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Real World Bike Delivers Real Good Results
December 12th, 2006 by Tim Grahlreview by: Jay deBellonia (Admin of CyclingCentralVa.org)
Overall Rating: 3.5 of 5
Bang for buck: 4 of 5
Upgrade Worthy 4 of 5
Q: So, When is a $350.00 bike (retail) as good as a $3500.00?
A: When you have to rent one while on vacation and it allows you to get a good mountain bike ride in.
During our Thanksgiving vacation in Arizona, Lisa and I felt a need to ride some highland dessert trails. With out bikes 2,000 away back in Va, we decided to rented bikes from M&M Cycles in Sierra Vista,Az. I know, a lot of people asked why didn’t you bring your bikes with you on the trip (and we thought about it), but for $20 a day rentals plus helmet, we would be hard pressed to pass up just renting bikes.
So on to the bike, we were each rented a blue Haro V2. Later searches of the Haro site revealed that we were on 2004 models, although current models are only different by paint color.
Q: So what were our first impressions of the the Haro V2?
A: Our feelings were mixed with a lot of “We can’t wait to ride!!” and “They seemed a little heavy.” Not that we are bike snobs, we in 16 years of riding, our bikes have become pretty customized along the way.
Specs for the Haro V2 are pulled directly from the Haro Bikes web site. http://www.harobikes.com/2004/v2/
Brand: Haro
Model: 2004 Haro V2
Fork: RST CAPA T4 76mm Travel
Crank Set: SR Suntour XCC-150 42/34/24
Controls (Brake levers& shifters): Shimano STi
Derailer Front: Shimano C-050
Derailer Back: Shimano Alivio
Freewheel: Shimano HG30 8-speed 11-30
Grips: Dual Density Kraton/Gel
Derailer Shifter: Shimano ST-EF29
Saddle: Haro Selle Sport Dual Density
Hubset: Formula 8-Speed Cassette QR 32h
Rim: Alex DM18
Tires: Kenda Klaw 2.1
Brake Set: Tektro
Pedals: Time Attacks (ours)
As you can see from the build specs, the bike certainly is not a “ThoroughBred”, but hey, for $20 a day, who cares, right?!
After comparing the spec chart to the photos, our rentals were still all running the stock parts with one exception. Because of the thorns and cactus found in the area, the local shop loads the tires up with thorn-resistant tubes, slime, and slime-protective tire liners.
Q:So how much does it weigh?
A: Approx 35lbs. Yeah, really! I’m thinking that without the extra anti-flat protection, these bikes would be closer to the 30lb mark.
Q: How does it ride?
A: After a few normal adjustments to get the bike set-up for us the riders, we hit the streets to head out to the trails. The smooth road ride gave us a quick glimpse about things like the shifting action, brakes, and wheels, etc. The shifters had positive clicks, so you know that the shifts were made, but they were slow acting during the gear change itself. It turned out to be nothing too impairing on the trail. The seat was worrying me because it’s super wide (ala touring seat), and although initially comfy, I know that wide seats are not really good for long term use. In the end I was surprised that after a lot of rough terrain, I never felt sore of as if the seat was too wide. The Kenda Klaw tires hooked up pretty well, especially for the near 50psi they were pumped too by the shop. The brakes seemed powerful enough under all conditions too, something Tektro is becoming known for these days.
Terrain ridden in Test: flat desert to steep grade climbs, from sand, to hardpack to loose rocks, stream crossings, and boulders. We covered it all and in the form of singletrack and jeep trail.
Q: So how did it hold up?
A: I’m glad you asked! It actually did what it was supposed to, it let us tour about 12 miles of pretty nasty sand, rocks, and cactus infested singletrack and jeep trails.
The bikes took everything that Lisa and I threw at them despite not being top-shelf! (GASP)
Sure my RST fork was cranked out to the max and still bottomed out, yes I the heavy bike was felt a little on the climbs, but you know what? I smiled the whole freak’n time because I was riding, and in a new place to boot! We enjoyed ourselves so much that Lisa and I rented them for another day and did the same loop backwards the following morning.
In fact the next day I was feeling so good on the bike the second day, that I really don’t think it hindered my riding at all. My bike simply got punished on the downhill section that pretty much resembles as dry creek bed (it felt like a fully rigid at times) but still kept on ticking without even a wobble, mis-shift, or flat.
NOTES:
Renting these bikes really helped to put a nice spin on cycling for me, the bike doesn’t matter as much as the attitude of the person riding it.
Q: Does this mean I will “give up” all my bikes for a $350.00 machine?
A:No it doesn’t. But I can tell you that I appreciated my Scalpel that much more from now forth.
It also means that I would never discount someone else on a perceived “lower-end” bike.
** Not to say I am anything like this last statement, but we all know someone like this, in fact one of the guys riding with us is new to riding and he kept saying that he thinks product X,Y, & Z will help him gain an advantage in his riding. I tried hard to impress upon him that better riding comes with seat time, not $$.
One point to be made about bikes that are around the sub $700 price range is Upgrade worthiness.
