Bob Haro (born June 29, 1958, in
Pasadena
Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Old Pasadena is the city's original commercial district.
...
,
California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
) is an American former (retired from active competition) professional
freestyle BMX Freestyle BMX is bicycle motocross stunt riding on BMX bikes. It is an extreme sport descended from BMX racing that consists of five disciplines: street, park, vert, trails, and flatland. In June 2017, the International Olympic Committee announced t ...
rider turned artist and business executive. He is the founder of
Haro Bikes
Haro Bikes Corporation is an American BMX and Mountain bicycle manufacturer which was founded in 1978 by Bob Haro. The Haro bikes were considered Freestyle BMX bikes.
History
Haro Designs
The company was founded in 1978 by Bob Haro, who ...
and was one of the most important early innovators of
BMX freestyle Freestyle BMX is bicycle motocross stunt riding on BMX bikes. It is an extreme sport descended from BMX racing that consists of five disciplines: street, park, vert, trails, and flatland. In June 2017, the International Olympic Committee announced t ...
.
Early life
He began biking in his high school sophomore year when he ran out of money riding dirt bikes. His father bought him a Honda 100 and he stripped the bike down to compete in
motorcycle
A motorcycle (motorbike, bike, or trike (if three-wheeled)) is a two or three-wheeled motor vehicle steered by a handlebar. Motorcycle design varies greatly to suit a range of different purposes: long-distance travel, commuting, cruising ...
races. He won over 50 motocross trophies by 1975.
Around 1976, he got into BMX biking by racing his brother's bike out behind a bike shop in
San Diego
San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United State ...
. After moving to
Stockton, California as a result of his parents' divorce, Bob really got started racing and riding for a sponsor for Molina's Bike Shop. He was one of a small group of BMX'ers in that town to perform many of the common tricks.
Career
In 1978, Haro teamed up with
R. L. Osborn to form the very first freestyle BMX team, which made its debut at ABA's Winternationals in
Chandler, AZ.
In 1981 Bob Haro and
Bob Morales traveled on tour together performing shows all over the Midwest, Eastern United States, and parts of Canada to enthusiastic crowds. Also, in 1981, Haro was involved in the
Steven Spielberg production of ''
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial'' as a stunt rider.
In 1981 Bob Haro designed the first frame and fork tailored to freestyle BMX. The frameset was manufactured by the bicycle company Torker and became commercially available in 1982 and was marketed as the Haro Freestyler.
He stopped riding in 1985 after four knee surgeries and, in 1987, he was inducted into the American Bicycle Association Hall Of Fame. In 1993 he founded his own company, Haro Design, Inc., a design and marketing company in Cardiff, CA.
Bob Haro also invented the style of
Flatland BMX
Flatland is a freestyle BMX riding style performed on smooth flat surfaces that do not include any ramps, jumps, or grindrails. It is sometimes described as a form of artistic cycling with a blend of breakdancing.
Flatland occupies a position ...
.
In 2012, as part of the London Olympic Games, Bob Haro choreographed the Dove bike sequence in the Opening ceremony.
As of the early 2020s,
Joe "SickMan" Cicman, from the
YouTube
YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...
show ''Fact or Freestyle'', has been gossiping about the intensity of Bob's handshake with former freestyle pros and notables. Bob Haro is known to be an "over-gripper".
[(explained in video description)]
See also
*
List of BMX bicycle manufacturers
List of BMX bicycles is a list of former and current manufacturers of BMX bicycles.
BMX bicycles
A
*
C
*
*Colony BMX – Australian BMX Bicycle manufacturer
*Cortina Cycles is a bicycle frame manufacturer in Santa Barbara, California
*CW Ra ...
References
External links
Illustrated biography on 23magHaro Design GroupHaro Bikes
{{DEFAULTSORT:Haro, Bob
1958 births
Living people
American male cyclists
BMX riders
Sportspeople from Pasadena, California
Cyclists from California