Haro Bikes

Haro Designs

The company was founded in 1978 by Bob Haro

Bob Haro

Bob Haro is a former freestyle BMX rider turned artist and business executive. He is the founder of Haro Bikes and was one of the most important early innovators of BMX freestyle....

. Haro started out producing numberplates for BMX

BMX

Bicycle motocross or BMX refers to the sport in which the main goal is extreme racing on bicycles in motocross style on tracks with inline start and expressive obstacles, and it is also the term that refers to the bicycle itself that is designed for dirt and motocross cycling.- History :BMX started...

bikes in his bedroom. Demand for these stylish plates quickly outgrew his one man capacity. Haro Designs, the first name of the company, was formed in 1980 with headquarters in Torrance, California

Torrance, California

Torrance is a city incorporated in 1921 and located in the South Bay region of Los Angeles County, California, United States. Torrance has of shore-front beaches on the Pacific Ocean, quieter and less well-known by tourists than others on the Santa Monica Bay, such as those of neighboring...

.

While the company was growing, Haro was also growing the sport of freestyle BMX

Freestyle BMX

Freestyle BMX is a synonym for BMX stunt riding, a sport branch that hails from extreme sports. It consists of six disciplines: street, park, vert, trails, dirt and flatland .-History:...

. He travelled around the country performing demos of radical trick riding that had not been seen anywhere before. As a result, Haro earned the title "The Father of Freestyle". During the early eighties, the company grew rapidly by expanding its product line and establishing national and international distribution. The BMX boom was in full swing and the company built a reputation for developing innovative, top-of-the-line BMX and freestyle bikes and accessories. Haro Bikes' most popular BMX/Freestyle models were the Master and the Sport.

The first Haro bikes were manufactured by Torker

Torker

Torker is a brand of bicycles and unicycles currently owned by Seattle Bike Supply, headquartered in Kent, Washington.-History:The Torker name was created by Johnson Engineering in Fullerton, CA in 1977 for a BMX bike frame....

. In 1982, when Haro introduced his own line of racing pants, his sponsorship by Torker and Max was terminated.

Although injuries forced Haro to relinquish his riding duties, Haro Bikes subsequently compiled a virtual "who's who" list of talented riders including Bob Morales

Bob Morales

Robert L. Morales is a former freestyle BMX rider turned promoter, designer, inventor and business executive. He is the founder of DYNO Bicycles, the American Freestyle Association , Auburn Cycles, KORE Bicycle Components, Morales Bicycle Co., Carlsbad Motocross Racing and ASV Inventions...

, Eddie Fiola

Eddie Fiola

Edward Lynn Fiola in Bellflower, California, USA was a professional freestyle BMX rider in the 1980s and a film stuntman....

, Mike Dominguez, Ron Wilkerson, Brian Blyther, Dave Nourie, Dennis McCoy, Mat Hoffman

Mat Hoffman

Mat Hoffman is an American BMX rider considered one of the best vert-ramp riders in the history of the sport. He is nicknamed "The Condor" and owns the BMX Freestyle brand Hoffman BMX Bikes, based out of Oklahoma City, OK.-Bio:...

, Mike King, Pete Loncarevich

Pete Loncarevich

Peter Loncarevich is a former Bicycle Motocross racer. Loncarevich was an "Old School" professional BMX racer whose prime competitive years were from 1980 to 1994....

and many more. These riders won nearly every title there was in both BMX and freestyle. Media attention quickly put Haro Bikes in the spotlight as an industry leader with a bicycle line focused on the high end "Master" and more moderate "Sport". In 1986, Haro's design of the "Master" was at its climax with what is typically regarded as its most beautiful form with uniquely designed Haro Group 1 components, paint over chrome frame and forks, and uniquely designed flip-up pegs. The 1986 "Master" in team issue neon

Neon

Neon is the chemical element that has the symbol Ne and an atomic number of 10. Although a very common element in the universe, it is rare on Earth. A colorless, inert noble gas under standard conditions, neon gives a distinct reddish-orange glow when used in either low-voltage neon glow lamps or...

green with all original components has become highly collectible. In 1987, The "Master" was made over to reduce the cost of the 1986 model.

Company's sale

In 1988, Haro sold the company to a bigger bike company and agreed to a five year consulting contract that provided continuing product innovation and a premium image for the brand. At the end of five years Haro left Haro Bikes and started a graphic design company that continues to provide leading edge design and marketing services to a wide range of customers.

In 1993, the company was again sold, this time to a group of investors headed by Haro Bikes' Vice President since 1981, Jim Ford. With its new independence, and Jim leading the company as its President, the company re-established its focus on Bob Haro's original vision and began a rebuilding process that followed a sharp decline in the BMX market dating back to 1988.

