A typical Canadian stereotype is that we live in perpetual winter, we live in Igloos and polar bears roam the streets. Those of us that ride fatbikes almost wish this were true. There's something special about riding trails on a fatbike that can't quite compare to other sorts of bike riding.

In the fall of 2022 I was given the opportunity to try out the Panorama Chic-chocs carbon fatbike for the winter. After living abroad for most of the previous 15 years, my first few years back in Canada were spent cross-country skiing and snowshoeing. Having heard a lot of people raving about how much fun fatbiking was, I was keen to try it out, but couldn't afford to get another bike, especially as we were just starting a family. As fate would have it, I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to see if the snow truly was whiter on the other side of the fence. And man, it did not disappoint. Now, all of a sudden, here I was with a fatbike, ready to make the most of winter, and, might I add: what a winter it was.

At the time, I didn't really know anything about winter riding, except that most companies were now using 27.5" wheels, that fatbikes typically used tires between 4"-5" in width and that studded tires were really expensive. I also knew that fatbikes tend to weigh quite a bit more than other bikes, and that they go way slower when out riding. I didn't know anything about appropriate PSI levels in tires, whether or not I should use studded tires, how difficult it could be to get on the bike after falling off, or about pogies, boots, cold conduction, and so on.

As a passionate cyclist, I decided to give it my all and make the most of this unique opportunity to ride the snow-covered trails of Ontario and Quebec. From daily fatbike rides with my dog, competing in the Wendigo Ultra Fatbike Race and embarking on a 180km winter expedition along the Petit Train du Nord, my trusty companion on these journeys has been the Panorama Chic-Chocs Carbon Fatbike. When I was first sent the bike, I spoke with Simon from Panorama Cycles and he wanted to get me on a fatbike so that I could see just how fun it was. In the summer of 2023, Panorama Cycles became a sponsor of the Bikepack Adventures Podcast and I have been riding their bikes ever since.

I was pretty stoked to get this opportunity and have enjoyed countless adventures in the time since and have even bought my wife a fatbike in winter 2024.

Panorama Cycles | Backcountry Bicycle Co.

Panorama Cycles is a Canadian bike manufacturer based out of Granby, Quebec. Panorama's story began in 2010 when the owner, Simon Bergeron, first discovered bikepacking. With the growth of fatbiking also taking place, the team at Panorama decided to design an all-terrain exploration machine. Something that could take on the most challenging terrain, be it Canadian winter or Southern desert. Their first bike, named after the Chic-Choc mountain range, was released in 2016, with the mission to design products for backcountry exploration, while providing inspiration for adventure cyclists that prefer gravel, snow and off-road trails.

Panorama Cycles believes that there is no need to travel around the world or to be a seasoned athlete to live epic outdoor adventures. They believe that outings are never about the distance travelled but more about good times with good friends, whether exploring a new trail by night with a headlamp to bikepacking off trails in the backcountry. Panorama also doesn't believe in the endless N+1 concept, but designs their bikes to create as versatile a machine as possible, trying to include all the features and functions on the bike that can be used during the life of the bike.

In the years since establishing themselves as a quality bike manufacturer of backcountry bikes, Panorama has released several models of bikes that address various needs and budgets, including a carbon and a steel gravel bike, a carbon and a titanium fatbike, a steel MTB and a steel pinion-drive touring rig. They purposely keep the number of bike models as low as reasonably possible, deigning to focus more on design and versatility, rather than continually adding another model to the line-up. They are also the first carbon-neutral bike manufacturer certified by Climate Neutral. Panorama is a member of 1% For The Planet, striving to offset their carbon footprint as much as possible. They also recycle composite waste and use plastic-free packaging for their bikes all in an effort to be a more ecoresponsible company.

