Haro Steel Reserve Eight - Bike Check
There are four bikes in Haro's DJ/urban line, with the Reserve Eight sitting atop the hierarchy. Both the Reserve Eight and Reserve 1 use steel frames, the Reserve 1 being the single speed and slotted dropout brother to the geared Reserve Eight that we have here. If an aluminum frame is more your cup of tea, then have a look at the Thread 8 (geared) and Thread 1 (single speed). Both Thread models use a smartly designed sliding dropout system that deserve a closer look. Unless you're Picky Pete, Haro should have a DJ bike to fit your needs and desires. While I don't like to pick favorites, we had to choose one to investigate and the Steel Reserve Eight is it. This not a test by any means, just a closer look at an interesting bike.
Haro Steel Reserve Eight
Frame Detail
The Reserve Eight uses steel tubing, a choice any rider who pushes himself could appreciate. It could be a dumped three gone wrong, or a stair gap that didn't quite go as planned, the Eight's 4130 double butted tubing will be more resilient to day in and day out thrashing. It has been said that a steel frame will also have a tendency to be slightly more forgiving on the body than its stiffer aluminum cousins, something we can all agree is a plus.
Removable Gyro tabs are a nice touch, as is the integrated headset
The little steel Haro has a few tricks up it's sleeve, one of them being some nice and clean removable Gyro tabs. Not a lot of riders use Gyros it seems and the bike does not come stock with one, but if you're the guy doing double bar spins or you simply don't want a massive loop of housing you will be grateful for this small detail. The supplied bolts are counter sunk as well to make them as unobtrusive as possible. We're not done at the front of the Reserve Eight yet, have a look at the uber-clean integrated headset. No cups to press in or pound out, just drop the bearing in and you're set. Besides the smooth lines it also lets you slam your stem a bit lower after removing the token spacers. A small gusset behind the headtube rounds out a tidy front end.
ISCG tabs!
Steel DJ bikes with ISCG tabs are a bit scarce and not the usual fare, but here they be on the Reserve Eight. Should you decided in the long run to use them or not, they are at least there if you want to. Not to mention the whizzy Syncros chain guide that comes stock bolted to them. Out back the bike uses vertical dropouts and a replaceable hanger. Would slotted horizontal dropouts with a hanger be more versatile? For sure, but if you want gears on your ride then the Reserve's vertical dropouts are a cleaner and easier to manage system. A load of stand over and cable routing beneath the top tube minimizes the chances of catching any clothing on housing guides, although I doubt most of the girl's jeans you boys wear could possibly catch on anything!
Haro Steel Reserve Eight geometry
Like most companies, Haro has two sizes available for their DJ bikes that differ only in top tube length and total wheelbase. The majority of riders will most likely end up on the 'short' model and be comfortable with the 22.8" top tube length. All beanstalk's and giants will feel more at home on the 'long' version and it's 23.3" TT. The bigger of the two bikes obviously has a longer wheelbase, but that is where the differences end. Both seat tubes measure in at a low 13" and both sizes use pint-sized 15.5" chainstays to make for an easy to throw around bike. The Reserve Eight weighed in at 33.5 lbs on our local shop scale.
geometry based on 80 mm travel fork
The Parts...
The Reserve Eight comes from Haro with an eclectic mix of a few house branded bits combined with some smart picks (and a surprise or two). Taking the sting out of missed transitions and stair gaps is a Marzocchi Dirt Jumper 2 sporting 80 mm of travel. Enough to smooth things out a bit but short enough to keep the bar height within reason. Big steel stanchion tubes and a 20 mm thu-axle keep everything as stiff as could be. Nice to see a proper thru-axle clamp using pinch bolts, no messing about with teeny QR levers here. The DJ 2 has rebound and air assist to fiddle with.
Marzocchi Dirt Jumper 2
The Reserve Eight comes stock with both rear and front brakes, which is not too common to see on this type of machine. While the 'Eight is intended as a DJ and urban bike it will take very little to make it mountain worthy as it already has a front stopper. The cable actuated Avid BB5's are just the ticket for this type of bike. If you don't like it then you can take it off, but it's a nice concession to versatility. Throw a knobby tire up front and head to the hill! The wheelset is a combo on Sun S.O.S. rims in white laced to Pivit hubs. The rear Pivit hub uses a driver and engages exceptionally quick, as well as producing a great sound.
