Weaknesses: Wheelset (XT hubs too weak and cheap rims). Needs beter BB and headset, but they get the job done.
Bottom Line:
This bad mutha will take you anywhere you can try. When making this purchase, I looked at prices on the net, in the mags, and every bike shop in town and I found this jewel by way of a friend. I was so impressed by lack of LX/XT components that I bought it on the spot ,of course after riding it. Only Shimano on it is the fr der.and BB. COOL! Buy a Blizzard because you are not one to follow the TI trend , cause you believe steel is real ,want something that will outlast aluminum, and don't want an all Shimano bike. After it's yours ,you will understand craftsmanship and a true taste for mountainbiking.
Bike Setup: Stock w/ Mavic 517s on black Chris King Hubs w/Salsa skewers PURE POWER!!!
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
hughe jorgen
a Weekend Warrior
from Nonoya, Dambusiness
Date Reviewed: May 20, 2001
Strengths: Too few to bother.
Weaknesses: Too many to list.
Bottom Line:
I'm a hardcore rider that likes to do the Dew. I'm so extreme I broke this bike riding through the bike shop parking lot. I climbed up on the roof to see how it would handle a 15 footer. The thing totally folded. The insane part is that Rockky would not honor their warranty. I suggest you stick to disposable bikes like Huffy, Royce Union, or anything else around a hundred bucks from a department store. Sure they're not put together very well, but I can go through about twelve of those bikes to one Rocky and spend the same amoutn of money!
Similar Products Used: Huffy Iron Man and Royce Union F/S!
Bike Setup: Stock
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Lennart soegaard
a Cross Country Rider
from Denmark
Date Reviewed: May 16, 2001
Strengths: First class ride.The Reynolds 725 frame is great.Perfect geometry.Great looks.Custom build(by my self)
Weaknesses: Some say it is a little expensive.
Bottom Line:
I love this bike.It is comfortable,and feels lively.it has very precise steering.Confidence-inspiring on hard,technical descents.Very good on technical singletrack. It requires good driving skills when riding technical steep uphills-but is not bad at it at all! overall it most be the best allrounder of all!
Bike Setup: Bomber Z5 fork.Mostly XT.XT front discbrake.Mavic 317/517 rims.DT revolution spokes.Geax sedona tires.Titec bars.Roox stem.535 pedals.Flite ti.saddle.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
joey
a Racer
from fairmont west virginia usa
Date Reviewed: February 2, 2001
Strengths: customer service. i broke my beloved blizzard frame at the headtube steerertube weld. i was dumbfounded. i ride pretty hard. some drops but nothing huge. i only way 115lbs. couldn't believe it broke. shipped it back to rocky and once it got through customs they sent me new 2000 frame in 2 days. pretty good customer service. i asked for 2001 frame but they said the where fresh out. i found that hard to believe, but a new 2000 frame is better than a broken 99 frame.
Bottom Line:
in my case rocky had great customer service and the shipped the replacement frame quick. lets just hope the new one dosen't break.
Submitted by
Colin Dunlop
a Weekend Warrior
from Kelowna, Canada
Date Reviewed: January 8, 2001
Strengths: Light weight Good components Good geometry
Weaknesses: Frame folds like a wet noodle Rocky doesn't support their "warranty"
Bottom Line:
I liked this bike for the first couple months until it folded up on steep 6' wooden down ramp. I was a hard core Rocky supporter but after sending my frame back with a letter descibing what happened, I got nothing. Rocky didn't even have the courtesy to send back a letter as to why they didn't honour their warrenty. In fact, Rocky even passed on the cost of shipping the frame to my local bike shop. I will never own another Rocky and can only recommend this bike for flat road rides
To add salt to the wound, my friend folded 2 Brodie expresso frames during the same period and got 2 replacements then got a pro deal on a Libido full suspension frame. That's how you treat a customer!
Similar Products Used: Trek 7000, Rocky equipe, Kona pahoehoe
Bike Setup: stock - Manatou SX fork, XT components, Race face cranks
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
joey riddle
a Racer
from fairmont west virginia
Date Reviewed: November 30, 2000
Strengths: the ride. confidence ispiring ride. quick and responsive for a steel bike. maple leaf fade is awesome.
