Featured Bike: Xeon Comp

Rocks. Roots. Logs. Sketchy climbs. Technical descents. Off-camber corners. Wide-open screaming fire roads. Fluid singletrack… This is just a handful of the cast of characters you’ll meet on the mountain. When you find yourself in the company of these characters, it’s best to be aboard an all-mountain bike like the Xeon. With 6.3” of rear wheel travel, you’ll have exactly what you need to show the mountain who’s in charge.

Our patented Virtual Link System suspension used on the Xeon Comp has been engineered to yield some very unique performance characteristics not found on any other suspension platform. Since there isn't a pivot point between the bottom bracket and the rear axle, chain growth is not a factor. Why is that important? Chain growth is was causes the dreaded pedal bob we all try to avoid like a bad case of the flu. This system is also designed to work in two parts. In the initial 30% of its travel (like on climbs and flats), the suspension ramps up to provide a firm pedaling platform. When the travel kicks into the remaining 70% of its travel (like on descents and hard hits), the suspension opens up freely providing buttery-smooth, plush travel.

Here are a few spec highlights on the Xeon Comp:

• Patented Virtual Link System hydroformed alloy frame with 160mm of rear travel
• Marzocchi 44 ATA 140mm travel fork with alloy steer tube. Air travel adjust. 15mm drop outs.
• RockShox Monarch 3.3 rear shock
• SRAM X.9 rear derailleur with SRAM X.7 9-speed shifters
• Avid Juicy 5 hydraulic disc brakes
• Shimano M530 rear hub with Shimano M758 front hub with 15mm thru-axle
• Kenda Nevegal 2.35 Stick-E Rubber tires

MSRP on the Xeon Comp is about $2,500.

Xeon Comp video...click here!

Featured Bike: Steel Reserve 1

We drew upon 30 years of BMX expertise when we created the Steel Reserve 1 hardtail. They’re like big BMX bikes for big kids...perfect play bikes bred for doubles, gaps, rhythm sections, rail slides, and skateparks.

The Steel Reserve 1 is the bike of choice for Haro pro athletes Eric Porter and Phil Sundbaum. Think we make these guys custom frames with extra gussets, stronger tubing, or special geometry? Nope. Porter and Phil ride "stock" Steel Reserve frames, right out of the box. Want a pro-level ride? Look no further than the Steel Reserve 1. If it's good enough for our pro riders, it's a great bike for you.

Each Steel Reserve is crafted out of double-butted 4130 cromoly steel. Steel has amazing ride qualities...it's lively, compliant, and makes you feel "one" with the bike. Since it can be drawn with thicker walled tubing, the tubes can be make smaller in diameter which results in a sleeker looking frame.

All of the parts on the Steel Reserve 1 were chosen based on weight, performance, and strength. The Marzocchi Dirt Jump 2 fork is light and stiff; the 20mm thru-axle improves handling. The 4130 cromoly tubular cranks are darn near bomb proof. The 26T x 12T gearing is light and offers a ton of clearance between skatepark coping and the front chainring. The Kenda Small Block Eight/Kiniption combo roll smoothly yet still get great traction.

Here are some spec highlights on the Steel Reserve 1:

• 4130 double-butted cromoly frame with BMX-inspired mid BB and horizontal drop outs



• Marzocchi Dirt Jumper 2 80mm travel fork with 20mm thru-axle



• BMX style 4130 cromoly tubular cranks with e.Thirteen 26T chainwheel and 12T rear cog



• Syncros FR bar and stem combo



• Hayes MX4 mechanical disc brakes



• Sun SOS rims



• Kenda Small Block Eight 2.35 front/Kenda Kiniption 2.3 rear tires

MSRP on the Steel Reserve 1 is about $1,080.

Chile

So Chile was amazing. Definitely one of the coolest places I've ever been, I could easily live there. So I think in my last update we were at Chillan riding the bikepark and hanging out in the hot springs. So after that, we drove back up north to La Parva bike park. It is one of Chile's best ski mtns in the winter, and it it pretty cool in the summer as well. It looks like you are on the moon up there, there's no trees, it's all rock and dirt. It also has some of the best sunsets I've ever seen, basically it is about 10,000 feet straight up above Santiago, and then the ocean is right after that, so it gets super golden up there basically. While we were up there, a freak cold front and storm came through, and we ended up getting about 10" of snow at the top of the lift!! It was pretty wild, so we took advantage of it and rode some big mtn lines in the snow! It felt kinda like skiing, except I didn't know what was under the snow, so it got pretty scary at times, I definitely rode over some big rocks that I couldn't see coming! Anyway all in all it was a great trip, and I can't wait to get back down there. Thankyou so much to all my new Chilean friends that helped us along the way on our trip, it wouldn't have been possible without you guys.