Avid BB5 brakes and Pivit 120t driver hub
Haro uses their own burly steel crankset, with a big splined steel B.B. spindle to keep things spinning straight. The chain runs on a posh e.13 ring that mounts via BMX standard. Which brings us to the chainguide. The Syncros Alloy guide is interesting in that the bottom roller is actually sprung and free to move if it comes in contact with anything. It looks to be adaptable to nearly any frame ring size as well. One concern is the lack of any chainring protection, neither a full bash guard or mini guard is included with the bike.
Haro splined steel cranks and Syncros chainguide
What's left? An SDG Skylite seat and I-Beam post combo shaves some grams while still being reliable and comfy. The white Skylite seat is BMX-sized, so it should be easy to pinch. Syncros makes another appearance, this time in the cockpit with the FR bar and stem combo, also in white, and finished with Haro lock-on type grips. It is nice to see the Canadian company's bar and stem in a place where you would usually find heavy as lead BMX knock-off parts, no need for that.
Syncros has the controls covered
SDG Skylite I-Beam combo and Syncros guide detail
In the DJ category of bikes, the Haro Steel Reserve Eight is a bit of a unique bird. A tough steel frame with distinct features and a build that differs from the run of the mill hardtail parts list makes the 'Eight stand out from the crowd. With its gears and chainguide, as well as a front brake, this is a bike that could easily be taken into the mountains with only a few small changes. Take it to the DJs, take it to the skate park, and then take it to the hills. The Steel Reserve Eight looks ready to handle it all.
Check out Haro's entire lineup at their website.
Mike "Kakah" Levy
The Reserve Eight uses steel tubing, a choice any rider who pushes himself could appreciate. It could be a dumped three gone wrong, or a stair gap that didn't quite go as planned, the Eight's 4130 double butted tubing will be more resilient to day in and day out thrashing. It has been said that a steel frame will also have a tendency to be slightly more forgiving on the body than its stiffer aluminum cousins, something we can all agree is a plus.
The little steel Haro has a few tricks up it's sleeve, one of them being some nice and clean removable Gyro tabs. Not a lot of riders use Gyros it seems and the bike does not come stock with one, but if you're the guy doing double bar spins or you simply don't want a massive loop of housing you will be grateful for this small detail. The supplied bolts are counter sunk as well to make them as unobtrusive as possible. We're not done at the front of the Reserve Eight yet, have a look at the uber-clean integrated headset. No cups to press in or pound out, just drop the bearing in and you're set. Besides the smooth lines it also lets you slam your stem a bit lower after removing the token spacers. A small gusset behind the headtube rounds out a tidy front end.
Steel DJ bikes with ISCG tabs are a bit scarce and not the usual fare, but here they be on the Reserve Eight. Should you decided in the long run to use them or not, they are at least there if you want to. Not to mention the whizzy Syncros chain guide that comes stock bolted to them. Out back the bike uses vertical dropouts and a replaceable hanger. Would slotted horizontal dropouts with a hanger be more versatile? For sure, but if you want gears on your ride then the Reserve's vertical dropouts are a cleaner and easier to manage system. A load of stand over and cable routing beneath the top tube minimizes the chances of catching any clothing on housing guides, although I doubt most of the girl's jeans you boys wear could possibly catch on anything!
