Submitted by
bub99
a Cross Country Rider
from Canada
Date Reviewed: July 27, 2011
Strengths: Very nice paint job.
Weaknesses: Made in Taiwan, they use Columbus tubing now not Reynolds and decal was half off out of the box.
Bottom Line:
I have used Titanium, Carbon and aluminum frames and steel beats it all hands down, that is until I rode this 2011 Blizzard. I spent $1000 on the frame and when I pulled it out of the box I had a made in Taiwan sticker staring me in the face. Rocky advertises made in Canada and shows pictures of local fabricators hand welding frames which I don’t think is the case anymore. The welds are clean but not perfect. The front decal was half off out of the box. The ride feels different from all other steel frames I have ridden; it does not have that soft forgiving feel that I have felt on other steel frames. I am still playing with the set up so this might change.
On the plus side it has a really nice paint job.
Bottom line, it seems Rocky has sold out and sacrificed quality to stay competitive. It’s a nice frame but I would go a different route knowing what I know now.
Similar Products Used: Specialized Rockhopper, Rocky Hammer Race, Thin blue line.
Bike Setup: Fox RLC100, Full XT.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
rmblizzard
a Cross Country Rider
from Colorado Springs, CO.
Date Reviewed: November 13, 2010
Strengths: Steel! It's real, real flipping sweet! Handling and ride feel. Paint job. Overall quality.
Weaknesses: Not much. The welds are spot on but not as pretty as a custom frame.
Bottom Line:
I built this up as a present to myself before I became a daddy. I knew with my wife staying home for a while I needed something that would last awhile. I have had so much fun on my old RM Hammer I figured that this was the next step. I was right. Yes steel can be heavier but I am never going to be great racer so screw the weight. I will just stop drinking beer instead of going to carbon. I love this bike and ride it every chance I get. Road it in the Leadville 50 and wanted to keep going.
Similar Products Used: Old school Diamondbacks, Bianchi, RM Hammer race (still beating that one up, it won't die!!) and the list goes on...
Bike Setup: Sram XO, XT, Thompson, Juicy carbons, mavic 719, dt240's, Rock Shox SID carbon (old and super flexy, but it works when diapers are more important than a new shock).
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Nick
a Weekend Warrior
from Indianapolis, IN, USA
Date Reviewed: October 5, 2010
Strengths: Sweet Cromoly - great handling bike
Weaknesses: I added a Salsa rear brake reinforcement due to seat stay flex under braking (V-brakes) It works.
Doesn't make me look thinner or prettier
Bottom Line:
Fantastic bike - ridden it for 7 years mostly in midwest but many trips to NC an a few to CO. I've worn out about everything except for the frame over the years. I used to buy a bike every 4 years or so - basically when I could buy a complete bike for the cost of repairs / upgrades but this one I may ride until it turns to dust. Or I do. When I bought it in 2003 it was difficult to find a steel hardtail - it is still exactly what I want.
Bike Setup: 2003 - 2009 marzocchi bomber
2010 - fox 32 100 mm
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
woofer2609
a Cross Country Rider
from North Vancouver
Date Reviewed: August 3, 2010
Strengths: Beauty paint job, nice braze ons, great angles, it's a classic, what's not to like?
Weaknesses: heavy frame, odd, but I swear mine weighs more than 4.4 lbs. I wonder if it is made in Canada, or just Built here, what exactly does that mean?
Bottom Line:
I am not as much in love with this bike as I thought i'd be, hard to say that, but true. And I've owned them before. After riding FS with adjustable front fork travel, I find this does not climb well, the ETS-X just blows it outta the water. The front end won't stay down. I'm working lots on my fork settings, so maybe that'll change. Damn. Plus the short wheelbase makes it twitchy. 100mm of travel throws the angles off, 80-90 is more like it, just like a previous reviewer stated. This bike just isn't tracking well, and it should be. It's a beauty to look at, but that doesn't make up for the ride quality. I'll keep at it over the summer, I built it up myself from a new frame purchased from a guy that worked at rocky. Mine is the 25th ann. edition. Nice paint. I really wish I knew if they were actually welded here in Canada or in Taiwan. I wonder what it would be like with 80mm of travel...??? Personally, I'd opt for a RM Hammer frame...
