Rocky Mountain Bicycles has definitely established themselves in the adventure biking industry in many ways. The Blizzard fat bike entered the ring and sits up high with the big guns. The nimble and playful front suspension fat bike crushes on both dirt and snow and is sure to show you a good time year round. Specs One thing that stood out to us on the Blizzard is the quality of components that comes on this bike. Starting with, of course, the RockShox Bluto for front suspension – no surprises there as it is the only fat bike specific front suspension fork on the market. There are two Blizzard variations on the market now. We will focus on the Blizzard (standard) which has the higher end components, but it is worth mentioning that Rocky Mountain is also offering a Blizzard Deore with a more basic component set up for a less expensive price point. Both models are made 0f Hydroformed Alloy and have the same geometry and frame kit. photo 2   The Blizzard (standard) is coming equipped with Shimano SLX 1×10 shifters, a Shimano XT rear derailleur, Shimano SLX brakes, and lastly a 100mm RaceFace Team XC bottom bracket. Something that the Blizzard has that we haven’t seen in many other fat bikes is the SunRingle Mulefut SL 80 tubeless ready rims as well as the VE Bulldozer 26” x 4.7” tires. photo 3   Geometry The Blizzard was designed with a shorter-than-average top tube length to keep the playful feel of the bike in all conditions such as snow, sand, and any other fun terrain you can dive into. The 4.7” tires were chosen to keep the bike afloat on soft surfaces. Designing the bike around a front suspension fork, they were still able to keep a pretty aggressive head tube angle of 68.5 degrees.   The Ride The Rocky Mountain Blizzard is one of those fat bikes that is going to have a ride-feel closer to an actual hard tail mountain bike, with the additional playfulness of the 4.7” tires. We have not yet tested the Blizzard on snow, however, after feeling the traction on dirt and singletrack, we are confident that it would be a smooth ride in snowy conditions.   Bikepacker friendly? The answer to that is a definite yes. We have all seen the increase in number of people bringing their fatties out for adventure rides and races, and Rocky Mountain has made that even easier. Rocky Mountain has been working directly with Porcelain Rocket on creating half frame bags designed specifically for the Blizzard. For an additional $150 retail, you can add on a Porcelain Rocket bag to your new Blizzard fat bike – no hassle, no research, just simple convenience. Porcelain Rocket has created the bag built around a bolted bag system for securing it to the frame. There are two bolts in the bottom of the top tube, as well as one in the very upper section of the down tube connecting the frame bag to the frame. Lastly, there is a velcro connection point on the seat tube so that it does not interfere with a dropper post if you choose to add that to your set up. We highly recommend purchasing the add-on, you will not be disappointed. photo 1 (1) photo 2 In addition to the frame bag, Rocky Mountain has included a boss bolt system on their frame for compatibility with the Salsa Anything Cage and the Cleveland Mountaineering Everything Bag. The boss bolts were placed lower on the down tube to ensure space for the half frame bag up top – now that is some thoughtful designing.   Blizzard MSRP: $2699 Integrated Porcelain Rocket half frame bag add-on:  Additional $150 (ask your dealer how to add-on) Blizzard Frame Kit MSRP: $1399 Blizzard (Deore) MSRP: $1899

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