Like most companies, Haro has two sizes available for their DJ bikes that differ only in top tube length and total wheelbase. The majority of riders will most likely end up on the 'short' model and be comfortable with the 22.8" top tube length. All beanstalk's and giants will feel more at home on the 'long' version and it's 23.3" TT. The bigger of the two bikes obviously has a longer wheelbase, but that is where the differences end. Both seat tubes measure in at a low 13" and both sizes use pint-sized 15.5" chainstays to make for an easy to throw around bike. The Reserve Eight weighed in at 33.5 lbs on our local shop scale.
| Head angle | 69.5 |
| Seat Angle | 71.5 |
| EFF Top Tube | 22.8" |
| Chainstay | 15.5" |
| Bottom Bracket | 12.5" |
| Wheelbase | 40.8" |
| Actual Frame Size (effective seat tube length) | 13" |
| Standover | 29.5" |
The Reserve Eight comes from Haro with an eclectic mix of a few house branded bits combined with some smart picks (and a surprise or two). Taking the sting out of missed transitions and stair gaps is a Marzocchi Dirt Jumper 2 sporting 80 mm of travel. Enough to smooth things out a bit but short enough to keep the bar height within reason. Big steel stanchion tubes and a 20 mm thu-axle keep everything as stiff as could be. Nice to see a proper thru-axle clamp using pinch bolts, no messing about with teeny QR levers here. The DJ 2 has rebound and air assist to fiddle with.
| Frame and Size | Haro Steel Reserve Eight, double butted 4130 chromoly •Short |
| Fork | Marzocchi DJ 2 •80 mm travel |
| Headset | Integrated 1 1/8 |
| Crankarms | Haro 10-spline 4130 chromoly |
| Chainring | e.thirteen 32T |
| Bottom Bracket | Haro 10-spline |
| Cassette | 8 speed |
| Rear Derailleur | SRAM X.9 Short cage |
| Shifter Pod | SRAM X.5 |
| Handlebar | Syncros FR riser bar |
| Stem | Syncros FR stem |
| Brakes | Avid BB5, 6" rotors |
| Front Wheel | SUN S.O.S.• Formula Pivit 20 mm hub |
| Rear Wheel | SUN S.O.S. • Formula Pivit 120t driver |
| Tires | Front, Kenda Small Block 8 2.35" •Rear, Kenda Kiniption 2.2 |
| Saddle | SDG Skylite |
| Seatpost | SDG I-beam Micro Adjust |
The Reserve Eight comes stock with both rear and front brakes, which is not too common to see on this type of machine. While the 'Eight is intended as a DJ and urban bike it will take very little to make it mountain worthy as it already has a front stopper. The cable actuated Avid BB5's are just the ticket for this type of bike. If you don't like it then you can take it off, but it's a nice concession to versatility. Throw a knobby tire up front and head to the hill! The wheelset is a combo on Sun S.O.S. rims in white laced to Pivit hubs. The rear Pivit hub uses a driver and engages exceptionally quick, as well as producing a great sound.
Haro uses their own burly steel crankset, with a big splined steel B.B. spindle to keep things spinning straight. The chain runs on a posh e.13 ring that mounts via BMX standard. Which brings us to the chainguide. The Syncros Alloy guide is interesting in that the bottom roller is actually sprung and free to move if it comes in contact with anything. It looks to be adaptable to nearly any frame ring size as well. One concern is the lack of any chainring protection, neither a full bash guard or mini guard is included with the bike.
What's left? An SDG Skylite seat and I-Beam post combo shaves some grams while still being reliable and comfy. The white Skylite seat is BMX-sized, so it should be easy to pinch. Syncros makes another appearance, this time in the cockpit with the FR bar and stem combo, also in white, and finished with Haro lock-on type grips. It is nice to see the Canadian company's bar and stem in a place where you would usually find heavy as lead BMX knock-off parts, no need for that.
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In the DJ category of bikes, the Haro Steel Reserve Eight is a bit of a unique bird. A tough steel frame with distinct features and a build that differs from the run of the mill hardtail parts list makes the 'Eight stand out from the crowd. With its gears and chainguide, as well as a front brake, this is a bike that could easily be taken into the mountains with only a few small changes. Take it to the DJs, take it to the skate park, and then take it to the hills. The Steel Reserve Eight looks ready to handle it all.
Check out Haro's entire lineup at their website.
Mike "Kakah" Levy
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hahaha one of the best line's I've ever read on Pinkbike!
I was just about to say that myself..
Im impressed with haro on this one
Wouldnt it be morelogical to go for like normal mtb cranks with the more coompatability with bash guards