. 5. Felt, because I think they make the coolest bikes. And the fact that the designer of the Roadster frame Jeff Soucek is the designer there. Jeroen: (Quote: "Scrapers = Everything that rides too damn low...)" Those bikes are lowered till the pedals almost hit the ground. The classic way is by using a bent-springer and smaller wheels, 24-inch instead of the standard 26 inch. Where did the classic scraper build-up come from? Richard: They do hit the ground, not almost. If the question is where the "Slow'n Low Scraper thing" came frome the answer is from being a "car nut"! We've always lowered our cars and many of us original SLPS guys dream of a '64 Impala laying on the ground. So we just had to lower our bikes. Jeroen: Your forum counts over 100 members worldwide. How did it come that custom bikes and particularly pedalscrapers are getting more popular every day? Richard: Well the virus hits hard, or was it an epidemic..? Seriously I don't know? I think the fact that we "scrape our pedals" is a thing some guys just think is way cool. Jeroen: Everybody has his own opinion about what looks good and what doesn't Do you see a difference in style in the different countries that are represented on the Slow 'n Low forum? Richard: Yes I do, The Netherlands is a big bicycle country with a lot of bicycles. The style in Holland is often a more "practical style". They use their custom bicycle to get to work. Germany has lot a more "die hard" customizing style. More wide rims and flat paint. The states have more of a "bling-bling" style, more custom paint and they like the Mexican Lowrider bikes style. And in Finland they build some crazy frames. Jeroen: You've got special connections with Belgium and the Netherlands. How come? Richard: That's just a coincidence. When I first started to customize my Dyno I was searching the internet for parts and for pictures of other bikes. The first bikes and shops I came across were in the Netherlands. I ordered some parts from a great little bike shop called "Spokes" in a town called Tilburg. And I got to be friends with Gerd the owner of Spokes. Then I met Gérard ("Space Piraat") and the guys from the "Custom Bikes Breda" club in Breda. Then the ball started to roll. We went on a trip to visit our Dutch friends, and we met some nice guys from Belgium on the way. Jeroen: You organised the first "get together" last may, under the codename "CIA" there were a few people cruising with you through the city of Copenhagen. Will it ever get as big as the FBI in the Netherlands?.........and do you want it to get bigger? Richard: Of course we will get bigger! We will knock their socks off man! No I'm just kidding. CIA will never be as big as the FBI meeting. And we don't want it to be that large either. It is for a bunch of dedicated scrapers that meet for a cruise and to spend some quality time together. The reason why it happens in Copenhagen is the travel distance for "the bunch" is almost the same. And since FBI is the largest happening we just had to call it CIA! That's just funny. Jeroen: You built a great theme-bike, the So-cal speed shop  Roadster. Tell us about it! Richard: Well that's also a long story. It started with another theme. A Lakes Modified Roadster theme. You know the old hot-rods with no fenders and flat paint that raced the dry lakes of California back in the 50's. I tried to make it as authentic as possible. To have all the "things" a rod would have back then. You know a flat paint, red rims and white sidewall tires, no fenders, some pinstriping and exhaust wrapping on the headers. Then after having it like that for a year or so I wanted to take it to the next level. Imagine that you had a old beat up "lakes racer" in the garage and you wanted to make it more modern. Who makes some of the coolest hot-rods there are out there? So-Cal Speed Shop in California! So then I transformed the LMR into a So-Cal Roadster. I even visited So-Cal to get some authentic stuff. Jeroen: You're always willing to help people out with cool themes and gadgets, for instance the Ferrari-bike  I want to know all about it. Richard: Well I love to help people with themes and color schemes. I work as a car-graphics designer so I just have that in me I guess. Then a member who is a die hard Ferrari fan (he changed his name to Enzo and he has the Ferrari horse tattooed huge on his body) wanted to customize a beat-up Kustom Kruiser Roadster. Of course it had to be a Ferrari! So we made it into a bike that has a look like it is Pinin Farina or someone that who designed it. And the name on the ride is "Biccicletta Rossa", that's Italian for "Red Bicycle". Sounds like a Ferrari name to me. Jeroen: A lot of time goes into building a custom ride, you have to be original, and the bike must stay functional. The bikes on Slow'n Low aren't  just showbikes like the lowrider culture; but honestly, what's most important for you, building the bike or riding it? Richard: I love the brainstorming for a new theme. I love designing it. I love the hunt for parts. I love the build and of course I love to cruise it when it's done!!  Quote: "Sit back, slow down, and take a cruise." That's what SLPS are all about. We're just about the coolest bicycle club there is :-) And we're as individual as you are. From retro styling to edgy theme bikes, SLPS reflect a look and a style that says; I'm here for the fun of it. Its a way of life... Jeroen: WORDS!! Richard, Thanx for your time! No problems, have fun and keep on scrapin' Cruz'

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