Within one year, key management positions were filled and a new dealer base was established. A new competitive BMX racing team was formed and superstar freestyle riders Dave Mirra

Dave Mirra

David Michael "Dave" Mirra is an American BMX athlete, Subaru Rally Team USA driver and business owner. Mirra holds the record for most X-Games medals, standing and has medaled in every X Games since they started in 1995. His current medal count as of July 31, 2009 in the X Games is 24...

and Ryan Nyquist

Ryan Nyquist

Ryan Nyquist is a professional BMX rider who has won numerous gold medals in the X Games Dirt Jumping & Bike Park events. He currently rides for Haro Bikes, Osiris Shoes, Rockstar Energy Drink, and The Jiffy Market of Los Gatos.Ryan returned to San Jose, California where he has a home with his...

were signed by Haro soon after.

Reputation re-established

Haro's new products re-established its reputation for innovation and performance. By 1999, sales had exploded and Haro Bikes was again recognized as one of the top brands of BMX and freestyle bikes.

The sport's popularity has reached new heights, thanks to greater television exposure ESPN's X-Games and NBC's Gravity Games

Gravity Games

The Gravity Games were a multi-sport competition originating from Providence, Rhode Island that is broken down into Winter and Summer adaptations...

. In fact, Haro Bikes sponsored riders have combined to win over ten medals since the X-Games started in 1996, the most of any bike company. Dave Mirra is the most decorated X-Games athlete with eight medals, six of them gold. Recently, Haro Bikes has taken major steps to establish its presence in the mountain bike market by signing former UCI World Champion Downhiller Mike King and the current UCI World Champion Cross Country racer, Michael Rasmussen

Michael Rasmussen

Michael Rasmussen is a Danish professional road bicycle racer who rides for the Danish team Christina Watches-Onfone. In the 2007 Tour de France, Rasmussen, while in the yellow jersey, had his contract terminated by his team and was removed from the Tour...

of Denmark.

Dave Mirra has recently made his own company Mirra Bike Co,but is still sponsored by Haro bikes.

Haro Bikes currently sponsors BMX riders Ryan Nyquist

Ryan Nyquist

, Dennis Enarson

Dennis Enarson

Dennis Enarson is a professional BMX rider who has won Dew Tour Dirt Jumping & Park events. He currently rides for Demolition Parts, Haro Bikes, Nike 6.0, Rockstar Energy Drink, and Matador Beef Jerky...

, Cory Nastazio, Marcus Tooker, Colin Mackay, and Ronnie Napolitan.

2008 Bike Models

Mountain bike

A mountain bike or mountain bicycle is a bicycle created for off-road cycling. This activity includes traversing of rocks and washouts, and steep declines,...

s:
Ally SS, Ally XC, Beasley 1/9, Beasley SS, Escape, Escape Comp, Escape S, Escape Sport, Extreme X6, Extreme X6 Comp, Extreme X7, Flightline Comp, Flightline Expert, Flightline One, Flightline Sport, Flightline Two, Mary SS, Mary XC, Shift R1, Shift R3, Shift R5, Sonix, Sonix LT, Sonix S, Thread 1, Thread 8, Werx Sonix, Werx Xeon, Xeon, Xeon S

Hybrid bikes

Hybrid bicycle

A hybrid bicycle is a bicycle designed for general-purpose utility and commuting on a wide variety of surfaces, including paved and unpaved roads, paths and trails...

:
Maxwell, Roscoe, Sanford

Comfort Bikes:
Heartland, Heartland DLX, Heartland Express, Heartland Express LE, Heartland LTD

Cruiser bikes:
Railer SS, Railer SS Women's, Railer XS, Railer XS Women's, Zimzala Buster, Zimzala Cooper, Zimzala Maude, Zimzala Molly

BMX Bikes:
2009, 2009 24", F1, F16, F18, F1C, F2, F24, F3, F4, Forum Counterpart, Forum CPT Lite, Forum Intro, Forum Intro Lite, Forum Partial 16", Forum Partial 18", Forum Partial 20", Forum Pro, Forum Pro Lite, Group 1 SR 20, Group 1 SR 20 BLU, Group 1 SR 20XL, Group 1 SR Expert, Group 1 SR24, X0, X1, X2, X24, X3, Z-1, Revo 9

Kids bikes:
Flightline 20, Flightline 24, Group 1 SR Junior, Group 1 SR Micro, Group 1 SR Mini, Z-12, Z-16, Z-20

External links

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