Lightweight frame, great on trail and on road handles well the frame design is great no more chain slaps

None so far

I would recommend this bike to xc and am bikers unclass frame design performs well both trail and pavement good braking lightweight and not to heavy on the wallet

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Santa cruz nomad, gt force

Frame design, Swinger 3-way shock, geometry, price, single pivot placement is perfect, low maintenance, XC/trail versatility, XT rear der., overall performance and value. It's a Superlight killer... just as good, but a lot less expensive.

As purchased, the main weakness was the generic hubs that invited water and dirt into the bearings. I also consider some of the heavy components like the saddle and handlebar a weakness because for not much more money they can be upgraded to something much lighter. I also burned through a couple of the Isis bottom brackets in short order. Once some of the lower end components are upgraded, there are no real weaknesses, especially when considering the frame, which is really the only Haro part, right? Maybe it would flex a bit if you are a clydesdale, but for the rest of us it is a highly underrated frame for hardcore XC riding and racing.

I'm writing this review almost 3 years after purchasing this bike and even after Haro has stopped making it (what a shame), and here's why... this bike is way underrated and deserves respect. This was my first "real" mountain bike and I didn't know it at the time, but the frame is really one of the best XC/trail frames you can find. I was living in the mountains of NC at the time and rode the heck out of this thing all over Bent Creek, Pisgah, and Dupont. I loved this bike and it NEVER let me down... no failures, no breakdowns, and I hardly ever did any real maintenance (I was a newb)... the more effort I put into my ride the more performance it delivered in return. It would climb like a goat and descend like an anvil... all day long... and I ride hard and fast.

Now fast forward a couple of years... I got some high flutin' job offer out of the mountains and made the tough decision to move away and take it (dumb, I know, I'm stuck in the suburbs now). I would frequently get comments from guys on the local trails like "nice bike, what is it?" and stuff like that. I was always happy to tell people about the Haro. Well, as money has a way of doing, it made me feel like I needed more, so I bought my Intense Spider frame and hung the Haro on the wall. I never wanted to get rid of it because I always liked it, but it took a back seat to the Spider. Yes, the Spider is a nice bike with loads of stiffness and bling, but I've been riding the Haro a bit lately and all this week exclusively as I was doing some major bearing maintenance on the Spider.

Well, after riding the Haro again a lot, I'm being reminded of how awesome that bike really is. I have a new respect for it. I've taken it on the same trails I ride the Spider and the handling and performance of the Haro leave nothing to be desired. In fact, I'm even thinking of putting my nice lightweight parts from the Spider onto the Haro and giving it a whirl in some races, it's that good. I'm not convinced that the multi-pivot suspension designs are *that* much better than the single pivot, but after replacing 8 bearings, I am convinced they're harder to maintain... sheesh. Will I end up selling the Spider frame in favor of the Haro? I dunno, but I can tell you that I probably won't be any slower and won't be having any less fun on the Haro.

Bottom line: this bike is a winner.

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Intense Spider :)

the sick price i paid for a full xt ride, for starters...very efficient, good components, shocks, etc.

maybe the tires

i got this bike for 1700 from south mountain cycles on ray...they matched a price offered by adventure bike co. who no longer had my size. it's ridiculous. it just looks fast. i rode a jamis dakar comp before and it's in a different class altogether. i too was guilty of overlooking it, but i knew i had to ride a lot of bikes to see what i really wanted. EVERYBODY here was saying to go w/ the specialized (higher commission?), which didn't feel good at all. it climbs like there's no manana and handles everything i throw at it. if your looking for a solid bike, go with some of the haro bikes...they're taking it seriously now.

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stumpjumpers, mrs, fuel, ironhorse, cake, etc.

fast,shock work gr8

havent found one yet

the bike rides awesome,jumps,tight turns, it can handle alot,except maybe 10 foot drops,aint me anyway soo f it

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none

Well spec'ed bike for the price. Decent weight.

The stock rim strips & tires. (Hutchinson Pythons)

This is a very cool bike. I'm not an expert on the subject but I would certainly give it 2 thumbs up! This is the 4th bike I've owned, (the others are mentioned above), & it absolutely fly's! If you're into tight single track, with plenty of rocks, roots, & hills it's a great bike. I'm very happy I bought it. If you want a good all around bike buy it! It's too bad that Haro is often looked down upon, I was guilty of it myself. Not anymore, this bike is for real, give one a try.

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Gary Fisher Sugar; 03 Jamis Dakar XLT2; 03 Giant AC1

Simplicity, rear shock, gussets, fit/fit/fit!!!

Nothing outside the typical single pivot design "flaws"

Considering I bought it for $400 on mtbr.com classified, it's a screaming deal. The sticker price said $650 and my horrific local Haro shop wanted $1000 for the frame/rear shock/headset.

I'm not one to say that any frame or design is "best" because they all have their strengths and weaknesses. I value climbing, simplicity and stiffness as the most important, but was worried the single pivot would skitter me all over on braking bumps and descending. This Haro is a great xc bike (I only weigh 165 but hammer hard!), and the Swinger 3-way is extremely adjustable. I like the 73d seattube; anything less and I suffer climbing (Enduro Pro, albeit it is a different type of frame... loved how that thing went downhill!).

