Submitted by
surfzombo
a Downhiller
from Smogtown, California
Date Reviewed: August 18, 2008
Strengths: Still a good strong frame after 11+ years.
Weaknesses: none
Bottom Line:
I've been running this frame fer a long, long time (her frame No. is 328). She's a great workhorse, but loves being set free and pointed down hill. Matter of fact, and not to pat myself on the back, just yesterday the bike and I smoked some guy on an Ibis Mojo on the local downhill. I don't know how the newer Chameleon's ride. I hear they're made in Taiwan. (mine was made in the USA). RIDE ON!!!!!!!
Bike Setup: Dedicated single speed for at least 10 years. Old '97 Marzocchi Z2 Bombers that have been rebuilt time and time again and are still (kinda) plush. I've a short stubby CNC'd stem to set me back on the bike because this Chameleon just loves STEEP.
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Submitted by
gager5000
a Cross Country Rider
from England
Date Reviewed: August 14, 2008
Strengths: Sold ride, strong frame, looks gorgeous
Weaknesses: No rear disc brake mount, paint.
Bottom Line:
I have this bike for 7 years now and I'm still not bored of it. It still gives me the same buzz now as when I first rode it. Granted, the paint works past its best but its seen off several groupsets, done many thousands of miles and I still get people talking to me about it on the trails. Its not the best XC bike in the world, or the best racer but it'll be very good at anything you try on it. Guess thats why the call it the do it all hardtail.
Submitted by
wardo
a Cross Country Rider
from calgary canada
Date Reviewed: July 14, 2008
Strengths: well i just picked this frame up from beside my local dumpster lol! what kind of idiot throws out a perfectly good frame! so i stripped it down no cracks or dents anywhere! i was pretty stoked from there on in! painted it white with a chameleon stenciled on it (it really looks sweet) and am now starting to build it up im going to love this bike its super light and looks strong!
Weaknesses: i cant complain with a free frame!
Bottom Line:
i cant wait to ride it! im going to use it for my xc ripper and commuter because i allready have a stinky for everything else!
Bike Setup: fox vanilla RLC, single track rims, bonerager cranks and bash guard, xt drivetrain, stroker trail brakes,
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Submitted by
Manuel Araica
a Cross Country Rider
from Rowland Heights
Date Reviewed: March 23, 2008
Strengths: super strong
Weaknesses: none
Bottom Line:
I just finished building up this used frame from ebay and I cannot be happier. This a do it all bike. I love the horizontal drop out and my surly chain tensioner. I took for a ride and to my surprise and I was still passing all the geared boys in front of me. I have an s-works as single speed and it is more agile and faster than my lizard, but I got the lizard to do technical single tracks and take it to more uneven terrain. A+. I called Santa Cruz to complain about the fact thay they are not building more horizontal dropout and you will have to deal with EBB.
Bike Setup: thompson-kk set-single speed 34/18 white industries-
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Submitted by
Kyle Hewitt
a Weekend Warrior
from Manchester, England
Date Reviewed: April 5, 2004
Strengths: Handling, strength, durability.
Weaknesses: Will not accept larger than a 2.1 rear tire. Disc adaptor is a bad design.
Bottom Line:
Im trading this bike in after 5 years of sterling service and will be sad to see it go. I have riden everything on it-BMX tracks, Welsh Forestry commission trails, dirt jump trails, XC, DH, commuting to work when snowing etc etc and its never let me down. The handling was a revelation from the first time I built it up and rode it to the last ride.
Bike Setup: Series1 (1999) Large polished frame, 2002 Marzocchi DJ1's, 8speed cassette, DH wheelset, 2" riser bars, Avid Supreme Arch rear brake (possibly the best rim brake ever made), Hope Mini disk front.
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Submitted by
David Jewett
a Downhiller
from Hacienda Hgts., CA, USA
Date Reviewed: February 19, 2004
Strengths: Besides being a blast to ride, it's conversation starter.
Weaknesses: None
Bottom Line:
I've been beating this bike senseless for over 5 years now. She started out with gears but was soon converted to SS. She has been my car and recreation vehicle the whole time and takes what ever abuse that I can dish out. I'm proud to own such a great bike. I know this sounds like a lot of gushing clap-trap but it's how I feel about my Cal-Trans orange Chameleon. Sure, the paint jobs got some dings, but that's just a bikes way of showing age wrinkles. Good strong welds. NO cracking that I can see and I take good care of this bike maintenance wise. Be the first on yer block and buy one TODAY !!!!!!
Bike Setup: SS, Paul WORD hubs laced onto Rhyno lite rims, IRC Mythos 2.10 front tire on the rear,IRC Kujo 2.65 on the front hooked up to my old '97 Marzocchi Z-2's,XTR V's, Race Face cranks w/ platforms, Chris King head-set with wide ass Powertools handlebars, Thomson seatpost w/ Crossbow seat
Strengths: Feels lighter than it is, Built like a tank, fun as heck-fire. Forces you to enjoy riding a bike again. It's a Santa Cruz.
