VISTA, Calif. (BRAIN) — As the interest in vintage and replica old school BMX bikes grows, Haro Bikes has two new offerings: replicas of the 1984 Haro Master and Sport framesets.
The company planned to begin shipping 300 limited-edition framesets in May: 200 Master framesets, packaged with a custom jersey and signed by Bob Haro, and 100 Sport framesets. The Sport framesets will be packaged with a jersey and a pad set and signed by Mike Dominguez. Each frameset package retails for $999 and includes a special display box.
The 1984 models were groundbreaking because the Sport was the first dedicated vert bike, with a longer wheelbase and slacker head angle than the Master and its predecessor, the Freestyler. The Sport replica is based on a 1984 prototype made in California and has a single toptube, instead of the Torker-style twin top tubes used on the Master and the Freestyler. The Master remained a flatland BMX mainstay for years.
The year 1984 also was a milestone for freestyle and for Haro. The King of Skate Parks contest series that year helped transform freestyle from its “trick show” and bike shop demo to a new era as a competitive action sport with professionally managed teams and events. Haro Design launched a wide array of products that year for freestyle and racing. That year, Bob Haro himself retired from riding to focus on design and management.
The original 1984 Master and Sport frames were welded by Torker BMX in Fullerton, California, and chrome-plated by Bush Plating in nearby Garden Grove. After Torker shut down at the end of 1984, Haro moved production to the Anlen factory in Taichung, Taiwan, and soon began offering complete bikes for the first time — another milestone for the year.
The Master and Sport replica framesets were welded by John Severin of True Torch Welding in Santa Ana, California, and like the originals, were chromed by Bush Plating.
The replicas of the 1984 models follow a 2012 project to reproduce the Haro Freestyler, the first dedicated freestyle BMX frame, which was introduced in 1982 and also made by Torker BMX. Like the 1984 replicas, the replica Freestylers were also welded by Severin.
Haro Bikes began taking pre-orders and deposits on the replica 1984 models in December and expected to begin delivering them in May.
