Submitted by
Dr Death
a Cross Country Rider
from bristol england- uk
Date Reviewed: October 23, 2007
Strengths: Built like a tank Light Nice understated coulour
Weaknesses: horizontal drop outs are hard to get used to
Bottom Line:
I've only just got this bike and have just returned from only my second off road ride, and I already love this bike. In 2000 I was looking for a new bike, but my budget wouldn't stretch to one so I bought another frame and canebleised my kona. Nealy 8 years later I actualy have one. £1300 all in bargin! Over the years i have experimented with diferent set ups some worked (marzochi jrt 98s on a kona nu-nu) some did't (manitou milenieums on a trek 6500 slr). the rock shok combine the best bits of my favoret forks, Light, (reba team,) long travel (jt millenieum) amooth, nothing(z5) I've had yet has bin this smooth, they stay composed even when bottomed out. this combined with a frame that puts every ounce of power to the back wheel, means that it exelirates like a rocket, onlt the stikky nevigal tyres hold it back, from toasting cars and every thing elce on the road,. It steps up when all other hardtails can't, I'm a better rider al ready. only probolem so far is the wheel slides in the drop out under heave braking, and it can be hard work on long road climb's The only people who shouldn't get one are every gram counts xc racers,(it ain't evean that heavy 28lb's) or people who ride things that would kill any hard tail. I'll post again when I've put more miles in
Similar Products Used: Kona nu-nu x2, kenises maxlight xc, trek:6700 zx 6700 slr 6500 slr
Bike Setup: This is a 2007 frame in liquid blue, 2008 rock shox revelation 426 duel air, mavic crossride, race face ride, bars, stem and seat post, avid jucu three's 185 front roter, (soon to have shimano hone crancks and e13 drs) curently deore, new xt shadow r-mech, lx f-mech, deore rapid fire+ shifters and kenda nevigal 2.1 tires.
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Submitted by
Chad
a Racer
from Rapid City, SD, USA
Date Reviewed: May 28, 2007
Strengths: I've owned this bike for 7 years. I ran it geared for the first 2 and SS for the last 5. I have won races on it and it is my dirtjumper too. It can do almost anything. I even got 4th once in an Expert DH race on this frame. The geometry is very upright and comfortable. I used to be into big drops back when I was stupid and the frame never failed me then either.
Weaknesses: Too many Santa Cruz's around nowadays. These used to be dope cause no one else had one.
Bottom Line:
The frame cost me $350 brand new in either 99 or 00 can't remember. That's value. Next week my Blur LT will be here and the Chameleon may have to be retired. It's been a good ride.
Strengths: This bike rails. It's stiff as a board which means I don't have to wait around for the stern to catch up in fast, tight turns. I'm a big fan of the horizontal drop-outs. Had them on my last bike. They seem to keep the wheel aligned better when things get bummpy.
Weaknesses: The only thing I'd like to see changed are the hydrolic cable guides. I wish Santa Cruz had used the type that has a slot for cable ties insted of the kind that necessitates the use of those silly little plastic reducers that always slide out of place. I still zip tie anyway. Pretty petty. Not really a weakness.
Bottom Line:
This is the first bottom up build for me in over 10 years. I, literally had never used discs or more travel than 70mm. Not that I'm a wanker nor do I wank, but I'm a rock hopper/ trials rider. This bike is opening up a whole new world for me. It's fast, stiff, and very nimble both up and down. Gotta recommend this bike for anyone who likes rhythm.
Favorite Trail: fast twisty ones with big things in the way
Duration Product Used: 3 months
Purchased At: manufacturer
Similar Products Used: Nothing all that similar. GT trials, Klein Attitude set up mountain trials/xc several Kona hard tails. For that matter, I've never had a shock on the back of my bikes.
Bike Setup: Green Chameleon with mango King hubs on Sun rhyno xls, King mango hs, LP carbon bars, New 05 XTR shifters and short cage derailleur. XT front der, Avid Juicy 7's w/ 185mm rotors, Thomson 100mm stem and seatpost(16mm setback). I'm 5'10" and find that this stem/post combo works for me for technical climbing and letting 'er rip when coming down. Italia trans-am leather seat, lock-on grips, 2.35 dtc Nevegals, and oh yeah an 07 Fox talas RLC fork.