Frew Farm Jam + Then Some

Our New Zealand trip just seems to get sweeter and sweeter as the days go by. We've had some epic sessions with our great friends down here at some amazing locations, and when we're not riding bikes, chances are that we're sharing a huge bbq or doing something else equally enjoyable (like bungy jumping) with the locals!

The Frew family had a big jam on their farm, and while the first day's weather was a bit wet and windy, we made due with a huge bbq while the jumps dried out. The next morning, all the jumps were dry and there was an awesome session. Both Blake and Phil were throwing down, and we have a few photos here to illustrate.


After the Farm Jam, we headed back to our house in Queenstown to chill out, which was followed today by a morning session at the Gorge Road dirt jumps--where Blake stomped a bunch of 360s on the big set. We shot a ton of video footage for the upcoming Summer Of Shred movie, then packed it up and drove out to the Kawarau bridge to get our bungy on! Here is the clip of Phil's jump:

Phil's Bungy Jump - Kawarau Bridge, NZ from Aaron Lutze on Vimeo.

And a photo from Blake's jump:
We've got about four more days here in New Zealand to wrap up our shooting, and everyone is stoked. We have a great house to stay in, which is within riding distance of most of the dirt spots in town. Our local friends are all fired up for the daily shred sessions, and most importantly the weather is fantastic! Stay tuned, we'll crank out at least one more solid update before we head back to the states..

Featured Bike: Mary XC

Bigger wheels means bigger fun. By this time, you’ve probably heard the buzz about 29ers: how much traction they have for climbs, how stable they corner, and how smoothly they roll over anything you encounter on the trail. Think the 29er movement is just a fad? Swing a leg over one and judge for yourself. Just be sure to wipe the smile off of your face long enough to hand the bike shop the money for your new ride.

The Mary XC has been hailed by many people (including many magazine editors...see the September 2007 issue of Mountain Bike Action) as one of the finest 29er hardtails on the market. Crafted out of double-butted 4130 cromoly steel, the Mary XC delivers a lively, compliant ride that only steel can provide. Combined with added cushion from oversized wheels and tires, you'll find yourself saying, "Who needs rear suspension anyhow?"

We carefully chose parts for the Mary XC that were nice enough for even the pickiest rider, but not so Gucci that it would make it too expensive to add a 29er to your stable. A word of warning to all potential Mary XC buyers...be prepared to spend way more time on this bike than you had planned on. The Mary XC is so much fun to ride, you'll find yourself looking for any excuse you can to take this bike out for a ride.

Here are a few spec highlights on the Mary XC:

• 4130 double-butted cromoly frame


• RockShox Reba 80mm travel suspension fork


• SRAM X.9 rear derailleur with SRAM X.7 9-speed shifters


• Avid BB5 mechanical disc brakes


• Truvativ Fire-X 3.2 GXP cranks


• Shimano Deore hubset laced to WTB Laser Disc Trail 29er rims


• Kenda Nevegal 2.25 Stick-E Rubber tires

MSRP on the Mary XC is about $1,525

Mary XC Video...click here!

Back to Queenstown

After the NZ Open event in Auckland, we spent a few days checking out some other local spots and stoking out all of the local kids! They were super cool and we had a great time chilling and riding with them (and plastering their bikes with Haro stickers). Unfortunately, the dark side of Auckland crept out and our buddy Karl's bike was stolen (we got it back...which was an absolute fiasco and a really long story--but he got his bike back and that's the happy ending). The next morning, our buddy AT woke up missing a wallet, so we figured it was time to get the heck out of Dodge and head down to Queenstown.

Stoking out the locals!

Airport life..

We bumped our flights up, spent a morning in the Auckland airport, and arrived at our new home for the next two weeks: Red Bull Base Camp. Base Camp is a nice house nestled in the bluffs above Queenstown, with the sickest view of all time. It's got plenty of room for us to chill out, play on the internet, and most important, sip on some tasty Red Bulls!

Phil and Blake in the Red Bull living room
Not a bad view, eh?