Q: Is this bike worthy of upgrading?
A:In my opinion, yes! This frame feels great on climbs, in the rough, and on the downhill even when the fork was at it’s limits. If I owned a bike like this, I would consider a possible expensive upgrade like drivetrain, fork, etc without thinking, “Just buy a new bike.”
Q: If I owned this bike, would I upgrade anything?
A: I truly believe that lighter wheels make a difference in equipment, and IMO they just might be the single best investment in a bike for overall braking, weight savings, & handling. (Including tires and tubes)
Ridgeline jeeptrail, which leads to beautiful views of Sierra Vista!
To see more photos of the trip: mtb SierraVista, Az
This was a very helpful post! We are planning a vacation to the mountains after January and we intend on doing a lot of biking! Thanks for the tips and feedback.
sweet…
rentals can be ugly
but
you knew what you were getting into
as long as the shop is not trying to pass the bike off as something that it is not
everything is cool
the 20 dollar price tag is sweet
I hate when I go to rent a bike and it is 50 bucks
and the bike never fits me
they say they have hard tails
I have to get on a double banger
well…
I usually leave angry
then am happy once on the bike
but
I am often angry
and well
I am usually happy again once on the bike
nothing is as comfortable as your own bike
We visited M&M Cycles in Sierra Vista, AZ. Mike (1 of the owners) was nothing sort of great in helping us. And I can not remember the name of the other employee, but he was just as helpful.
We still had to make final adjustments ourselves, but the in/out time was quick and easy. The bikes were well suited to hit the trails (as far of off-road worthiness & tune-up).
Later on I read some reviews on the shop and they all said great things about M&M, so if you head out to that area, stop by and check them out.
I rented a bike in Winter Park, Co a few years ago. I don’t remember the make off hand, but it was not top quality. I think I paid 35.00 for like 4-5 hours of riding. Anyway, the rental was more about just being in Co and riding hard, than how good of bike I was on. I suppose a high dollar bike may have made the ride that much sweeter, but I had a hell of a time.
Shortly after that ride I started really getting back into cycling again. So, I guess that low budget rental did it.
Well this news is not surprising to me! I bought the exact bike that was rented by this lucky couple. I purchased it In May at Sun & Ski Sports in Grapevine Tx. I have raced it, jumped it, used it on bmx tracks and skateparks and I’ve wrecked on it. I have ridden it like crazy. Since I do live in the “real world” I can’t even afford the on-board computer, so I don’t know how many miles I have on the bike, but it’s a lot. I ride at least twice a week at 24 miles a trip, not counting the races, and that has been going on since I got the bike in May. I just replaced the chain, cables and grips. Other than that, bike has stood up to everything thrown in the way. The front and rear components are not top of the line, but have performed wonderfully for 7 months. It was finally time for some adjusting last week. If you are reading this and are considering a bike I highly recomend the Haro V2. Get the red one, it’s sharp looking. Leave a message and I will answer any questions if your interested.
Like the person in the first post, the greatest thing is to be out there riding and this bike will do it for less than half the cost of other bikes. Happy trails
My ‘05 Rockhopper is simularly equipted and felt heavy and sluggish, but I took off the stock Alex rims and replaced them w/ Rhinolites w/ XT hubs and a SRAM mid-line cassette. What a difference it made, much more responsive and a better climber. They came from BlueSky for $89 bucks no less. They shipped the wrong set, as the Rhinolites I ordered were suppose to have Deore hubs - nice!!
The best part of this report is:
“Renting these bikes really helped to put a nice spin on cycling for me, the bike doesn’t matter as much as the attitude of the person riding it.”
And …
“It also means that I would never discount someone else on a perceived ‘lower-end’ bike.”
“** Not to say I am anything like this last statement, but we all know someone like this, in fact one of the guys riding with us is new to riding and he kept saying that he thinks product X,Y, & Z will help him gain an advantage in his riding. I tried hard to impress upon him that better riding comes with seat time, not $$.”
Well said. These are lessons everyone should learn.
I just bought this bike today! Fantastic that I come upon this site to see that I made a decent investment. My wife and I ride about 2 to 3 times a week causually. I still have everything stock. If you have anymore info for me, let me know. Thanks! Email is loudmouthkev@sbcglobal.net
I got this bike (the Haro V2) as a birthday present in May 2005. Over that summer, I rode it alot in the trails at our town park, and alot around town just in general. This thing has stood up to me riding it every day to school (180 days a year, 2 miles there and back!) for the past 2 years and has only had to be tuned up once! The tektro brake pads have only been replaced once and still provide enough stopping power to do endos or stop if a car comes out of nowhere. The fork is good enough to handle whatever I throw at it- whether it be bumps in the sidewalk, dirt jumps, or roots and rocks in the backtrails. And the frame is light enough to make it easy to ride all day long. If you need a great all-around bike (the 07′ model is even better) for under $500 this could easily be one of the best.
what size is this
You can get it in many sizes. Go to harobikes.com and once you find a bike you like it should show you the sizes (x-small, small, medium, large, x-large.)
i meant this one in the picture