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Submitted by
Neil McQuillan
a Weekend Warrior
from Ulverston, Lake District, uk
Date Reviewed: July 17, 2006
Strengths: Fantastic angles and frame design. Love the square chain stays. Long top tube, short seat tube - all bikes should be like this.
Pace RC41's are fantastic on this bike, although I've had no end of hassle from a set of RC40's on another bike.
Weaknesses: Paint finish
Bottom Line:
This bike is fantastic. The perfect hardtail - light weight, but with decent strength. It surprisingly capable for a hardtail as well - I've took up riding street and dropping off walls. The long travel fork allows you to ride 90% of the things a full susser could, but the bike feels fantastically alive. You can do anything on this bike. Its really reawakened my enthusiasm for riding. Better than a susser for the new style of man made trails which are popping up throughout the uk. Can we handful on rocky descents.
Bike Setup: XT, Hope mono mini brakes, Pace RC41 XCAM, Cinder treads.
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Submitted by
Nick Reid
a Weekend Warrior
from Auckland, New Zealand
Date Reviewed: June 12, 2006
Strengths: Stiff rear end, versatility, strength.
Weaknesses: Top tube a bit slopy, powdercoat a bit weak.
Bottom Line:
An awsome frame, makes a wicked single speed. nice angles with an 80mm fork, strong yet light. chain tension and line easy ti dial in. handles bumps and jumps sweet as. really reponsive, can throw it around easily. loves single track. be warned, build it as and ss and you'll be a convert. If youre an all mountain rider who thinks they might like a ss this is the frame for you, as you can run gears if you like.
Similar Products Used: Rocky Mountain Oxygen, various hardtails, specialised epic and enduro.
Bike Setup: Single speed, Chris Kings on Mavic 717, Trusty marz MXR's, Raceface turbine crank with evovle xc bb, FSA bars stem, Avid Single Digit 7 brakes, cane creek s8. Sub 25 lbs with hutchy pythons.
What everybody says is true. This bike rocks. Drasticly improved my skills. Inspires confidence. Just huck it. Built up as a SS. I bought a med. frame sold it after a year to get a lg. Haven't found one to replace it yet and have regreted it ever since. For my next frame I am going to set it up like this: Black gloss frame, 04 Marzochi Marathon S 120, King headset (black), Easton Carbon Monkeybar, Thomson stem & post (black), Bullseye Crankset w/Shimano Dura-Ace external BB (wow), Bullseye hubs/Mavic D521, Avid SD SL brakes
Similar Products Used: Bianchi Tycoon, Trek 6500, 8000
Bike Setup: 02 Psylo Race dual air set at 120mm, Icon Crankset w/ FSA Ti BB, RF Bash Ring, Gusset 1'er, Regline Tugs, Avid 2.0 brakes, Easton EA-70 stem, CT-2 Monkeybar, XTR,King/Mavic D521 w/ Michelin 2.5
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Submitted by
Haidar Samiei
a Cross Country Rider
from Aberdeen
Date Reviewed: August 28, 2004
Strengths: Everything, absolutelly everything about this bike rocks.
Weaknesses: After 2 years, many falls, ridiculous wipeouts, it only has 3 scratches and that scares me, I mean surelly it should be broken, or cracked, or something...
Bottom Line:
If you are going to build your own bike, get this frame. Don't even think about it, just do it. My only regret is wasting time thinking about what frame to get. The small rear triangle will transmit every bit of energy and is way stiff, the angled top tube means you can do mad things with the ride geometry- post up, lock out on, climb or race like a lunatic, post down- attack anything that looks at you funny. Oh, and she corners like nothing I have seen before.
I have messed around with the stem length, shoks, components and appreciate that the components seem better suited to a real lightweight frame, (my rig comes in at just over 10kg) but I swear that i have never ridden anything so reassuringly adaptable. My only real fears cycling are about the wheels, shocks and saddle when doing slightly more stupid things, but when the frame is so good, you have got to worry about something, right??
