Weaknesses: Ugly TRAC swingarm (it's silver, bleh!), hard to get parts from Haro sometimes
Bottom Line:
Only 4 for value because Haro has been a pain to deal with. Overall, I've been able to keep up with anyone out there on their fancy new XC's. It's really more about the rider than the ride anyway.
Bike Setup: XT/XTR drivetrain (swapping the LX crankset out for an XT very soon), Topo wheelset w/ Panaracer Fire XC Pros, XTR brake/shifter pods w/ XTR brakes, Onyx seatpost w/ Topo Comp saddle, THE front fender, Salsa QR seat-binder, Ritchey Logic Stem and Ritchey pedals, Topo XC 220 riser bar w/ Profile Design grips, '01 Judy XC fork and last but not least, a Fox Float RL in back. Her name is April and I love her more than my girlfriend.
Strengths: surprisingly light (for all of the heavy crap I've got on there), excellent geometry, strong head tube, damn good jumper, and takes a healthy dosage of abuse.
Weaknesses: my 99' bike busted the rear swingarm pretty, quick, so now I've got a 2000 swingarm on a 99' main frame (hey, it looks cool!), but the 2000 swingarm still seems flexy despite its massive tubes. the bushings are a pain in the butt, and constantly need servicing (I'm going to upgrade to some big roller bearings sooner or later). And the shock has way to much damping for trail riding, which is a trade off for me, because it works well for some of the rather large jumps I go off of. So pretty much all of my moaning and groaning comes from the back end
Bottom Line:
It's a good bike for the plunk along trail rider, but for anyone else, you'll have to ditch that cheezy RS jett whaterver fork before you can rip. another problem you may have is the swing arm breakage, which may break under easy goin' usage, which happened to me. But the bike has a good frame under there that can be decked out for X-country lightness, or for light duty freeriding, such as mine, either way, it'll work pretty good. and for this, I'll give it four burnin' dog terds.
Similar Products Used: Specialized hardrock ultra (ugh! hardtail) K2 proflex 5000 (a little too weenie for me, but I dig the stiff carbon fiber (stuff from the gods) swingarm and good bushings)
Bike Setup: 2000 swingarm, 99' X-vert (one sweet fork that can take on a lot of stuff), Mavic x-221 rims (good, cheap, strong rims)w/ LX hubs, Pazzaz carbon fiber(stuff from the gods)DH handle bars, Sram 7.0 Rr derailer & shifters (good stuff), some godawful specialized seat (it hurts my sphinxter!), cheapie platform pedles, otherwise stock.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Doug M
a Weekend Warrior
from Poway,CA
Date Reviewed: November 17, 2000
Strengths: Great frame, nice clean welds, perfect size (17.5) nice paint very stable bike. Great cust. support via Haro(I live near the offices) Mike Varley is a great guy to talk to! Bike seems light when riding it even though its 29#.
Weaknesses: Rock Shot Jett T2. VERY difficult to get heavier springs for. Shocks (front/rear) too soft for anyone over 150#. Component choice is kind of hodge-podge. Top tube design as well as cables under top tube make it hard to use with bike carrier on my SUV.
Bottom Line:
Great bike, I certainly got it at a good price. With better components and slightly higher price, the 2001 Haro EX1 COULD be a great bike. Im happy with my 99 model as it looks new and not much different(besides front disc brakes) then the new bikes. This bike ISN't a race bike but with a few upgrades its a nice bike that doesnt look so cheap. Its main competition is probably the Specialized FSR. This bike will work for 80% of most XC riders.
Similar Products Used: none -94 Specialized Hardrock FS(hardtail)
Bike Setup: Add ons so far Titec Hellbent riser bars, KORE Aheadlite 3 stem. cage for water bottles. Future upgrade will be front fork with a Judy XC/Race.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Chris Wix
a Weekend Warrior
from Cullowhee,NC USA
Date Reviewed: July 9, 2000
Strengths: Looks, price, good componants.
Weaknesses: Rear swing arm broke, back shock connection stipped out. Bike has had lots of shop time!
Bottom Line:
Could have got a lemon who knows. Bike has been alot of trouble...hike a bike several miles out on a good ride with a broken bike is a nightmare. This bike has me convenced to go back to hardtails!!!!
Submitted by
Jude Ballard
a weekend warrior
from Arizona
Date Reviewed: December 31, 1998
Bottom Line:
I got this bike in November of '98. Since I got the suspension stiffened up it is great. (I weigh about 210.) No complaints about the components; deraileurs work great even up hill with a lot of pressure on the pedals. Clearance is great, and the frame shape and rear end work great. It climbs better than my old Specialized hardtail. My only upgrades will be to the shocks. Probably a zoke superfly on the front and fox on the back. (unless RockShox comes out with a presta valved fork) For my wants, needs, and pocketbook I couldn't have chosen a better bike. 5 flaming chilies.
Here is what Mountain Bike Action magazine had to say about the 1999 Haro EX1 in the October 1998 issue:You can get the EX3's frame at an $850 price point if you don't mind skimping on a few drivetrain items. The good stuff is still here, like: WTB saddle and tires; a Judy Jett fork and Deluxe shock; and a Deore LX derailleur too.