Weaknesses: Hmmmm, if I really had to pick something, I'd say the chain stay sticks out to much/or is too wide/thick. Every once in a while the heel of my shoe will clip it. But, that usually only happens if I'm not clipped in, and no, I don't have big feet (9.5). But ironically, the beefy chain stay is what I love about this bike.
Bottom Line:
After being on full suspension (SC Heckler) for a while I was a little nervous about this purchase, but I needed a back-up bike. I was amazed at how fun this bike is, it’s so quick and stiff. Climbs much better then I expected. It tracks really well, jumps great, and I never have that fear that I’m going to break it. After my Heckler, I never thought I could fall in love again, but the fact is the Chameleon is my new love (more stiff in the rear than my FS, but my Nokians take up the bumps nice). To show my complete obsession with this frame, I’m buying another one for single speeding. And holy crap, it’s only 500 bux! For that price why would I waste my time converting it back and forth every weekend? After riding a hard tail again, I realized that I got lazy because of the FS. A lot of riders think hardtails are a thing of the past, Which just means they are old and lazy, and have lost the fun-factor in riding a bike. Go get this Frame, and put the Fun-Factor back in riding.
Bike Setup: XT/XTR, Thompson, CK hubs-n-head, Magura Free Ride disc, Psylo, Mavic F219.
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Submitted by
Gary
a Cross Country Rider
from Phoenix, AZ USA
Date Reviewed: January 14, 2004
Strengths: Stiff, stiff, stiff. But very smooth. Corners like crazy. I can bury the front tire in turns, it holds tight and I can launch out of the corner without hesitation. That's what I love most about this bike, it is so much fun on the slalom and fast, rolling downhills. It's strong. I can't imagine breaking the frame. It doesn't flex a bit, no matter how high I jump.
Weaknesses: It's stiff. My fatigue factor went way up with this bike. An hour and a half to two hours and I'm done (it's set up as a single speed - so I'm done anyway). There are no other weaknesses. It's geometry is perfect for me.
Bottom Line:
What a great SS frame. Mine is an '03 model, before the extra gussets at the headtube. Mine seems plenty strong, but a little extra beef can't hurt. I can ride the crap out of this thing with no worries. It has nice tight geometry. You can throw it around and it responds instantly. It would be questionable as a geared hardtail. I think the long rides might beat me up too much. It's great for a quick - go out and beat yourself to death and then have a beer - type of ride. I wouldn't race it. I race locally at the beginner/sport level and my Titus Riddler is far more well suited for the task. I will, however, keep it as my dedicated SS. No frame does everything perfect, but this thing is just damn fun to ride. But maybe I just like SS too much.
Similar Products Used: Specialized M2 Pro, Titus Riddler, a couple FS's
Bike Setup: Easton Monkey Light, SLR Saddle, Syncros carbon fiber post, Fox Float 100 RLC (adjusted to 80mm), Chris King headset, Avid Single Digit 7 brakes, TruVativ Stylo cranks, White Industries hubs (Eric's Eno on the rear) laced to Mavic UST tubeless rims.
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Submitted by
w.
a Cross Country Rider
from North Carolina
Date Reviewed: January 11, 2004
Strengths: have the new design and really love it. the bike is as stiff and tough as other reviews state. it is made by santa cruz -- quality is better than a good warranty
Weaknesses: i am comming from a heckler so the stiff rear is taking some getting used to (see below)
Bottom Line:
so far the bike has been great. i had to free up some $$ so I sold the heckler and picked up a chameleon. took it out for a trial and totaled my rear wheel on a fairly small drop (guess I showed my rider skill that day). the frame took the rider/ cheap rear wheel error without complaint. the bike is light and strong -- the gussets (esp the headtube) and disc mounts are enough to warrent selling your old on and buying the new one. I don't want to be a banner boy for sc, but they make the toughest bikes on the market for a trail rider not looking to take out a loan. get the newer versions -- the chameleon and heckler and almost different bikes than they were a few years back. If I have any problems or complaints, I'll let you know
Weaknesses: None as of yet...I'll post if anything surfaces
Bottom Line:
Sweet bike, scuba yellow w/black components. So far the bike exceeds my expectations. Was turned on to the frame after talking to a wrencher at local bike shop. Great reviews on MTBReview pushed me to get one and I'm not disappointed. The frame is well built, beefy, yet light. Get the 2003.5 or later frame set for nice improvements. Bike handles very well on tight singletrack and climbs especially well (duh, compared to my 30 lb plus hardtail). Psylo fork is great, easy to set travel from 85-125 at the turn of the dial and the handlebar quick release lock-out is a nice feature. Purchased the bike from Richards Bicycles in Palos, (check 'em out on the web at www.richardsbicycles.com) Great group of guys and a ton of high end bikes...they'll ship anywhere and have killer prices! Look forward to the upcoming season so I can put it to the test!