Bike Setup: Rock Shox Reba, Deore Hydraulics, XT 8speed shifters, xt mega 9 rear derailleur, Race Face Turbine cranks (compact drive)
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
hjworton
a Cross Country Rider
from Folkestone, Kent, UK
Date Reviewed: November 7, 2009
Strengths: Being a steel hardtail, the bike is very strong but at the same time the ride is supple and the feedback from the frame is smooth.
Weaknesses: No weaknesses.
Bottom Line:
I love Rocky Mountain MTBs and greatly regretted selling my lovely '05 "Hammer'. After a summer of schleping around on a alu-framed Cannondale, it was time to go back to steel. Bought the parts from Merlin Cycles online and got my local bike shop to build it up for me. Rides really well, have not quite got the riding position set up perfectly for me yet but it is just SO smooth. The forks work well, much better than I'd have thought for Reba SL - having come from a headshok cannondale I am impressed. The SLX works well but I wish i'd have gone SRAM. All in all I love the bike, and will never(I hope) sell it.
Similar Products Used: 2005 Rocky Mountain 'Hammer', 2007 Cannondale F4
Bike Setup: Reba SL fork, Mavic Hubs, SLX groupset top to bottom. Bonty finishing kit: Carbon mid-riser bars, SDG saddle.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Gray
a Cross Country Rider
from Richmond VA
Date Reviewed: April 27, 2008
Strengths: Very forgiving ride, soaks up the bumps, paint is great looking and durable
Weaknesses: Cracked frame
Bottom Line:
I got this when I broke my Bianchi Denali steel frame as part of a warrentee deal (bianchi didn't make Denali's anymore). Rode great and I really liked the bike. It is Disc specific, which I didn't realize until I bought it and realized half my parts didn't fit. Oh well, upgrade city. After about a year and a half, the frame cracked on the top of the non-drive side chain stay. The Shop said it seemed to have cracked from pedal torque. I may be a strong rider but not that strong. Anyway, Rocky was great about sending a replacement frame right out and I rode it for the first time yesterday. Unfortunately, they stopped making the size I was riding, so I went down. I'll have to tweak the set up in the coming months. It's only marginally heavier than other HT and I think the ride quality makes it more than worth it. Good for those who ride to enjoy rather than to just go fast.
Similar Products Used: Bianchi Denali, which cracked, too
Bike Setup: LX and Deore mix.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
jump 'mibike
a Weekend Warrior
from BC
Date Reviewed: April 14, 2008
Strengths: strength to weight. good geometry, excellent finish and quality.
Weaknesses: 2nd bottle mount on sml., no replaceable derailleur hanger.
