Haro Beasley

By Sarah Hansing

Tester: Sarah Hansing
Age: 30
Height: 5'2"
Weight: 111
Inseam: 30"

Vital Stats
Country of Origin: Taiwan
Price: $1305
Weight: 14" frame 26.8 lbs
Sizes available: 14, 16, 18, 20, 22
Contact: www.harobikes.com

It was a gradual process, but with so many bicycle manufacturers now offering up 29" wheel mountain bike options, the 29er, at long last, is no longer the weird kid at the party. A new non-conformist just joined the singletrack scene: the 650B.

True, 650B wheels are no secret to bicycle builders in Europe; the 650B wheel was the popular choice in France for touring bikes and tandems. Still, it has not been until recent years that the 650B has found itself destined for dirt, and even then, it was only available from custom builders. But the advantages of the 650B wheel—for both smaller riders and those riders looking for the ideal compromise between 26" wheels and 29" wheels—have caught the attention of more and more riders. With Haro's 2009 offering of the 650B Beasley 1x9, a 650B riding experience is now available to those who are disenchanted by a custom-build price tag.

At first glance, the Beasley can inspire a double-take in all but the most apathetic of cyclists, with an upright bike position reminiscent of a BMX dirt jump bike coupled with a low, swooped top-tube, providing for an incredibly generous amount of stand-over clearance. That and a classy, if not a little bit come-hither, decal set and flash Cherry Cola paint job are reason enough for a first glance.

Born of a double-butted 650B-specific 4130 chromoly frame and a custom chromoly rigid fork, Beasley isn't exactly a featherweight in the hardtail mountain bike category. However, with a simplified 1x9 drivetrain and a Shimano LX shifter and XT rear derailleur, as well as a better than average Weinnman Discovery 650B wheelset (with gold alloy spoke nipples!), the overall 26.8lb. weight of the 14" Beasley I tested was noticeable, but not debilitating.

The custom 650B fork is well-thought out: disc brake specific, rigid, and sporting forward-facing dropouts. At first glance, they appear to be backwards, but they're designed to prevent the torque that the disc brakes apply to the wheel from wrenching it out of the dropouts. More companies within the industry are beginning to follow suit; after all, 'tis better to break tradition than to have a wheel break away.

But the fork does more than keep the front wheel safely in the drops and your teeth in your head. The overall stiffness of the fork blades and steerer provided a front end that didn't buck or flex when the brakes were applied forcefully, or at the last minute. Granted, that solid, reliable response to a handful of front brake doesn't come free; the fork is a bit...husky—big boned, if you will. However, the small amount of extra material was a small sacrifice to make to the gods of gram counting. Keeping in mind that the very nature of a rigid fork lacks much in the way of mercy on bumpy descents, washboard fireroads, and rock gardens, the 100mm-travel geometry on which the fork was based, plus that extra bit of forgiveness the chromoly ride provided, made the bike a fun ride, regardless of the occasional rock garden shakedown.

Confidence-inspiring though it is, though, the fork, coupled with a 70° headtube angle and a top tube length of 21.5", meant that the rider position on the Beasley is a bit more upright. To a certain degree, that effect is unavoidable on larger-wheeled bikes. A 650B (or 29") fork forces the headtube up. However, the Beasley's upright positioning, when coupled with the extra-wide (63.5cm) Ritchey Low Rize handlebars, translated to a bit more effort on my part when it came time for the ol' obstacle up-n-over. That said, the only place this really vexed me was in technical, obstacle-strewn sections of singletrack, the kind where frequent lifting of the front wheel is a requirement. I chose to flip the stem to get into a ride position I was more familiar with. In fact, it made enough of a difference that any inkling I had to cut the handlebars was quelled—a good thing, because the wider bars were a fine thing to use for side-to-side leverage when I found myself on the long gradual climbs typical of my rides, and proved equally adept for those sudden bursts of up and out of the saddle shorter climbs.

The Beasley is a surprisingly tight-handling bike; I was able to take turns through technical sections without the careful negotiations that I have sometimes found to be necessary on a larger-wheeled bicycle. In tight switchback sections, this 650B impressed me with how well balanced it is; I could track-stand and think about what the best line would be, and then easily point the bike in that direction. Granted, the rigid set up is somewhat limiting as far as speeding downhill or through roots and rocks goes, but a slightly slower ride is not always a bad thing; the Beasley was never meant to be a race bike. In fact, it seems to me that Haro's latest offering wasn't meant just for dirt. It was happy to point and shoot down the obligatory staircase rides of the city's urban playgrounds, with nary a spastic fit of front-end stutters or shakes. For the time that I spent riding the Beasley through singletrack, around switchbacks, on fire roads, and down the staircases of my local concrete jungle, the Beasley wasn't always the most proficient bike for the adventure, but it was a consistently fun adventure, nonetheless.

Since the 650B-wheeled bicycle has yet to join the mainstream, the price tag is, in part, the price one must pay for innovation and individuality. The Beasley and its 650B brethren are suffering much the same fate that 29ers did in their early years: there simply aren't many companies producing 650B-specific components. As such, 650B wheelsets and tires cost more for the manufacturer, which means a higher price for the consumer, a bit higher than a 26" bike with a comparable spec.

The Beasley 1x9 is a fun bike that would find a happy home in the stable of a rider who craves change from the usual ride; someone who finds inspiration in exploring the unknown, or just wants a break from routine. Riding this bike is a good way to discover your trails, be they dirt or concrete, all over again.