Weaknesses: after like two rides the stickers looked tatered and wore so i took them off. looks tough with out stickers.
Bottom Line:
i love this bike. i have did 26 races on this bike in less than a year. numerous hard muddy epic rides. 24 hours of of snowshoe. the wild 100 back country race. it just keeps coming back for more. i keep entertaining the thoughts of getting a full suspesion bike and then i go for ride on my blizzard and relize that i do not neeed full suspension. best handling bike ever likes to climb realy likes to descend and loves technical rocky trails. i love this bike and will always have it.
Similar Products Used: kona caldera, fisher level betty, fisher joshua, mongoose rockadile.
Bike Setup: bontrager stem and bar, sram levers, xt shifters, fuzzy logic hs, race face post, sdg ti saddle, un 72 bb, rolf wheels, xt v-brakes, sid 100 fork, xt derailleurs, xt cassette
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Kevin Hamilton
a Racer
from Vernon, BC, Canada
Date Reviewed: September 10, 2000
Strengths: - agressive geometry - goes uphill and downhill very well - resonably light and very strong
Weaknesses: - none
Bottom Line:
the Blizzard is an excellent all around bike. mine started out x-country and then turned into a free ride machine. it was light for x-country and handled very well on the downhills. when i had a longer travel fork on it and some heavier parts it took an incredible beating. i rode some 10-11 foot drops and everything under that. i'm pretty hard on bike's and it held up incredibly well. its a ver comfy bike to ride but not stiff enough for free riding. all i can say is buy it! ride it! it'll hold up and just keep going. you'll like it!
Bike Setup: manitou sxr fork, then Z1 drop off, rhyno lite wheels, riser bar, kujo DH tires, rapid fire shifters, xt v's, short stem
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Andrew Geisheimer
a Cross Country Rider
from Coquitlam, BC
Date Reviewed: August 30, 2000
Strengths: Very versitile frame with good ballance of stiffness and give. Suits fork very well. Has good parts spec.
Weaknesses: Wimpy wheels and tires. Short travel fork
Bottom Line:
This is a great bike for good riders (ie. experienced, skilled, aggressive) and big riders. If you ride tight singletrack, this is your dream machine.
Don't buy it if you value weight (if you do, don't even look at canadian bikes). Don't buy it if you can't appreciate steel frames, and don't buy it if you're a wimpy rider (weak or gutless).
Bike Setup: Stock except: Rock Ring Kujo tires Fender D521 Rims on a front Hugi Disc Hub Front Grimeca system 8 disc (sweet) Flat Pedals
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Jimi Surf
a Weekend Warrior
from Vancouver
Date Reviewed: August 29, 2000
Strengths: Good strong Frame and Quality Components
Weaknesses: Nothing really
Bottom Line:
I had this bike for 2 seasons and it has performed as well as can be expected. My riding stlye has changed from cross country to freeride since I bought the bike, but the bike has stood up to some serious abuse!!! The only thing I have broken outright is the rear wheel. I took a fairly high dropoff and broke the wheel around the whole circumference of the breaking surface. The rest of the bike has stood up well even though I treat it like a freeride bike. i have added about 5 pounds in beefing the bike up to meet my needs of doing really stupid things.
This bike was an amazing technical cross country bike that can climb anywhere and go down most anything. I would have no problem reccommending it to anyone looking for a rugged cross country bike. As soon as I can afford a "real" freeride bike I plan to return this bike to it's cross country past by changing the component and add ons to something comparable to the original.
This bike has been (and continues to be) fantastic. It is very nimble, solid and a good climber. One of the best things is its durability, just last weekend I took this bike to Whistler and did everything on the mountain, then the next day took it to the north Shore where I did the Cork Screw - Pingu - Boogyman trails down. I take it out every weekend for 2 years and beat it hard!!! I can't break it. Best of luck...