First Glance

I decided to pick up the bike in Granby, Quebec, at Panorama HQ, giving me the opportunity to meet Simon, the owner-operator of Panorama Cycles. Simon was super chill and gave me a tour around the shop, showing me where they assemble the bikes, the bike building procedure, some of the early bike prototypes and more. After spending an hour chatting and getting to know one-another, I packed the Chic-Chocs carbon fatbike into my car for the drive back to Chelsea, Quebec.

The Panorama Chic-Chocs is a really slick looking fatbike that in 2022/23 came in a light gray colour with a beautiful graphic painted on the side of the downtube done by a Canadian artist. The 2024 model had a new paint scheme that was a deep turquoise blue with new artwork by Trevor Browne portraying a skyline of mountains. The soon to be released 2025 Chic-Chocs 3, has been modernized, painted a green gray and standardized the locations of logos and artwork.

After adding pedals, I was ready to get out for a ride. Of course, I way over-pumped the tires and found it really difficult to get any sort of traction. After a quick call with a friend, I got it all sorted out and decided to get out for a longer ride, which definitely didn't go as planned. I hadn't realized how difficult it was to ride trails that are neither well-packed nor groomed. I jumped onto the local trails where I do the vast majority of my riding but kept falling over and getting stuck in the deeper snow. Needless to say, the lack of a packed trails made staying upright on the bike nearly impossible and after just a short ride, I was overheating and desperately needing water. I slowly made my way home, arriving way later than I expected, with a headache and feeling dehydrated. It's really important to hydrate properly when out fatbiking, as you rarely feel thirsty until it's too late.

My major takeaways on that first ride are that low PSI is a good thing, packed trails make the whole experience that much more enjoyable and that while fatbike tires grip fairly well in snow and slide very easily when braking on packed snow or ice. It was time for a few additions to make the riding experience even better.

Design and Construction

The Panorama Chic-Chocs carbon fatbike uses a stable geometry with a long wheelbase that helps increase traction and flotation on soft surfaces. Designed around a Q-factor of 205mm, the Chic-Chocs can be used with either 26" x 5" or 27.5" x 4.5" tires. My bike came in size M with 27.5 x 4.5" tires weighing in at approximately 29lbs. The bike came stock with Sun Ringle Mulfut 80 rims, Vee Snow Avalanche tires, SRAM Level T brakes, and a mix of XT and SLX components. The Chic-Chocs comes stock with a dropper seatpost, which comes in really handy when you are trying to get back on your fatbike in the snow.

Overall, the build is very light weight when compared to the majority of fatbikes on the market. When purchasing your bike, there are lots of upgrade options available, such as wheel, tires, drivetrain, crankset, brakes and cockpit. Some small upgrades can further lower the weight, such as converting the bike tubeless or installing carbon fibre wheels.

For 2025, Panorama Cycles is going through a rebranding with their logos and various artwork and are also releasing the Chic-Chocs 3, a modernized and updated version of their ever-popular carbon fatbike. This newest model is suspension corrected for those looking to change add front forks to their bike, perfectly tailored to fit a 120mm fatbike fork or a 140mm 29er fork. Panorama has also added a storage compartment into the downtube and increased the standover of the bike by adding a slight curve to the top tube and shortening the seat stays. They've also made the rear of the bike compatible with both the universal derailleur hanger (UDH) and the newer SRAM T-Type transmission. The updated Chic-Chocs 3 has also made the seat tube angle slightly steeper, raising the angel from 72.5º to 75.5º, bringing the rider just a little bit more forward onto the bike, helping to more efficiently balance the rider, most likely keeping the rider position centered on the bike, accommodating the slightly shorter seat stays. These slight changes have resulted in a slightly longer wheelbase, making the bike more agile and responsive while climbing and more stable on the descents.

Of course, it still carries many of the same awesome features that previous models had, such as internal cable routing, ample mounting points, the smallest possible Q-factor and a dropper post.