Favorite Trail: Glentress black / Innerleithen black
Duration Product Used: 2 Years
Purchased At: £3000
Similar Products Used: Marin bear valley, Specialised rockhopper
Bike Setup: Chameleon frame, SID world cup front shocks, XTR groupset (V brakes) Mavic SL wheels, Thomson stem and post, Easton carbon bars, selle marco carbon, crank bros triple ti peddles, nokion cabling, hutchison mosquito tyres
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Submitted by
Max
a Cross Country Rider
from Providence, RI via VT
Date Reviewed: December 8, 2003
Strengths: The ultimate bicicleta ever, no joke. SIngle speed epics with drops thrown in for fun, up like a champ, down even better, SINGLE SPEED Destroyer
Weaknesses: Old disc brake mount sucks, doesn't work for single speed, forces filing of AVid BBDB for geared, they changed it now
Bottom Line:
this bike makes me happy, make sme happy to ride, happy to talk to, happy to just hang out with you know? It is happy riding with my cross country buddies at high speeds for long times, it is happy riding with my free ride buddies off rocks and ledges, it's happy cruisin' around town jumping off stairs. It was not happy with gears but I've heard they can be. It's red. It wants a disc brake in the back, hence teh thing i got welded on and the part i hope my friend will machine for me. It is fast and agile, like cat, jumps real high. I don't knwo why I'm saying this I've already convinced three of my friends to get one and that's weird, but you shoudl too. ONE GEAR
I have not put this bike through much, but so far it is sweet. I ride a lot of street, trails, dirt jumps, and slalom; and this frame has not given me a single problem. I have broke some Manitou SXs into two pieces and the frame has not been bad at all. Even though the frame is light, it is really strong! I f you are looking into buying this frame, GO FOR IT! This bike is made to please just about anyone. XC, street, dirt jumps, slalom, hardtail DH, ro tials; this biek is built for it.
Bike Setup: MX Comp, LX evrything else, except XT cranks, raceface xy seatposts, about to get a sweet azonic big drop saddle
Overall Rating:
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Submitted by
FastEddy
a Weekend Warrior
from Kingston Ontario
Date Reviewed: October 18, 2003
Strengths: coolness factor
Weaknesses: Tends to attract attention from undesirables---Bike Thieves
Bottom Line:
I purchased a trans gold Chameleon from from Dukes and built the bike up with spare parts. Loved it for three weeks then it got stolen. Contacted Dukes and Scott at Santa Cruz regarding a new ride. Both were very helpful in getting me a new bike fast. It's reassuring to know that Santa cruz customer service is all that is reputed to be. Scott informed me about the production process and when the next chameleons would be ready. Initially I ordered a black frame to replace my sweet trans gold due to cost concerns after having to buy a second dream bike in less than a month. Scott talked me into going with the trans gold again and even threw in the paint upgrade for free. Santa Cruz ROCKS!!! They make quality products and their customer service is the best there is in the industry. My second bike had to be built up so Dukes gave me a pseudo R build kit with Duke XC fork. When my frame came in it turned out that they were out of Duke forks so they upgraded me to a psylo sl for a very modest fee of $75. I dealt with Barry at Dukes and when he showed me my new bike and the parts spec it was evident this guy loves bikes and he had taken the time to pick out each part for my new ride. It was hard to tell who was more excited, him or me. The chameleon is a fast handling bike with slack geometry. You almost sit straight up in the rig. Technical sections are handled with ease on this superbly balanced machine. The bike climbs well, especially with the u-turn lock out engaged. For steep climbs it's best to lower the front travel from 120 mm to about 100 mm. This allows for rolling over uphill obstacles while reducing the squishy feeling upfront. On twisty singletrack the chameleon is in a league of it's own. It really carves out the turns and is super stiff. Downhill sections, usually my achilles heel, are a blast on this bike. The slack geometry allows the rider to get way back. Rocks that I usually steer around now provide sweet launching platforms and I have no fear of breaking this bike on harsh landing. In a word, this frame is built to be strong. Unbreakable even with a sledge hammer. The best thing about this bike is how it looks. I find myself staring dreamily at it as it sits in my living room. One look at this bike inspires the rider to do things previously unimaginable. Did I mention the effect it has on chicks. I'm no looker but the ladies now queue up to stroke my mighty beast-the chameleon not my lizard. The bottom line is that this bike is the genuine article. Versatile in any riding conditions. Built by a quality company that knows and loves bikes. If you are in the greater Toronto area check out Duke's on Queen, I recommend them to anyone.
Oh my God I love this bike. My girlfriend is getting jealous and suggested I sleep with it. Its a strong bike that seems to be able to perform exactly as the name suggests...chameleon. I have the 2003.5 and bought it for $400 off Craigslist.org. It was brand new and he through in the fr derailer and seat post...not a bad deal. I've ridden mostly single track in Colorado and it has performed flawlessly on very tough terrain. I just moved to Detroit for school and have been doing drops, stairs and jumps around the city and the chameleon has taken it all. My nephew has a dirt bike track and I have taken it over there and landed gaps. If your like me and like to ride everything this is the only bike to get.
