It won’t be long before actual blizzards are in the forecast. To prepare, Rocky Mountain has a new Blizzard of their own. A Blizzard that is blowing in on 27.5 x 4.5″ fat bike wheels and an even more progressive geometry.
Rocky Mountain has been pushing the limits with fat bikes for years now, and the latest Blizzard looks like a continuation of that. We’ve seen 27.5″ fat bike wheels and tires creep their way into the fat bike world, and now the Blizzard is joining in—though it’s also still compatible with 26 x 5.0″ wheels and tires for those who prefer the most flotation over rollover improvements offered by the bigger wheels.
Sold with a rigid fork, the frames are compatible with a 100mm travel suspension fork and 27.5″ wheels or up to a 120mm travel suspension fork with 26″ wheels. The Smoothwall Carbon frame has been lengthened and slackened with a 66° head tube angle, and 425-500mm reach numbers depending on the size.
Depending on your needs, there are plenty of mounts for additional gear with two standard bottle mounts on the frame, two on the fork, a Bento Box mount on the top tube, a three pack mount under the top tube, and rack mounts on the rear.
The frame is also SRAM UDH (Universal Derailleur Hanger) compatible which gets us closer to a universal standard with each new bike (one can hope). Additional frame details include a 100mm BSA threaded bottom bracket, and 197mm dropouts.
Rocky Mountain Blizzard Carbon 50
Rocky Mountain Blizzard Carbon 30
Offered in two builds, you’ll have a choice between the Blizzard Carbon 50 for $3,299, or the Blizzard Carbon 30 for $2,699. The 30 drops the price by eliminating the dropper post and dropping the spec from Shimano XT 1×12 to Shimano Deore 1×12.
Could you elaborate on the benefits of this new relaxed (for a fat bike) head tube angle? I’ve been under the impression that slacker angles would increase the already exaggerated issue of self steer on fat bikes, which is why almost all manufacturers have stuck with steeper head tube geometry.
Slacker head angle means more “trail”. More trail means more steering traction. Yes, you can turn the handlebar easier the steeper it is, but are you steering without the traction?
This is just a carbon version of last year’s aluminum version. It’s not longer and slacker really, it’s just carbon.
Uh have you looked at last year’s Blizzard? https://resources.bikes.com/en/bikes/blizzard/2020
This new has a slacker headtube angle 66 vs 67, a steeper seattube angle 74 vs 73 and a longer top tube (Med) 624mm vs 605mm. Not to mention they also make this new one in aluminum as well.
They do have an aluminum option, but according to the press release, it is the same model as last year (previous geometry), just with new colors.
Dean-O, that’s a 2020 model, not 2021. My wife deals Rocky and we own a 2021. These new bikes are 2022.
Uh, have you realized that models are released a year ahead of the currently stated year? Those 2020 models are from 2019. Last years models, released in 2020, are identical to these 2022s.
Bring back the Suzi Q