Ride Experience

After 2 seasons on the Chic-Chocs carbon fatbike, I have become quite accustomed to the fatbiking experience. Initially, I had a lot of issues with regards to traction, but quickly learned the importance of keeping the air pressure low, typically between 5-10 PSI. When confronted with a lot of fresh snow, you will want to go even lower into the range of 3-4 PSI. Even with all this learned experience, I often struggled to keep traction on the uphills and quickly realized it was due to the stock tires not providing the right amount of traction. For the 2024 fatbiking season, I upgraded the tires to 45Nrth Dillinger 5 tires, providing a huge increase in traction and increasing my level of confidence not just on the uphills but also on the downhills.

Due to the relative light weight of the bike, I rarely felt that I didn't have control of the bike, being able to really push it into the curves when descending steeper trails or navigating wooded single-track. The 12-speed drivetrain allowed me to climb all but the steepest fatbiking trails, providing a wide-range of geering options not found on cheeper fatbike options.

I have made some small upgrades to the bike, but for the most part have left it stock the way it came. One of the first changes I made was to install some composite flat pedals that would provide the appropriate amount of grip when on the bike. As snow regularly gets packed onto the bottom of boots, it's important that your pedals have decent spikes to help dig through the snow and grip your boots. I also converted the wheels tubeless and installed 45Nrth studs. I didn't splurge for the most expensive studs out there and just got the mid-level concave studs. I also bought and installed a pair of fatty strippers, which I learned about from Richard Cohen in Episode 152 of the Bikepack Adventures Podcast. The last two upgrades I made were to the cockpit, as my hands tend to get cold very easily. I installed a carbon fibre handlebar and also the Wolftooth Mega Fat Paw grips, all in the hopes of providing better insulation for my hands when riding. By late January I also purchased some 45Nrth Cobrafist Pogies, which are a total game changer.

Over the past two winters, I have ridden both the 50km and 200km distances of the Wendigo Fatbike Ultra, a race along the rail trails of the Ottawa valley. The first year I used a medley of bags I found in my garage to carry the required gear and finished 3rd overall. In 2024 I bought a fatbike rear rack from a friend and used that to secure the various necessary kit and came in 8th place. In 2023 I also went on a fatbiking adventure along the Petit Train du Nord from Boisbriand all the way to Conception, and back. This 4-day adventure took me out of my comfort zone and into the wilds of Canadian winter, through fresh snowfall, snowmobile trails, multi-use winter trails and even some country roads. This adventure was everything I could have hoped for in a winter escape, allowing me to clear my mind on a hardcore bike adventure. The Chic-Chocs carbon fatbike has proven itself with endless comfort even after an 18-hour day on the bike.

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Final Thoughts

The Panorama Chic-Chocs Carbon Fatbike is a top-tier choice for winter cycling adventures no matter where you are in the world. Whether you're competing in winter ultra-race, heading out on a long-distance winter expedition or just shredding the local trails, this fatbike's carbon fiber construction, wide tires, and high-end components make it a standout performer. With multiple accessory mounting points allowing for a rear rack, top tube bag, bottle mounts and fork mounts, the options for setting up this bike are nearly endless. With the ability to accommodate wheels from 26" x 5" all the way up to 29" x 3", with the preferred sizing being 27.5" x 4.5", everything is designed to work with the narrowest Q-factor possible, making this bike a true 4-season companion. While small upgrades will make the riding experience even better, such as putting on better tires, converting to a tubeless setup, switching out the alloy handlebars and putting on better grips, these are common upgrades most people will do with just about any bike they buy. My third-place finish in the Wendigo Ultra Race and the success of my winter expedition along the Petit Train du Nord are clear demonstrations of the Panorama Chic-Chocs versatility. If you're a winter cycling enthusiast looking to conquer snowy trails like those in Ontario and Quebec, this fatbike should be at the top of your list. It might just become your ultimate companion in your winter cycling endeavors. The newly released Chic-Chocs 3 has an updated geometry to allow for suspension correction and slightly shorter chainstays while also incorporating internal storage. Not only is the bike beautiful, but it's a joy to ride, no matter the trail conditions.