Bob Haro (born June 29, 1958, in
Pasadena
Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, 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 d ...
,
California
California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
) 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 four disciplines: street, park, trails, and flatland. The sport made its Olympic debut at the 2020 Summer Olympics.
E ...
rider turned artist and business executive. He is the founder of
Haro Bikes and was one of the most important early innovators of
BMX freestyle.
Early life
Haro was born in Pasadena but raised in San Diego, California. He is the oldest of four with sister Janice, brothers Scott and Ron raised by their father Robert Haro with
Mexican roots and an American mother. Haro stated in an interview that his surname comes from the town of
Haro in Spain.
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; uni (if one-wheeled); trike (if three-wheeled); quad (if four-wheeled)) is a lightweight private 1-to-2 passenger personal motor vehicle Steering, steered by a Motorcycle handlebar, handlebar from a saddle-style ...
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 coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...
. After moving to
Stockton, California
Stockton is a city in and the county seat of San Joaquin County, California, San Joaquin County in the Central Valley (California), Central Valley of the U.S. state of California. It is the most populous city in the county, the List of municipal ...
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
Steven Allan Spielberg ( ; born December 18, 1946) is an American filmmaker. A major figure of the New Hollywood era and pioneer of the modern blockbuster, Spielberg is widely regarded as one of the greatest film directors of all time and is ...
production of ''
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
''E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial'' (or simply ''E.T.'') is a 1982 American science fiction film, science fiction film produced and directed by Steven Spielberg and written by Melissa Mathison. It tells the story of Elliott Taylor, Elliott, a boy w ...
'' 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.
In 2012, as part of the London Olympic Games, Bob Haro choreographed the Dove bike sequence in the Opening ceremony.
See also
*
List of BMX bicycle manufacturers
References
External links
Illustrated biography on 23magHaro Design Group
Haro Bikes
{{DEFAULTSORT:Haro, Bob
1958 births
Living people
American male cyclists
American BMX riders
Sportspeople from Pasadena, California
Cyclists from California
20th-century American sportsmen