I almost purchased the $950 (before shipping) Turner Burner with 3-way, but the extra $550 wasn't going to make me faster, plus I would have had to buy the headset. Anyway, this Haro is a very good Taiwan built xc machine with the best rear shock in the biz for xc. I rank it above the NRS and among the Element TO for pure xc use.

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2001 NRS Team, 2003 Enduro Pro, 2003 Jamis XLT2, 2000 Element TO,

Great geometry, durable.

Single pivot might not be a plus for some.

To Cory the reviewer from Kentucky who was in disbelief about the previous posts and their price of $650... that's for the frame/rearshock/headset, not the bike. Every post is about the great 2004 Haro XLS Werx cross country model. And yes, I paid $420 shipped for my new one.

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Too many to list

Low price for what it is, awesome frame, perfect geometry, great mix of features that are the best compromise between strength and light weight.

OEM shifters that were shipped early were sloppy, front SPV valve doesn't work on mine now, grips wear out quickly, the tubes and tires totally suck

The bottom line is that you need to buy this bike. I'm just picky. Not many people have a Werx XLS so if you have a single original bone in your body, you'll pick one up. The bike feels perfect.

Bad stuff: A few of the components haven't turned out too well on mine, but that's not Haro's fault. I got a demo anyway, they may have given me crap parts. The Hutchinson tires and tubes shouldn't even make it to the rims on this bike, just chuck them. The tires have no cornering traction. I got 5 flats in the first 2 days, from riding on hardpack and asphalt at 55 psi. I was flatting from the inside, these rims aren't deburred very well. Very first thing, you need to put good quality rim tape on there, get better tubes, then get some more aggressive tires, I recommend 2.4" Mutanoraptors, which fits, and has ample room to spare, and they're only like 560 grams. To make up for the rotational weight gain, you can switch to some good eggbeaters. Anyway, MTB Action magazine will tell you the exact same thing about the XLS R7's tires which are the same ones. I got one of the first ones shipped. The cable housings were too long, so they were bound up, and the internal mechanism where the cable wraps around in the shifters was bending, so my shifting was stiff and sloppy.


Good stuff... the frame is awesome. I ride XC, but I am also not afraid whatsoever to take it on the same rocky trails that I put my 7" Kona Stab to work. It is unbelievably fast, I gained an incredible amount of time on local trails when I got this bike, especially on the climbs. It's an XC racer, but it's actually strong. The seatpost is like the strongest on the market. It has DH bars. It's gussetted well, there's only one pivot to worry about, and the rear triangle is plenty stiff. I mean, you can give it hell. I have buddies with more expensive bikes that won't ride the more difficult trails that some of us do because they're afraid they'll snap all their carbon fiber stuff. That's crazy. Bikes are meant for having fun. This one just happens to go blazing fast while you're having it. I just wouldn't recommend any crazy jumps due to the fork not exactly being designed for that.

Some of the previous reviews must have been talking about the R3, R5, and R7, because you're not going to get the Werx XLS for no $600, it's a $2,700 bike and worth every penny for full XT. I rated it the highest value possible. I mean, I've seen Santa Cruz Blur's on sale that were still $600 more than this bike's MSRP and it still had components that weren't as nice, LX instead of XT for example. Rating it a 4 chili instead of 5 due to the tire/tube/SPV/shifter/grip issues I've been having. The fun factor, price, and overall feel of the bike more than makes up for these problems that are covered by warranty anyway.

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2003 Haro Extreme X3, demo'ed dozens of similar Specialized, Trek, Gary Fisher, and Klein bikes

Simple design, Manitou SPV front & rear *really* work, seems 'over built' for an XC bike, raised chainstays keep chain slap down, swank Charcol/Silver anodize finish.

Seems a bit heavy for a SP design. Frameset weighed in at 6lb 6oz. Rear triangle is made of way too many small bits welded together. Lots of bulk that could have been eliminated with better cast/machined arms.

This page should just be the "Solano Ave Cyclery Fan Club".

Got the frame+fork and built up with my own parts. I like it overall, got about 2 months on it so far. The SPV works wonders, absolutely ZERO bob. Not too beefy to get up a hill. Plenty of travel coming down, all 4in front and rear are used.
Frameset is definitly *not* worth the $1250+ retail I was quoted. Seems like ~$750 would be a better price. That being said this is a great frame to go out and have fun. If you find a deal, cough*solano*cough, youll be very pleased.

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02' IDrive was my last FS bike.

stiff, simple, cheap, long top tube

maybe a bit heavier than need to be? single pivot issues may be a weakness for some.

My first geared bike in 4 years (yep, i'm getting a bit too old and soft for SS full time), this thing is simple, quite and nice. I hate noise, and with the elevated chainstay, a nine speed drivetrain and short cage derailler, there's minimal chain noise. The suspension works, but is quite and efficient.
and
as the other guy said,
a great buy. $650 for the frame and manitou fork with headset was sweet. the frame is stiffer and longer than the superlight (which were 2 of my issues with it).
with the 24 in. effective tt of hte L, i can ride a 90 or 100 stem and be in the right place.

so,
definitely a winner. I also like the looks of the straight top tube over the bent SC superlight.
and,
4 inches front and rear, after riding my ss hardtail for the last 4 years, it's damn plush.
why do people want (think they need more), for a trailbike?
Cheers,
w

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superlight, cannondale jeckle, raven, etc..