Albuquerque lowrider bike program grows into youth arts mentoring project

More than 65 Albuquerque teenagers filled Civic Plaza with lowrider bikes, custom skateboards and guitars, turning the city’s annual Graduation Showcase into a public display of craft, pride and mentorship.

The Lowrider Bike Program is now in its fourth year through the City of Albuquerque’s Department of Youth and Family Services. What began with about 10 students has grown to more than 65 participants in 2026, and city officials have said the program gives young people a safe, welcoming place to build technical skills and connect with positive adult role models.

Students worked with mentors from the Albuquerque Police Department, Albuquerque Community Safety, the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office and the lowrider community. City materials say more than 25 mentors, including welders, metalworkers, painters and artists, have donated time and materials while teaching welding, fabrication, paint and body work, pinstriping, upholstery, woodworking and design. The program also includes lessons in public speaking, collaboration, teamwork, financial literacy, resume building and job-search skills.

Mayor Tim Keller praised the students’ creativity, dedication and teamwork, saying those qualities showed the impact of mentorship and hands-on learning. For some participants, the most visible outcome is confidence. Dorian Gracstone described the time and precision the work required, and said the process taught him to make time, pay attention to details and believe he could finish something he once thought would not turn out well.

Onjay Riboni, whom the city identified as the only student to take part every year since the program began, said he has learned new things he can turn into a career and gained “another family” in the lowrider community. That sense of belonging carries weight in Albuquerque, where the cruising ban was repealed eight years ago and lowrider enthusiasts have long treated cruising as central to the culture.

The program has also grown beyond bikes. Custom guitars and skateboards now share space with the lowrider builds, widening the kinds of skills students can claim as their own. Demand has climbed with the program, too. By March, enrollment had climbed past 80 students and a waiting list had reached almost 100, while organizers said they hoped to secure a larger facility in the future. The model has also spread beyond Albuquerque, after Española became the second New Mexico community to receive DEA Operation Engage funding for a lowrider bike club.