Bottom Line:
to test the maximum strength of this frame, i stuck on a u-turn pike and some 2.3 tires and pretty much ds-ed it wherever i went. i found the frame to exibhit a small amount of flex, but was most due to running a not so light 36h 20mm rim at full 140mm (much too slack head tube), when set to 120mm and a lighter tire used, this bike feels very similar to my old alu. bike. a rigid singletrack burner, then i turned it into a rigid and commuted on it for a while. now its on a diet and might see a non-competitive entry or two this year. it is almost perfect. the only things id reccomend to change are: a replaceable derailleur hanger. and bring back the brake posts. also, i couldn't use a top swing front because it mounts right where the s.t. bottle mounts are. also on my sml. frame the st. bottle mount is unusable without a side exit holder. and then u can only pull it out one side. so as i see the 08's are here, maybe 2010 could bring a small change. this bike is a terrific do-all everything bike. and if there was a removable/adjustable brake post mount, it could even do real loaded touring, should you wish to, id recommend it as the frame is strong enough. with just the rear disc, this is kinda hard because my rack is limited to 25kgs, and this isn't much when you begin adding up gear. i had it loaded and snapped one of the lower rack mounts (m10's) because it has to be used with a 1 " spacer to clear the caliper and this creates a perfect shear pin type of idea, but not so good because it is much weaker than if there was no spacer at all. if the bike had posts i could put on a good chromo rack for loaded touring and use my lightweight alu. one for commuting and all day xc rides. and dont forget to jettison the seat tube bottle mount on the sml. frame it just doesn't work. I'm going to get one of those seatpost dual bottle mounts so i can use the frame one for a survival kit. and replaceable derailleur hanger =]
Bike Setup: constant component change. 06' sml frameset.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Emir
a Cross Country Rider
from Minneapolis, MN
Date Reviewed: March 24, 2008
Strengths: Fairly strong frame, nimble, light, responsive, comfortable for tall riders, good climber, with 80mm fork it's the XC weapon of choice
Weaknesses: Weight, 28.6mm seat tube diameter (limits the number of seat posts), the geometry seems to be inclined toward shorter-travel forks (I might be wrong) but 100mm travel simply seems too much on this frame (this could be simply a matter of personal preference). Front end feels a bit to light on uphills, but this again is more due to my bike set up and riding style.
Bottom Line:
This is the sweetest hard-tail that I've ridden to date. Fairly light set up and plenty of suspension travel allow it to be a decent descender on some rocky downhills. Excellent climber. Period. Steel construction is VERY forgiving and the frame suffered a major dent and damage to the rear triangle on its first day but the beauty of steel is that it can be repaired(which it was). if it were an aluminum bike, it'd be trashed. Great climber, although I wish I set it up with 80mm travel fork, then it would be a really lean and mean XC machine, but riding it on some difficult downhill courses in Moab was fine with 100mm fork.
Purchased At: freewheel Bike, Minneapolis, MN, USA
Similar Products Used: Gary fisher X-caliber (steel frame from the late 90s)
Bike Setup: Fox 32 RCL 100mm, Mavic 717 disk wheels, Hutshinson Python tires, XT (hubs, front der., rear cassete, chain, bottom-bracket, shifters, brake levers and disk brakes), XTR (rear der.), Easton carbon handlebar, Thomson stem, Race Face carbon seat-post, Selle Italia Max Flite Gel Flow saddle
Strengths: FAST, nimble, great climber, stable descender, forgiving.
Weaknesses: Nothing comes to mind.
Bottom Line:
This bike really does it all and does it well. I've been shopping around lately to see if there might be something faster through the rough stuff. It's hard to find! Looking at Santa Cruz Blur XC, Titus Racer X, Rocky Mountain Element, etc. I think the steel really has made this hardtail bearable for all these years. Highly recommend for anyone left out there who appreciates a bike like this.
Similar Products Used: have ridden various full susp. bikes recently. Haven't found anything that compares to the Blizzard's pure hardtail performance.
Bike Setup: 1998 Blizzard w/Marzocchi Bomber Z3 (80mm), Race Face cranks, Blackspire rings, SRAM chain, XT derailleurs, Time ATAC pedals, riser bar, original grips!
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Mike
a Cross Country Rider
from Vancouver, BC
Date Reviewed: May 16, 2007
Strengths: High quality paint & finish, lively frame, fender eyelets, great trail-oriented geometry, light, great cable routing and guides, lifetime warranty
Weaknesses: Available only as a frame
Bottom Line:
Like Sam, I've tried a few hardtails, and this ride is way more lively and fun to ride. Very responsive and definitely more forgiving than aluminum rear end. Don't flex too much under my 175lbs. Great geometry for all around trail use when matched up with 100m fork. Builds up nice (don't forget about 73mm bb shell), and there's lots of little "extras": seat clamp slot is facing towards stem and away from mud, fender eyelets for lots of versitility, 3rd hydraulic line guide on the top tube keeps the line from wandering, headset and bb shell were faced at the factory, cables are top mounted so don't dig into shoulder on hike-a-bike sections, clearcoat over the decals. Just oozes quality all around. I don't know many bike models that can claim they've been around since '84 and this updated edition of the classic stays true to its roots. Highly recommended.
