story by JACK JOSTES

She’ll keep your motor runnin’

A florist by day, HotRod Jen is a cruiser-obsessed grease monkey at heart.

With a last name like Skidmore, it’s hard to imagine why an accomplished grease monkey, pinstriper and cruiser bicycle restoration wizard would want to hammer out a fitting nickname from Jennifer. But hey, if the moniker fits.

So on the paychecks at her day job as a florist, it’s Jennifer Skidmore. But to her fellow cruisers, gear heads and classic car and motorcycle fans, it’s HotRod Jen; the same HotRod Jen who leads the Sunday Rockabilly Ride through Lansdale, Pa., on her custom green 1949 Schwinn DX.

It’s the same daily ride she pedals around her nearby hometown of Bath. Most of her friends think she’s a little crazy to be pumping the heavy two-wheeler up hills normally considered the domain of roadies and mountain bikers. Hers, they say, is a bike that belongs on the pancake flat boardwalk of the Jersey Shore.

And it just so happens, that’s where her cruiser obsession started.

She found the classic Schwinn at a garage sale in New Jersey and took it with her when she moved into the Pennsylvania hills six years ago.

“I bought it for 15 bucks,” she says. “I threw it in the back of my Nova and took it home to work on it. It was so well balanced for being so old, and there weren’t any problems with it. I’ve been in love with cruisers ever since.”

The 24-year-old re-covered the seat, found a tank for it and plans to repaint the frame with a bomber theme—but she’s still in search of the right horn.

In addition to the DX, she’s also rebuilding several others: a ’50s vintage Monarch ladies’ cruiser, a ’54 men’s Shelby Flyer, a ’71 Fairlady Schwinn, a custom Schwinn lowrider, and a ‘53 Schwinn Holiday ladies’ 20-inch. She has an old Huffy that she uses for parts.

HotRod Jen’s mechanical prowess doesn’t end at two wheels. She single-handedly keeps her 1972 gas-guzzling, 4-speed Chevy Nova 350 purring. But her true artistic calling is pinstriping any vehicle she can put a brush on.

But whether it’s bicycles, cars, tattoos or art, HotRod Jen has had a passion for the style and culture of ’50s Americana since she was four years old.

“My dad used to take me to drag races when I was still in a stroller,” she says. “I remember seeing my first favorite car—a shiny black and red 1951 Mercury with flames—it’s still my favorite car.”

It was at the track that Jen fell especially hard for custom pinstripes and thus turned to the art of hand painting fine accent lines on hot rods, motorcycles and, naturally, cruiser bicycles.

She begins by taking pictures of cars and making pastel drawings of them. Today, with years of practice behind her, Hotrod Jen’s pinstripe lines have the flawless arc of a breaking wave.

And while her pinstripe prowess has earned her the kudos and respect of her (mostly male) peers whose rides she’s tricked out, Hotrod Jen likes to sport an array of accents of her own.

“I have one leg dedicated to fellow pinstripes and hot rod icons Von Dutch, Ed Roth, Mr. Horsepower and Clay Smith Cams,” she says. “I’ve got flames that go up my leg. At the top, there’s a flying eyeball and pistons for Von Dutch, Mr. Horsepower with drag strips…”

Thanks to the work she’s done, Hotrod Jen is recognized as one of the most badass cruisers in central Pennsylvania. And thanks to the ink she’s had done, it’s easy to spot this tattooed beauty as she’s grinding that classic steel cruiser bike up the steep hills of Bath, Pa.

For more: The Rockabilly Ride starts at 5 p.m. from the Lansdale train station and ends at the Walnut Bar for a rockabilly show. Check out Hotrod Jen’s work: myspace.com/metalhotrodgirl

With a last name like Skidmore, it’s hard to imagine why an accomplished grease monkey, pinstriper and cruiser bicycle restoration wizard would want to hammer out a fitting nickname from Jennifer. But hey, if the moniker fits.

So on the paychecks at her day job as a florist, it’s Jennifer Skidmore. But to her fellow cruisers, gear heads and classic car and motorcycle fans, it’s HotRod Jen; the same HotRod Jen who leads the Sunday Rockabilly Ride through Lansdale, Pa., on her custom green 1949 Schwinn DX.

It’s the same daily ride she pedals around her nearby hometown of Bath. Most of her friends think she’s a little crazy to be pumping the heavy two-wheeler up hills normally considered the domain of roadies and mountain bikers. Hers, they say, is a bike that belongs on the pancake flat boardwalk of the Jersey Shore.

And it just so happens, that’s where her cruiser obsession started.

She found the classic Schwinn at a garage sale in New Jersey and took it with her when she moved into the Pennsylvania hills six years ago.

“I bought it for 15 bucks,” she says. “I threw it in the back of my Nova and took it home to work on it. It was so well balanced for being so old, and there weren’t any problems with it. I’ve been in love with cruisers ever since.”

The 24-year-old re-covered the seat, found a tank for it and plans to repaint the frame with a bomber theme—but she’s still in search of the right horn.

In addition to the DX, she’s also rebuilding several others: a ’50s vintage Monarch ladies’ cruiser, a ’54 men’s Shelby Flyer, a ’71 Fairlady Schwinn, a custom Schwinn lowrider, and a ‘53 Schwinn Holiday ladies’ 20-inch. She has an old Huffy that she uses for parts.

HotRod Jen’s mechanical prowess doesn’t end at two wheels. She single-handedly keeps her 1972 gas-guzzling, 4-speed Chevy Nova 350 purring. But her true artistic calling is pinstriping any vehicle she can put a brush on.

But whether it’s bicycles, cars, tattoos or art, HotRod Jen has had a passion for the style and culture of ’50s Americana since she was four years old.

“My dad used to take me to drag races when I was still in a stroller,” she says. “I remember seeing my first favorite car—a shiny black and red 1951 Mercury with flames—it’s still my favorite car.”

It was at the track that Jen fell especially hard for custom pinstripes and thus turned to the art of hand painting fine accent lines on hot rods, motorcycles and, naturally, cruiser bicycles.

She begins by taking pictures of cars and making pastel drawings of them. Today, with years of practice behind her, Hotrod Jen’s pinstripe lines have the flawless arc of a breaking wave.

And while her pinstripe prowess has earned her the kudos and respect of her (mostly male) peers whose rides she’s tricked out, Hotrod Jen likes to sport an array of accents of her own.

“I have one leg dedicated to fellow pinstripes and hot rod icons Von Dutch, Ed Roth, Mr. Horsepower and Clay Smith Cams,” she says. “I’ve got flames that go up my leg. At the top, there’s a flying eyeball and pistons for Von Dutch, Mr. Horsepower with drag strips…”

Thanks to the work she’s done, Hotrod Jen is recognized as one of the most badass cruisers in central Pennsylvania. And thanks to the ink she’s had done, it’s easy to spot this tattooed beauty as she’s grinding that classic steel cruiser bike up the steep hills of Bath, Pa.

For more: The Rockabilly Ride starts at 5 p.m. from the Lansdale train station and ends at the Walnut Bar for a rockabilly show. Check out Hotrod Jen’s work: myspace.com/metalhotrodgirl