Similar Products Used: Specialized Stumpjumper Richey Ultra Others
Bike Setup: Stock except for: Shimano 545 pedals, (or flats for stupid days) Black Spier ring God Rear Sun Rhino Lite Easton Monkey (EA50) 2" Dh Bars Kujo DH 2.25 tires Salsa Break Boosters Shorter stem Cut the seatpost shorter for more clearance
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
mikki fraga
a Racer
from winooski,VT,USA
Date Reviewed: March 2, 2000
Strengths: leight enough to satisfy and not to rigid
Strengths: components. All XT, great RACE Face stuff
Weaknesses: Paint cracking under the frame(under bottom bracket).'99 frame is assembled in Taiwan. Whats up with the stickers. Due to pedaling the inside of my bike shorts have worn the stickers right off of the my bike.
Bottom Line:
THis is a great bike. Handles very well when it comes to XC racing. The weight of the this bike may seem like a down-side, but it isn't noticable. Great looking, fast and handles great.
Submitted by
Kevin
a Cross-Country Rider
from Fort Collins, CO
Date Reviewed: November 14, 1999
Strengths: Frame Quick handling Wide riser bar (used to think they were cheesy) Great climbing (gearing and geometry defy the weight) Short top tube Saddle (sweet SDG) Easy-adjust & trick RaceFace seatpost Plush fork
Weaknesses: Stickers are already getting torn up (needs some clearcoat) Can't get the fork set just right.
Bottom Line:
I agree with the guy that says a Blizzard ain't worth $1650, but I got mine at a bike show for $975. I need a short top tube and this bike has it, plus a 130mm stem (I think). That geometry means quicker handling and better technical handling for me, though downhillers might not like it. I never bomb downhill, so what do I care? Don't fret the weight, since you won't notice it with a 22x32 granny gear. Don't listen to that crack on the wheels either. I've done about 200 miles off-road already--a lot of it on rocky trails--and the wheels are as true as can be. (BTW: I weight 180 pounds.)
Bike Setup: Deore top-mount thumbshifters (friction works with 8 & 9 speed) Avid 1.9 brake levers LX rear derailleur Time Alium pedals
Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Shawn Hall
a Cross-Country Rider
from Sudbury, Ontario
Date Reviewed: November 10, 1999
Strengths: -looks very cool Black, White and Bomber Orange -Versatile set-up -handles very well in all situaiton -reliable component mix -jumps and decends like a dream (for a hard tail)
Weaknesses: -front end tends to wander at low speeds with the 5 fork -no rear disk mount -frame will not allow anything larger than a 2.1 tire in the rear
Bottom Line:
The Blizzard is a well rounded ride. It can be used to race cross counrty or slalom with a minimum of parts changes. Or you can set it up like I did and have the ultimate extreem free ride hard tail. The only thing that really bugs me about this bike is the rear disk mount issue. Why make a high end frame that isn't compatable with the biggest trend in the industry (disk brakes).
Favorite Trail: I would call my self an Extreem Free Rider
Duration Product Used: 6 months
Similar Products Used: Brodie Rocket Brodie Holeshot Norco Rampage Kona Chute
Bike Setup: -marzocchi bomber Z1 BAM -sun/ringle SUV wheel set -tioga DH tires -BMX style pedals
Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Williams
a Weekend Warrior
from San Diego, CA
Date Reviewed: September 25, 1999
Strengths: Reynolds 725 tubeset is strong, fairly stiff , with good riding characteristics. Bike is very quick for a steel bike, and handles superbly in technical rides. Very comfortable ride in comparison to aluminum, but of course, not nearly as quick out of the saddle. Steel will last almost forever. Aluminum will get soggy after a couple years of hard use.
Weaknesses: Price. This bike is very expensive considering the many alternatives that are available. SRAM brake levers are light but look frail. Time will tell how durable these levers will be.
