A friend asked me about the history of Vector and where were the handlebars made? More specifically, did Vector get 'bought out' like alot of BMX companies and taken overseas? How much made here in the good 'ol USA, and how much otherwise?

Iirc Vector was made in Knoxville, TN.

-Paul

I guess he wants to know for authenticating a a pair. We all had Vectors bitd, for weight savings. He has had the same pair since way back and recently sold them and apparently the new owner thinks they are fake. Mine are gone, so I can't compare them (we had them at the same time). They were ordered from Rockford bikes (it only took one of us to get a pair, and everybody in our crew followed)

I know the ones you are talking about.
My buddy bought them.

They were listed as Repilca Bob Haro Vector Bars.

What do you think those words mean for a collector?
Exactly that - Replica being the model, not meaning 'a copy'.
Vector made a set of bars called 'Bob Haro Replicas'.

However, although these bars 'look' like Haro Vectors they are stamped 'made in Taiwan' on the bottom of the integrated stem area.

It's also possible that the angle of them is not quite as it should be and they sit a bit funny when mounted on a frame (Reynolds '83 Quadangle).

I didn't know there were ever Vector copies (let's face it - they are quite hard to copy) but some guys who know Vector stuff said those bars were never made in Taiwan and are therefore 'copies'.

So, remember 'replica' in this case is a dangerous word as it referes to teh actual model of the bar, not a 'copy'.

I thought all Vector stuff was US-made, even the Mark II bikes.

Who's got some answers?

[ March 24, 2006, 01:51 AM: Message edited by: AndyDiamond ]