Strong, stiff, slack, versatile, stable

High standover

Built with WTB i23 rims, Hope hubs, Manitou Minute Pro 140mm TA, 1x9 Zee, Formula RX Brakes. Versatile like a Swiss Army Knife grafted to a Leatherman. Ride all manner of trail from smooth, flat single-track to Porcupine Rim. This bike loves it all. Got my frame from an online retailer going out of business for less than half price, which is a good thing because the suggested retail price is silly. NS Bikes has a very similar frame (Eccentric Alu) for about half the price with better standover clearance. If I was to build this bike again, that would be my choice.

Similar Products Used:

Rocky Mountain Altitude, Banshee Rune, Scott Spark

Light-weight. Tough. Versatile. FUN FUN FUN!

Too soon to say...

Ridden for less than a month, but so far so very good. Done a bit of cross country, a bit of road cycling (not much, not far, if I'm honest!), and thrashed around a single track. The Chameleon is well named: it does a bit of everything, but seems to do so brilliantly. The weight is good. The frame is stiff, but with impressive travel on the front fork. Great build quality, as you'd expect from Santa Cruz. Very happy so far.
This represented a significant upgrade for me (from a Specialised Hardrock). The difference is huge. This is a good buy for someone wanting a versatile MTB that performs strongly but requires pretty minimum maintenance.

Similar Products Used:

Specialized Hardrock