Bottom Line:
This is a great bike with an excellent parts package. Race Face parts are extremely durable, look trick, and durable. Other parts spec are equally nice, except for the SRAM GripShit. Actually, I've always ridden GripShift and think it's a great system. Given a choice I'd ride GripShift on the right and RapidFire on the left, but not possible without considerable expense. Bottom line is that I really regret my purchase of this bike. I think you should seriously consider the Hammer which has a frame with the exact same geometry and weighs just a paltry 0.1 pounds heavier on the frame. Of course the parts spec is not nearly as nice as the Blizzard, but do you really need RaceFace stuff other than to show off to your friends? LX is race worthy and only slightly less durable than XT. Eventually, you'll have to replace your components anyways, at which point you can replace 'em with anything you want. Besides, if you really want good components you'd be buying an XTR equipped bike anyways. The Hammer is a great solid bike and has received rave reviews from all the mags and is well worth the money. The Blizzard is a nice bike but can kinda be equated to a luxury @$1649 (possibly less on sale). Think about the Hammer seriously. Don't make the same mistake as I did, and squander the extra $400; it's not worth it. At $1649 you can also buy a nice dualie keep in mind. I'll have to give it 4 cuz of the price. Not a good value at all, imho. I should've bought the Hammer.By the way, the 99 Blizzard frame is built in Taiwan and NOT in Canada like last year's model - which incidentally is a nicer frame with Ritchey Logic tubing and a built in mount for anti-chainsuck device. The frames are built in Taiwan and shipped to Rocky Mountain in Canada for painting. I was told this by my LBR who is 100% sure. So get off your high horse thinking it's welded in Canada, cuz it's not. The Hammer frame is built by the same builders that built up my Blizzard frame. I was choked when I found this out and this made me regret even more that I hadn't bought the Hammer since my frame is built by the same welders. Seriously, you'd have to be in the top 1% of riders to discern the difference between Reynolds 725 and 525, although we all think we can tell, but obviously we can't. Five chillies if price wasn't a consideration. Minus one cuz it's not at all a good value for your money. The Hammer with LX is great, or if you can afford the Blizzard why not spring a bit extra for an XTR equipped bike? If you can afford a Blizzard you're probably rich anyways. Me? I over-extended my budget getting the Blizzard and will have to flip burgers for the next 6 months when I could've been perfectly happy with a Hammer. Don't let this happen to you! (Unless you're rolling in the dough, in which case go ahead and buy this bike.)
Similar Products Used: Oxygen Race, Hammer, Nitro, Element Race.
Bike Setup: Completely stock.
Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Josh
a Cross-Country Rider
from North Vancouver
Date Reviewed: September 11, 1999
Strengths: Fantastic geometry. Handles like quicksilver. Steel takes the edge off bumps and nice and stiff (but pales in stiffness and acceleration compared to my old M2). Great components. Real cool white with black maple leaf face paint job. Frame is put together oh so nice. Race face components exceptional quality and looks trick. Price is reasonable as well.
Weaknesses: A bit on the heavy side, but the frame is super durable in return, with a lot more dent resistance compared to other superlight steels. Jealous stares from fellow riders, and motorists when riding home from the local trails; everyone wants my sweet ride.
Bottom Line:
Having raced an M2 for many a year, I was smitten with the way the Blizzard rides. This girl is just soooooo fine! I never realized just how great steel rides (especially since I ride a small frame size) and the geometry of Rockies are so sweet. Ride is fantastic in singletrack, but words do not do the bike justice. Get out there and test ride one, not in the parking lot but offroad where it shines, shines shines! Rode the Norcos (real nice), Brodies, and deKerf. All great bikes. The Blizzard tends to have a shorter top tube, especially compared to the Brodies, with more standover clearance and has a size that fits me dead on. I can't say enough about this bike. It's my pride and joy. But sorry, I can only give it 4 stars cuz I've ridden the Noro Team Titanium which is even sweeter, but of course a ton more cash. No bike is perfect anyways.
Similar Products Used: Norco Team Issue. Norco Team 853, Norco Team Ti. Brodie Sovereign. Brodie Expresso. Brodie Catalyst. Specialized M2 Comp (raced on two). deKerf Team.
Bike Setup: Completely stock. May upgrade to a longer travel fork for the free-ride experience in the future, but this could void your warranty I'm told, so I'm hesistant to do so.
