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Santa Cruz Chameleon 27+

548K views 3K replies 365 participants last post by  laegrim 
#1 ·
#2,843 ·
So I was going to sell my brown carbon chameleon to TPC until I started to box it up.... I can't do it! The money would be nice but I like this bike too much to let it go because of one little issue that I don't like.

I've always had the bike built as a single speed and I do enjoy it but none of my riding friends (or wife) ride SS anymore. It makes it hard to ride in groups with other riders on geared bikes. I've dropped down to a 34/22 from a 32/20 for a little more leverage but more so to get the chain away from the chain stay. I really wish they wouldn't have dropped the CS so much so on the drive side. Even with good chain tension I still get rattling against the nice plastic CS cover.

I'm going in a different direction with the bike. I'm going to try and find a cost effective (see cheap) drivetrain with a 36-40 big gear on the cassette and drop my chain ring to a 30/28. I love the look and feel of the clean cockpit with no cable and no derailleur but I'm not getting any younger! And at times I leave this bike on the shelf just because I don't want to hammer in one gear.

 
#2,851 ·
Since the current Chameleon is designed for both 27.5+ and 29" wheels, it seems like you could easily do this with the current frame. The 27.5 dropouts and a 120mm fork would keep the geometry pretty close to stock, or you could use a 130mm fork if you want it a little slacker.
 
#2,856 ·
Anyone else try their chameleon as a mullet? I've got mine set up with a 29x2.6 front and 27.5x3.0 rear. The 29er front has the cornering and roll over ability that I'm used to. The big 3.0 rear feels great and has so much cushion. Loving the setup so far, only a few rides in. Makes a great companion for my g1 Hightower.

1940700
 
#2,882 ·
my 2, one in plus, one in 29er. Enjoyed the heck out of them.
Wheel Tire Land vehicle Car Bicycles--Equipment and supplies
Tire Wheel Bicycle Bicycles--Equipment and supplies Land vehicle
 
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#12 ·
$1599-$1999
small, medium and large available in two different build kits
Trail hardtail
• Adjustable Drop-outs
• 29 or 27.5 Plus wheel options
• Single speed compatibility
• Boost rear spacing
• 67.5 Degree HT Angle

D Kit
• Recon Silver 120mm fork on both 29 and 27.5 Plus
• 1x11 SRAM NX drivetrain (11-42 cassette)
• SRAM Level Brakes
• Maxxis Rekon 2.8 Front / Rear

R1 Kit
• Fox Rhythm 120mm fork on both 29 and 27.5 Plus
• 1x11 SRAM NX Drivetrain (XD/10-42 cassette)
• SRAM Level T Brakes
• Maxxis Rekon 2.8 Front / Rear
 
#21 ·
BTW its crazy that it says the Large is for 5'10" to 6'1'' but the XL is for 6'1'' to 6'6''.

I dont know but that reach looks crazy long to me.
I did a little parking lot spin on a new Honzo (size large, 475 reach) and it didn't feel nearly as huge as I expected. Honestly, it didn't feel that much bigger than my regular bike that has a 425 reach. Go figure.
 
#19 ·
No weights listed.

I calculated the weight based on manufacturer weight listings for each of the parts and it comes in at around 26.5lbs for the D+ build. Does that seem right? Seems lighter than I expected. I realize these numbers can be a fair bit off, so are we talking somewhere in the 27-28lb range for the D+ build?

Even still, that doesn't seem horrible considering how heavy the NX drivetrain is.
 
#25 ·
this came off the link posted #22

Chameleon 'D Kit' : $1599 USD | $2249 CAD | 29lbs 29'er | 29.5lbs 27+
Chameleon 'R Kit' : $1999 USD | $2749 CAD | 27.7lbs 29'er | 28.6lbs 27+
Chameleon Frame Only : $749 USD | $1099 CAD | 4.6lbs

No weights listed.

I calculated the weight based on manufacturer weight listings for each of the parts and it comes in at around 26.5lbs for the D+ build. Does that seem right? Seems lighter than I expected. I realize these numbers can be a fair bit off, so are we talking somewhere in the 27-28lb range for the D+ build?

Even still, that doesn't seem horrible considering how heavy the NX drivetrain is.
 
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