The rest of the week will be split between sessions at Gorge Road and Dreamtrack...it's kind of rainy today, so we're just relaxing a bit at the house. Even with the rain, it's still a pretty solid view!
Phil was on page 3 of the New Zealand Herald, which is the biggest newspaper in NZ.

NZ Dirt Jump Open

Phil just won the NZ Dirt Jump Open, and pretty much won the best trick contest as well...he stomped three whips, and the elusive 360 triple x-up (which has a new name, according to the NZ locals). Haro teammate Blake Robinson is over here, too, and we are having an absolute blast!


We have a few more dirt jump spots lined up on the North island, and then we'll be heading down to Queenstown for two weeks to ride our favorite spots (as seen in the previous NZ post).

Here are a few pics from the contest today...enjoy!

Featured Bike: Extreme X7

Just as the name implies, the Extreme series bikes are made for the bigger stuff: jumps, drops, rocks, gnarly downhills, stunts…terrain that no cross country bike would dare go. But just because these bikes are bred for gravity doesn’t mean they can’t also take you to the top of the hill. Put your seat up, shift into the granny gear, and enjoy the ride back up to the top…just so you can come blazing down again.

The Extreme X7 fits into the freeride bike category. The X7 is the perfect bike for Whistler Bike Park and any of your other chairlift-assisted or shuttled downhill runs. But don't think you can't ride to the top of the hill if you wanted to. We put a double chainring up front with low 24 and 36 tooth gearing to make climbing possible. While this wouldn't make the most comfortable cross-country trail bike, the X7 is purpose-built machine designed to take the abuse of black diamond and double black diamond runs.

The X7 frame is powered by a single pivot suspension platform. Single pivot is one of the oldest suspension platforms available...it's been around for years. But there's a reason it's lasted through the years: it works and it works exceptionally well. Plus, single pivot bikes are easy to maintain and set up. For added stability and better performance, we also used 150mm rear hub spacing with an oversized 12mm thru-axle. And since the last thing you want to be thinking about as you roll off a big drop is the strength of your fork, we put a Marzocchi 66 RCV with a 1.5" steer tube on the front.

Here are some spec highlights on the Extreme X7:

• 7" travel alloy frame with sealed bearing pivot and hydroformed top tube for strength. 150mm rear hub spacing


• Marzocchi 66 RCV 180mm travel fork with oversized 1.5" steer tube


• Fox Van R rear shock


• SRAM X.9 rear derailleur with X.7 9-speed shifters


• Truvativ Ruktion cranks


• Avid Juicy 5 hydraulic disc brakes


• Sun Equalizer 29mm rims with eyelets


• Kenda Nevegal 2.5 Stick-E Rubber tires

MSRP on the Extreme X7 is about $2,395

Extreme X7 Video...click here!

Haro signs multi-national trials champ Mike Steidley

We're pleased to announce that Haro Bicycles has signed 7-time US National Trials Champion, Mike Steidley to a multi-year deal. Steidley’s Stunt Shows have been seen by thousands of spectators across the US and he will continue his demo program under the Kenda and Haro brands while competing, filming and performing shows at a variety of locations and venues.

“I’m really excited to be working with Haro and to represent their products next season while keeping momentum with my Stunt Show program,” said Steidley who has plans for a spring promotional tour that will include stunt demonstrations at major events across the USA. Spectators and fans can catch the action, grab one of the many give-away items, pick up an autograph and ask questions about cycling and Haro products.

"We're really excited to be part of Mike's program and to have him aboard Haro bikes for the next three years. Not only will this program net Haro some great exposure at a wide variety of events, having a top-notch rider like Steidley subject our frames to the rigors or trials riding will be invaluable in terms of research and development." Said Jill Hamilton, MTB/Asphalt Brand Manager for Haro Bikes.

We'll be posting reports and photos from the shows that Mike does across the country on a regular basis. You can find out more about Mike by visiting his website at http://www.mikested.com/.

Most excellent Sonix LT review

Check out the awesome review that MountainBikeTales.com did on the Sonix LT! While the LT version of the Sonix no longer exists in our line, it still speaks yards about the merit of the Virtual Link System used on the current Sonix range.

Click here to read the review!

New Zealand!

This month Phil and Blake are going to be shredding all over New Zealand with some special guests for the next Summer Of Shred trip! Check out some of the spots we're lined up to ride over the next few weeks. Stay tuned!