Name: Derek Betcher
Occupation: Product Manager / Team Manager for Haro
How excited are you about the HARO Carbon frame coming out? Derek: Couldn’t be more psyched about the Clutch. Everyone says this about their new bike, but this is truly beyond the best bike I’ve ever ridden. Every one of the team guys (and gal) who are riding it right now are blown away. Aside from
Corben, Nic,
![](//fatbmx.com/uploads4/2013Q2/wk21/clutch1.jpg)
and
Brooke, we have guys like
Kurt Pickard, Tony Hoffman, Rusty Nesvig and
Jason Rogers riding it. Everyone is pumped.
When exactly will it be available for people to buy? Derek: Looking to be a late fall release.
Will all of your team riders be making the switch to the Carbon frame initially?
Derek: Everyone is on it now and yeah, no one misses their aluminum bikes.
How much does it weigh and how does this compare to the aluminium frame? Derek: Pro XL is about 2.7 pounds in the carbon and about 3.6 in the aluminum. Way lighter
How much stiffer is it? Derek: It’s the stiffest BMX bike you’ll ride hands down, but that is partially because of our bottom bracket concept, the PTC (Power Transfer Center). The PTC is made up of our
![](//fatbmx.com/uploads4/2013Q2/wk21/clutch4.jpg)
86.5mm press fit shell, and chainstay/downtube/seattube that taper to the outer width of the shell. The design doesn’t leave a lot of room for flex, and when you see it you’ll know what I’m talking about J
What’s the advantage of the wide bottom bracket on the new Carbon HARO? Derek: ![](//fatbmx.com/uploads4/2013Q2/wk21/clutch6.jpg)
A euro BB shell is what most frames on the market are using, some frames use a pressfit BB30 and both of those shells are 68mm wide. If you run a Shimano DXR crank with a Euro BB, your shell is 68mm and the outboard bearings make up an additional 24mm which is 92mm. Our shell is 86.5mm wide, and our press-fit cups add another 5.5mm, which is 92mm also. The difference is, our design allows the downtube and chainstay to both be a lot wider than other designs and we’re basically using all of the real-estate to create what we call the Power Transfer Center, the stiffest bottom bracket concept on a BMX bike. We’ll have a 2014 Alloy BLACKOUT PTC model as well, for those of you who don’t want to spend $1000 on a carbon frame. It will retail about $400.
What’s the trickest part of the new frame in your opinion? Derek: Definitely the bottom bracket, but the taper 1-1/8 to 1-1/2 head tube is pretty cool too. We have a new carbon fork in development that will go with the frame, you’ll be seeing those on team riders bikes by mid-summer.
Who should consider buying this frame? Derek: World leaders, anyone with a Lamborghini, any wife who wants to make their husband happy, any BMX parent who wants to give their kid the best shot at the podium top, and any racer with Olympic aspirations. This frame is the pinnacle.
How much will it cost? Derek: Contact your HARO dealer for the price of the frame in your region.
More info on www.harobikes.com
Some new photos of the Clutch frame:
![](//fatbmx.com/uploads4/2013Q4/wk49/clutch2.jpg)
![](//fatbmx.com/uploads4/2013Q4/wk49/clutch1.jpg)
![](//fatbmx.com/uploads4/2013Q4/wk49/clutch4.jpg)