Similar Products Used: Treks, Giants, Home Grown(very nice too)
Bike Setup: Stylo cranks, marz mx comp fork, race face xc stem, bont crow bar, xt/f219 wheelset, avid mechanicals, forte seat, atac pedals, xt derailers.
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Submitted by
Bryce
a Cross Country Rider
from Calgary Alberta Canada
Date Reviewed: August 19, 2003
Strengths: strong as @#$!, FLAWLESS geometry, looks beautiful
Weaknesses: doesnt hold a 24 inch rear wheel, but who cares?
Bottom Line:
i love this bike! i currently ride a used 2000 chameleon...and my next bike will definitley be another chameleon! like the name implies, its great for everything, will do the job well for xc, beefy enough for freeride, is a street MACHINE! and dual slalom too if thats your thing. you shallnt regret this
Strengths: Super strong frame, really nice and fast feel to it, cool colors, and the dirt just sheeds right off the paint with you having to work hard. This bike is the Hummer or Tank of biking.
Weaknesses: There is no such thing as a weekness in this frame.
Bottom Line:
THIS IS THE BEST BIKE I HAVE EVER RIDDEN IN MY LIFE I WOULD RECAMEND IT ON ANY BODY THAT WANTS THE GET THE MOST FOR THEIR MONEY. ANY BODY THAT WANT A TOUGH FRAME SHOULD DEFFINITLY GIVE THIS ONE A LOOK!!
Bike Setup: XT, XTR DRIVE TRAIN, PHYLO RACE FRONT SHOCK, TIOGA DH TIRES
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Submitted by
MIKE D.
a Weekend Warrior
from BRUSSELS BELGIUM
Date Reviewed: January 1, 2003
Strengths: CLEAN ,STRONG DESIGN ,STIFF AS HELL ,QUITE LIGHT AND VERSATILE.BEST PLAYBIKE EVER IS A REALLY GOOD XC MACHINE TOO!
Weaknesses: EERMMMM...WHY THE UNDER THE CHAINSTAY DISC CALIPER?NOT A CON BUT CAN'T SEE THE REASON...
Bottom Line:
BEST HARDTAIL I'VE EVER TRIED!GEOMETRY IS JUST FANTASTIC.I GOT MY FIRST CHAMELEON IN '99 AFTER 4 FULL SUSPENDED YEARS AND IT WAS MEGA!I THEN GOT A 2002 FRAME SO I COULD PUT REAR DISCS ON IT.I'VE BEEN DOING EPICS ,STREET ,FREERIDE WITH IT AND IT FELT AT EASE IN EACH APPLICATION.HEEOOOGE FUN GOING DOWN!MY '99 FRAME IS STILL ALIVE AND WELL AND MAKING ANOTHER RIDER VERY VERY HAPPY...THIS IS THE ONLY BIKE EVER I WOULD RECOMMEND TO EVERYBODY CAUSE IT WILL BECOME EXACTLY WHAT YOU WANT IT TO BE IF YOU PUT THE RIGHT COMPONENTS ON IT.
Similar Products Used: KONAS,MAINLY...NOTHING IS REALLY SIMILAR TO THE CHAMELEON I THINK.
Bike Setup: 17" FRAME ,Z1 MCR'01 QR20 ,KING ,DEORE ,XT ,XTR ,AZONIC 50MM STEM ,EASTON CARBON POST ,XT DISCS ,MAVIC ,DMR PEDALS AND SO ON...
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Submitted by
Charles
a Cross Country Rider
from Brossard, Canada
Date Reviewed: December 2, 2002
Strengths: Indestructable frame! Geometry on this bike is perfect! good frame geometry.Very lightweight, strong frame, lightning fast, and an awesome looking bikeGreat Product! Very responsive and has a great fell. I use it for urban riding and dirt jumping, and it preforms great.Very good price not very expensive for that kind of bike.
Weaknesses: None yet, I just bought it this summer and its was on sale!
Bottom Line:
Very good bike just change te fork and you can go everywhere you want and do whatever you want. Downhill, cross-country or freestyle.
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 »