Similar Products Used: Rocky Mountain Equipe ('97), Norco Torrent ('98)
Bike Setup: 2006 Blizzard frame (19.5"), 2007 Reba Race air fork (100mm), Thomson 100mm x 0 stem, Easton EA70 mid-rise bars, Raceface XY post, Mavic 717 rims, ChrisKing ISO rear hub/XT front hub, Avid Juicy 7 brakes, SRAM X9/XTR drivetrain, SDG BelAir Ti saddle, CaneCreek S-3 headset.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
sam
a Weekend Warrior
from Melbourne, Australia
Date Reviewed: February 26, 2007
Strengths: Build quality second to none ie welds, paint, graphics, geometry, materials. It's steel. And I got a ripper deal on what is possibly the best hartail money can buy. Pretty light at 2kg...oh, and lifetime warranty.
Weaknesses: nup
Bottom Line:
This is my 3rd steel hardtail, and craps on the other two I used to own. The geometry is spot on (the Cove angles are too slack, and the DMR was just plain ordinary), the attention to detail will impress the fussiest punter, and the ride is superb. In comparison to anything else I have ever ridden, the Blizzard is so quiet and smooth. It literally feels like it floats over the trail with litte or no effort. It's actually quite stiff for a steel rig too, and consequently accelerates like a snappy hardtail racer. So it's compliant and stiff. The perfect combo! The paint job is the best I have ever seen on frame. Hand-masked maple leaves, super thick powder coat and a nice durable clear coat that protects the stickers making them part of the frame.
My build is pretty sensible I think, strong durable stuff and pretty light. My Blizzard is 11.8kg (26lbs). I've spoken to some people about what fork to run, 100mm or 80mm, and it pretty much comes down to personal opinion - how quick you like your bike to steer. 100mm feels great for me, still steers well on the steepest climbs and gives you that extra cush on the decents. The new R7 from Manitou is a fantastically stiff and lighweight fork too.
So that's my wrap. I think its obvious how much I enjoy riding and owning my new Blizzard. It is seriously good value too, when you consider that it has a lifetime warranty and that steel lasts a very long time.
Will make a great project bike too! Highly recommended.
Strengths: stiff like a rock handles like it knows where you need to be and goes there
Weaknesses: should be red and white truly canuck
Bottom Line:
wickedly fast from the take-off beat I can take a honda del-sol off the line through the light very sweet handling bike and with sram xo she hits every gear bang bang bang and the honda is behind me I think courtney was driving the del-SOL The people who make these bikes make bikes for GOD AND HE DEMANDS QUALITY
Similar Products Used: diamond back tange ultimate ultralite
Bike Setup: sram xo marzocchi fork king head set wtb hubs mavic 517's
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Johno
a Cross Country Rider
from Canberra Australia
Date Reviewed: March 28, 2005
Strengths: Reynolds 853 Steel, quality workmanship to put this package together (welding, paintwork, geometry).
Weaknesses: None
Bottom Line:
I read an online review somewhere that said the Blizzard is the best bike made. I'm not a world beater, but I've ridden & spent enough to agree. This thing is a technical single track wizzard - a climbing freak and extremly stable on fast descents. In the fast rough stuff it's not pinging all over the place like a alu. h/t, in fact it has the characteristics of a f/s. The only thing I can't compare it with is "stable platform" suspension, but with the Blizzard, do I really need to?
Bike Setup: 20th anniverary Blizzard frame. Fox TALAS set @ 110mm, Race Face Turbine Lite cranks, Egg Breaters, Easton Carbon lo-rise bar & seat post. WTB Laser V Ti Saddle. XTR Shifters & rear der. Xt front der & cluster. XT/Sun wheelset. Magura Louise Discs. Nudging 26 lbs.
