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At first glance, Cristian Sosa seems like everything a biker should be. His slicked-back hair, tightly groomed beard, and arms adorned with well-worn black and gray tattoos may fool you into thinking that Sosa’s demeanor matches his hard-core biker image. But like that saying about books and covers, not everything is as it seems.
Anyone who has had the pleasure of interacting with Sosa sees a humble, soft-spoken family man who built his life around his passion for fabricating some of the most intricate and unique bikes in the world out of his namesake shop, Sosa Metalworks.
Here, Sosa blends his passion for work and play, meticulously honing his craft while accenting the machines that have been the foundation of his life for the last 25 years.
From Juarez to Las Vegas
“Since I came to the States, Las Vegas has been home.” Born in Juarez, Mexico, as the son of a dentist, Sosa’s family made the move to Las Vegas, where he became obsessed with cars from an early age. With lowrider culture booming across much of the Southwest’s urban fringe, his infatuation came naturally.
As a kid, Sosa recalls flipping through lowrider magazines, consuming as much of the beautifully motored machines as he could, and digging through the racks in the back of his local gas station to ensure he had the latest issues.
Captivated by the culture, Sosa got his first shop job at Chubby’s Hot Rods, where he worked as a shop hand … that is, until he got fired for accidentally attaching rear tires to the front of a client’s car.
Not one to falter at the first sign of failure, Sosa (who had little to no experience with bodywork) fibbed his way into a position across the street at the renowned Las Vegas hot rod shop Count’s Kustoms, where he became dazzled with the scope and detail that went into their work.
At Count’s, Sosa found solace in his passion and a mentor in the shop’s paint maestro, Ryan Evans. “I was still a kid when I started at Count’s. Working there taught me not only how to work, but work ethic.”
With a robust bike program in place, Sosa’s focus switched from four wheels to two. This eventually led to his getting a 98 Suzuki GSXR at 18, a catalytic event that led to nearly 2 decades of riding.
He built his first custom bike using a Harley Evo motor for the infamous El Diablo bike run in Baja, Mexico, in his early 20s. El Diablo was his first formal bike run, a transcendent experience that not only provided a foray into the bike world but showed him the profound community and culture that came along with it.
Twelve years later, Sosa struck out on his own, opening his namesake shop across the road: Sosa Metalworks.
“I’m an artist first,” says Sosa. “Every bike we make starts as an idea in my head, but learning how to make a living off that while creating something functional is difficult.”
Now with 12 years under his belt and collaborations with leading bike manufacturers such as Royal Enfield and Harley Davidson, Sosa’s unique blend of left field designs and signature metal-framing have firmly cemented him as one of the world’s foremost fabricators. With a blossoming business in his home city, Sosa can devote time to exploring the wild and open road his bikes are built for.
The Road Less Traveled
In late August, Sosa went on his most adventurous trip to date, exploring the open country and towering Himalayan mountains. “Two years ago, when I was in India, I met a friend at a bike show who does this ride every year. This was a dream trip of mine, so when they invited me to join, I knew I couldn’t say no.”
Bitten by the adventure bug, this was far from Sosa’s first rugged excursion, but it was his most intense. Exploring one of the world’s highest-altitude mountain ranges via motorcycle is no easy feat. Landing in India, the journey began with an 8-hour ride to Kathmandu. From there, the team set off on their 12-day journey.
Sosa explains, “The Himalayas are no joke. You’ll be driving down a super narrow dirt road, and suddenly, a truck will be hurtling at you full speed while you’re staring over a sheer drop that goes thousands of feet down.”
Traversing nearly 100 miles per day, Sosa encountered even more excitement on the road. “There’s landslides all over the place. Sometimes, the road would be blocked off, and we’d have to navigate around them, or you’d hear about one from a place we’d just drove past.”
As treacherous as it is, Sosa describes the region as one of the most beautiful places he’s seen. Staying in villages along the way, he communed with the tapestry of people who call the Himalayas home, visiting monasteries, drinking tea, crossing bridges over vast chasms — and even spending time with local snake charmers, wrapping their cobras around his neck en route to climbing to over 16,000 feet in elevation.
He crashed twice over 12 days but witnessed what he describes as “some of the bluest sky I’ve ever seen,” a trade we’re sure he’d make again if given the opportunity.
A Driving Force
Thankfully, Sosa’s love of travel pairs symbiotically with his fabrication work. With the bike community stretching across the far reaches of the globe, Sosa is invited to showcase his work at bike shows that have taken him to dozens of phenomenal locales.
“My first-ever trip out of the country other than Mexico was to Japan for a bike show. That initial experience really opened my eyes to traveling.”
At any moment, Sosa can recount a delectable meal he had on a road trip through Western Europe or a friend he made at a bike show in Asia. One such tale even involves a sacred temple deep in the jungles of Indonesia.
“I love Bali. It’s a place I’ve been going to for years now. One of my dear friends there happens to be one of the most talented bike builders/painters/people I’ve ever met. He once took me on a trip to Trunyan village, which resides deep in the jungle on the shores of a lake where there’s a skull-lined burial ground. The villagers lay their dead out in the open and plant sacred trees in their place.”
In speaking to Sosa, it’s clear that while riding bikes and beautiful scenery have their appeal, they aren’t the driving force behind his explorations. Exploring different cultures and making new friends drives him to continue pushing in his pursuit of untapped roads in far-off worlds.
Like Father, Like Daughter
While “follow your passion” has become somewhat of a cliché, it’s hard to deny that the Sosa Metalworks’ founder has tapped into the harmony that beckons when one’s life and work exist on the same plane.
Over the last 12 years, the shop has evolved from its initial inception. Through annual workshops, Sosa has begun passing down his decades of knowledge to those willing to get their hands dirty.
When asked what his favorite project to date is, he replied, “Oh, that’s easy. It’s the bike I got to build with my daughter Cindy,” Sosa reveals excitedly. “She had a year-long class project. Some kids did murals. Other kids worked on presentations. We built her a Harley from scratch.”
Not only was their Nightster Special far and away the coolest class project of the year (and probably ever), but it also went on to win Best Sportster at Born Free 2023. From a kid flipping through lowrider magazines to building a pink-accented Harley for his daughter, this project was a full-circle moment indeed.
And as for what’s next? Vegas is still his home base. On any given weekend, Sosa can be found in his shop welding a customer’s bike in a sturdy pair of Dickies or ripping one of his own through a surrounding canyon with his friends.
As Sosa can attest, life is filled with ups and downs, but one thing is certain: he plans to enjoy the ride.
This post was sponsored by Dickies.