This is a follow up to my previous post. After sending my frame to SC they charged me $200 for a replacement frame. I opted for the polish finish which put the total to $250. The redesigned frame looks great! 2003.5 and newer frames are now beefier than the 2002's newer design and the 2001's and older original design. Cool BMX style gussets where the toptube and downtube meet, beefier headtube, and ovalized downtube! They even changed the rear end from the previous 02' redesign. FINALLY some integrated disc mounts on top that work with the bike setup the way it should be, SS!! Also, SC changed the seat tube diameter from 27.2 to 30.9, hmmm wonder why!! I have to say that I still love the bike and will probably keep riding the SC Chameleon till the day I die. I still wish that SC had a better warranty but $250 isn't to bad for this sweet a$$ ride. 5 turds for the new design!!!!
Submitted by
Jeff
a Cross Country Rider
from Greenland, NH, USA
Date Reviewed: September 26, 2003
Strengths: Stiff, Strong, Light, Fast, Great geometry, attractive.
Weaknesses: none yet.
Bottom Line:
tight bike! anyone looking for the best climbing singlespeed frame on the market should look no further than the Santa Cruz Chameleon. i've been riding this bike hard for over 2 years now, and have seen no frame faults or paint issues that have been listed in other reviews. i've never set it up with gears, so no comments on the issues with chainstay width and clearance issues. maybe i just got lucky? anyway, get one of these frames and build a SS or geared bike that will elevate your game. frame is definitely confidence inspiring, considering the super stout rear-end. long top-tube is good for descents, and wheelbase is still relatively short with tight chainstay length for sprinting. Probably the most agile Singletrack bike i have ever ridden.
Similar Products Used: Dean Jester, Voodoo team ti, and various other late 80's, early 90's hardtails
Bike Setup: SS: Paul Hubs, Mavic X517, Hutch Python-Lite 2.1, Paul Brakes, Zokes MX-Comp, Easton Monkeylite bars, Thomson stem, King HS, Easton Carbon post, Raceface cranks & BB, Spot chainguard, 32T front with 16T Sun-Race clutchless freewheel, speedplay frogs. everything is black and NO Shimano parts to be found on this backwoods rig!
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Submitted by
D-Money
a Weekend Warrior
from Houston, Texas
Date Reviewed: August 26, 2003
Strengths: Light and strong, handles like a pi$$ed-off spider and stiff as a brick. Awesome bright apple-green color.
Weaknesses: little room for the rear tire and gears, had to one-off the fitting for the disc brakes
Bottom Line:
Great little rig and a value to boot. Could have used more room for the rear gearset and tires, plus disc mounts, but I understand they fixed that with the new redesign. Bike does not rattle or shimmy when it takes my 220 pounds over drops and declines, very tight handling
Weaknesses: -stupid attachment for rear disc doesn't allow you to use disc brakes on the rear when setup SS. -paint doesn't stand up to much -frame cracks where seat tube meets with the top tube -crappy 2 year warranty and a$$hole customer service!!
Bottom Line:
This is a great bike! However, after riding the bike for a little under 2 years the frame has cracked. The bad thing is my buddy's Chameleon cracked a few weeks ago and now mine's cracked in the same spot, (seat tube just over the top tube!) I think the enormous amount of seatpost you have to run may have contributed to this failure. Seems like it might be a design flaw. SC has a 2 year warranty on this year model and a 1 year for older frames. This SUCKS! Not to mention the customer service guys are real jerks. My buddy was treated badly and ended up having to pay $250 for a new frame since it was a 2000 and out of it's 1 year warranty. Mine is just now getting to SC and I'm sure that I'll end up getting screwed and have to pay $250 for a new one. I love the bike but it should have a better warranty. Warranty issues and crappy customer service keep me from giving it 5 flaming turds!!! When I find out what SC does with mine I'll update this review.
Strengths: Integrated disk mount huge space for rear tyre gusset bullit style
Weaknesses: maybe i will find in time? I think not
Bottom Line:
Just finished building the day before yesterday. I have only had the time to familiarise with it yesterday, so i cannot be very precise with my impressions. Anyway first riding impression is great. Feels like the old one,that i liked a lot, maybe a bit more stable, the same light handling. It has solved the problems of the old model, that are disk adaptor and poor space for rear tyre. It is also more beautiful than the old one. I am only surprised that i could'nt find any advertising about the re-design of a bike like the chameleon.
I own an early model Chameleon but am looking for a size small for a friend. This one is advertised locally as a "Santa Cruz Chameleon" but I'm pretty sure it is not. Although it l Read More »
Had this frame since I purchased it in 2001. It is a USA made MED Chameleon. It has been a xc, single speed, and an urban shredder. I have too many bikes in the garage and this one Read More »
The wife hooked me up with a new Chameleon frame for xmas.
I set it up with a 09 Revelation 426 I had @ 140mm of travel.
It is a large frame and has a 50mm stem.
So far, two r Read More »
looking to buy a new bike, found this ad.
frame: Santa Cruz Chameleon (2008)
Fork: Manitou Sherman (Travel adjust stuck in full travel mode)
Crank: Truvativ Husselfelt with ba Read More »
I saw this as an acceptible conversion frame on Cracked HT's site. I did do some searching but didn't come up with much of anything.:skep:
Anyone have one set up? SS or geared? Read More »
