Douglas High student makes low-rider bike in welding class

Douglas High senior Jaime Gaytan is tentatively calling the low-rider bike he made in his welding class "Iron Man" because of the metal's resemblance to the cinematic superhero's red iron suit.

A student in Jared Hyatt's intermediate welding class, Jaime spent two months on the creation, working on it in between other class assignments.

"I worked on it while waiting for the metal to cool down on other projects," he said.

Jaime has been into low riders his whole life.

"Where I grew up in California, in Salinas and King City, everybody has low riders," he said. "It's something I've been into for a long time. I really wanted to make one. It's my last year of high school, and I wanted to do something that the kids would remember me for."

Jaime said welding the frame was the hardest part of the project. The metal bars of the frame came pre-twisted, like spirals, lending a certain aesthetic, but he had to manually twist the handle bars to match the frame.

"It's not really complete," he said. "It still needs a lot of work."

Jaime pointed to the single shock below the handle bars, which will ensure smooth riding, but said the frame needs to be lifted a bit.

"Right now, it would be pretty hard to ride," he said. "It's kind of sitting down."

Eventually, Jaime wants to convert the bike into a low rider tricycle with a trailer stereo system.

"I want to get a box Alpine system with woofers and speakers and a deck," he said.

He wants to get chrome rims, new pedals and a new seat as well.

Also a student in the high school's auto tech program, Jaime plans on attending the Universal Technical Institute in Sacramento after graduation. He wants to specialize in collision repair.

He said he will continue to weld in his spare time, and, when it's ready, ride his bike around his neighborhood.

Welding teacher Jared Hyatt said the project has helped Jaime with the class.

"Jaime's personal interest and investment in this project helped him overcome the inexperience he had," Hyatt said. "He has developed new skills without a great deal of effort, providing him and me some entertainment in the process."