Mountain Biking - Escape 8.1 or Rival

i recentally posted a thread based on the haro and the norco bigfoot....now i would like to no ur opinion.... what do you think is better.... the haro escape 8.1 or the norco rival?

norco stats: http://www.norco.com/05_au/bikes/adventure_au.php

haro stats: http://www.harobikes.com/mtb/escape-81.php

I have the haro escape 8.1. i must say, the bike is fabulous. mine is a 2004, and the bike shop that i bought it from it was a bike that was sold cheeper cause it was a 2004 bike. i bought it, then here to come find out that it was awesome! everything, the frame is form the 8.3, and just the components that come with it are awesome. the only default that it had (which was not haro's fault) was that it didnt come with name brand brakes. but i just upgraded them to avids. overall the bike i would give a 12 out of a 10. the frame is super strong, ive jumped off of stairs with it, dirt jumped, gone off of home made ramps that get you decent amnount of air, its the perfect free ride bike. i saw that the norco comes with hydraullic discs. that and the front fork are a LITTLE better, but the haro is awesome for free ride. its all up to you if you want the hastle of hydraulics, and it comes down to price too. the brakes that are on the haro my friend has, the mx mehanical. they are very good brakes to be included on the bike. its all a matter of preference dude, thats all it is. personally, i would go with the haro. less maintance, and the frame is off of the 8.3. believe me, the haro is some good, very good ****. for the price of 650, its a very good choice to go with.

huh?...the new haro 8.1 is over a 1000 dollars

He bought a closeout on the 2004 and got a great deal!

This time i'd go for the Haro.

no, the haro escape 8.1 isnt even close too $1000. It should be around $650. are you sure your talking about the Escape 8.1?

ummh, the Escape is around 650. I got my Escape for about 495 :) My grandpa's good friend was closing up shop, and gave it to us of that :)

It's an 04. I love it, I think it is an awesome bike!!! Not really sure what to say, i love the bike :)

-Matt

thanks guys,i was talking about this years haro escape 8.1 and this years norco rival by the way not the 2004 versions

yeah even the 2005 haro escape 8.1 is 650. check the price again, and make sure that your not getting ripped off

hahaha....i think i have figured it out... are you guys living in the USA?.... because im an aussie!.... and our dollar isnt as strong as yours... so imports are more expencive.

yeah, that would help, in us dolaars, its 650, so yeah thats a good price for where you live at.

Why do you think that it is so great that your bike has the same frame as a more expensive bike? That just means that the Haro Escape 8.3 frames is a cheap frame. Also your bike came with a bunch of components that the normal bike doesnt come with.[The only default that it had (which was not haro's fault) was that it didnt come with name brand brakes.] Mark Lance. And it IS Haros fault that the bike had crappy brakes, they installed them. And here, [the brakes that are on the haro my friend has, the mx mehanical. they are very good brakes to be included on the bike.] Did you mean on the Trek Bruiser 2 that your friend has? And last, what year is the frame on your bike mark, because the color is not an available color for any 2004 Haro.

And going by the compnents the two bike have, I would go with the Norco bike.

They both seem to have good components, but id go with the Haro. It looks better and every thing seems to fit with eachother. Also the frame looks alot stronger.

Well one, the Haro frame is a very good frame, I've heard from people, and just look at the frame. Its litterally two times thicker up front then the Brusier 2. Even norcodirtjumper states that the frame looks stronger. I've gone to bike stores and asked about the frame they have all said its a very, very good frame. Just because it's on the 8.3, dosnt mean that if you buy the 8.3, your getting a crappy frame. I think you have to re-look on the frame, its certaintly a lot stronger then the Bruiser 2. Just look at it!

Brusier 2-http://www2.trekbikes.com/Bikes/Mountain/Bruiser/Bruiser_2/index.php

Haro Escape 8.1-http://www.harobikes.com/mtb/escape-81.php

Isn't that A LOT thicker?

First of all, I never said that the frame was crappy, I said it was CHEAP. I said that it was cheap because, if it comes on a $650 bike, its probably not worth any more than $200 and probably costs the manufacturer less than that, making it cheap. The Bruiser 2 frame is cheap too. Im not bashing the Haro like some may think. I was making a simple statement. Some people are too hung up on brand names that they will jump down your throat if you say anything but compliments about it. I also dont see why you had to immediately bash the Bruiser 2, it's not even relevant to this topic, which is about a Haro and a Rival. And as far as the thickness, structural design plays a bigger role in strength than thickness. Also, in theory, a wider frame would bend easier vertically due to the fact that it would have less vertical supports on it per its area. And how would you know if its stronger than the Bruiser 2, looks arent everything. And last, its not thicker, its wider, thickness is the actuall thickness of one wall of the tubing.

Ok, bottom line is its preference. I would go with the Haro though. Try and stay with a name that you can get parts for, for instance Haro. You'll be happy with the thick, yet wide frame which is strong. The components that come with it are good for the price too, you'll be happy with it.

"I have a dream....." Maybe someday All Mtn.Biker's will own a HARO....

The BEST bang 4 U're Buck....Period......

THE stongest frames on the market, I guarantee you.

That must be why I seen two Haros in the shop with cracked frames. Haro's are tough bikes, but they are not the toughest bikes around, no one can lay claim to that.

I was under the impression Balfas and Brooklyn Machine Works were the toughest kids on the block...

Balfa is belly up.

Any good frame will last a person a long time or a short time, it just all depends on how one takes care of their bike.

Ya, I dont think any bike company can be titled as "the strongest", most the time people just say that the "best" or "strongest" bike company, is the same company as they own. Ya, I would take alot of Norco's over others, but certainly not in all occasions, like this one.

The BEST bang 4 U're Buck....Period......

THE stongest frames on the market, I guarantee you.
:roflmao: ur hilarious buddy, i paid $1500 CA for my '03 extreme x3, and for that money ive got a bike that now has bent handlebars, bent wheels, a fork that needs to be rebuilt, a seat thats warped, and a swingarm thats in two pieces... hmm im not a genius, but i dont think u could consider that as being the best bike "4 U're Buck"