Bikers (from bike < motorbike < motorbicycle) are fans and admirers of motorbikes. Unlike for normal cyclists, for bikers a motorbike is part of their lifestyle. This lifestyle also involves strong association with the like-minded fellows. Bicycle fans also call themselves bikers, reserving the name of motorbikers for motorcyclists. Nevertheless, the word "biker" is traditionally associated with motorbikers.
The stereotype appearance of a biker is like this: a bandana (a dark headscarf tied at the back, pirate-style) or black knitted hat, leather biker jacket (with slanted zipper) or leather motorjacket (often with a jean or leather waistcoat without sleeves with the “colors” (symbols) of the biking club), and leather pants. Bikers often grow long hair, moustache and beards. They wear glasses to protect eyes from wind, and often ignore helmets.
Nevertheless, such appearance is not mandatory among bikers. Bikers may also wear sportswear and outfit for motorcycles.
Bikers respect the most motorbikes made with own hands, with a lot of skills and rich fantasy. Most often these are chopper or custom bikes. Some clubs have specific requirements to engine volume (for instance, not less than 750 cc), color (for instance, blue-white-red or red-white-blue) or brand of the motorbike.
Bikers usually associate themselves into clubs. Despite the widely spread stereotype, such clubs today are in most cases quite peaceful organizations.
Another important manifestation of bikers’ subculture are numerous bike shows, bike rallies, motor shows and other events related to motorbikes. Most often such events are organized as shows, with invited musicians, striptease dancers, stuntmen, and include booze, first of all bear, as an important part of the program.
Over the last century a biker’s image has come to symbolize a free and strong man, who’s not afraid of death, rain, dust, wind or long distances, and even the other way around. Bikers have little respect for law or ordinary people with their ordinary lives. They are free, informal men with their own perception of the world, lifestyles and life currents. This image has considerably influences today’s mass youth culture. Mass culture, in its turn, has made this image appealing and has added to it a number of stereotypes, myths and whatnot. Today this image is gradually extinguishing, gaining a mass character and giving place to more pathetic youth movements, which don’t even have the least idea on how to behave in one or another situation and what a genuine biker image or lifestyle is all about. However, some clubs with die-hard patriarchs are promoting good old inspirations, and in this way this culture is being preserved for new generations.