Currently very tempted to make this my hardtail build over the winter.
I’m aiming for something more XC orientated although I will use I at trail centres occasionally (probably when my full suss is being serviced or for training purposes).

I’ve heard recommendations to fit a dual position fork as it can take anything from 100-150mm.

What do others have?
How does it climb?

Pros and cons?

Only other vague option currently is a trek superfly but no frame only option and I already have several parts for my build.

I had an older one for a while. Nice and light and accelerates like shit off a shovel. Really stiff though so be prepared to take a beating. I found mine pretty versatile from Woburn xc rides to dirt jumping. Can’t really comment on proper climbs as woburn doesn’t have any worth noting, and mine was a small so probably not best to judge it by.

A few years since I sold my frame but liked it as a do it all hard tail with a pair of revs on the front. As with all do it all things it will never excel at anything. Very stiff and short stays make it better for some things worse for others etc.
Prob best set up as a trail bike it suits big tyres and forks better than xc IMO.

i’ve a 2013/2014 26″. i think it’s brilliant. set up is ss, long travel, burly tyres. works well for my purposes, which are mainly fire-road or path climbs with off-piste woodland riding at the local spot. i run a sektor dual position ( 150/120 ) but the dual position bit has packed up. don’t really miss it, but because i’m ss i guess it’s less of an issue than if you were looking to winch it up stuff in a low gear.
i was running a chunky monkey 2.4 in the back and there was plenty of clearance. now running a spesh captain 2.2, which i’ve so far been impressed with. nice and tall so offers plenty of cushion. would have bought another monkey but on-one had no stock in the plain version, and these came up cheapish.
it let’s you know what’s going on at the back but it’s not harsh IMO. i’ve never really bought this thing about steel being comfy and ally being harsh, particularly when you start slapping big tyres on, and having gone from a succession of steel hardtails i can say that bluntly comparing two materials like that is absolute BS. 😀
the dropout system is very neat for ss.

I loved mine, it was a really fun bike to ride.

[url=https://flic.kr/p/nFyhrV]Chameleon 9[/url]

Climbed very well. The latest incarnation looks a bit more xc orientated. I saw one, frame only, on eBay the other day for not much…

Oh I loved the eccentric BB on mine as well, by far the neatest and easiest solution for singlespeed. I probably would’ve got on better with some higher volume tyres. Would probably try one again with the tyres I have on my current hardtail as they’re definitely a bit squishier than what I had before!

during the years I had two chameleons, really liked my second one with the excentric BB..
only downside for me were the bottle bosses on the L frame..
with long legs it was impossible to lower the seatpost enough for real techy,steep decents…
but finally found a solution for this 🙂

I’ve also got a 2014 26er with a 140mm Fox 32 fork. It’s a brilliant bike and can pretty much do it all including xc and trail centre duties. I don’t think it’s harsh either, my previous Cube HT was way way more uncomfortable 🙂

I’ve gone back to my 2007 frame after trying a Cotic Soul and a Carbon frame after trying lots of others. I can’t find anything like it.

I did have 140mm forks but found steep climbs the front end would wander about.

Accelerates and climbs and does everything phenomenally well. It is stuff but I find that an advantage. I do all day cross country typically.

I prefer 120mm forks.

Brilliant bike!

Thanks all. Very helpful.

Currently I’m thinking rockshox revs xx dual air. Any views on these?

I’ll probably set it up on XT 2×10 as I have a group set lying about. Any recommendations on brakes….XT?

i forget which site but there are slx, less discs, to be had for ~ 38 quid an end.

I had the same one as up there. EBB and squared of stays.

Cham’s are weird, in reality they’re a pretty generic Ally hardtail. The geometry’s not massively radical, and it’s not hugely lightweight. The paints a bit shit, the welding’s not pretty the headtube badge will fall off, the EBB will squeak if you fiddle with it and the seat tube bottle bosses are annoying. The internet will tell you they’re unforgiving, but if you’re used to hardtails, with a big squidgy tubeless in there, it’s not that bad, and at least you know where the back of the bike is…all the time.

But then… It is one of the classic hardtails, it will make you a better rider, and you will have an absolute blast everytime you ride it. Unique bikes.

Nickc – that’s exactly what I wanted to hear! New one is a bit slacker I think but it’s just for the less radical stuff and training. I absolutely love my full suss but I firmly believe it’s too forgiving in me at times and I really want a hardtail.

What have you done to remove them accu and what tool is that? I have the same problem not being able to lower the post far enough. It’s a frustrating design mistake given it’s supposed to be a ‘chameleon’

Mine 30 years old or something. Obviously it’s not what you’re looking at but I absolutely love it.

It’s incredibly stiff, accelerates like crazy, the back wheel is attached to invisible balloons because every single rock it sees it bounces off and you’re airbound. The most air-happy bike I’ve ever ridden, SO much fun. It’s a knacker on your back though if you spend a long day in the rocky stuff. Still brilliant though.

[url=https://flic.kr/p/pUVA8H]Chameleon – The most awesome bike ever[/url] by Jon Wyatt, on Flickr

I was going to sell mine but this thread has convinced me to build it back up as a winter SS instead. Now to find some barginal 26″ forks and wheels.

modern chameleons have sorted geometry, no seat tube bottle bosses, swinging dropouts not crappy ebb, and everyone that picks mine up says ‘crikey! that’s light!’, despite it being a fairly workmanlike build ( though as mentioned, it is SS ).
now that steel hardtails are all built like brick shithouses, post CEN, i think they make a cracking choice. YMMV. 🙂

@steve77 to remove the bottle bosses you just need a countersink,
like in the pic, there is no machinery necessary..
the bosses are aly, so just countersink until they fall off–there is no damage on the frame..
and…also the newer chams, the 2013,26″ and the 2014, 27.5 have bottle bosses on the seattube in size l and xl..
as you see here..
http://www.santacruzbicycles.co.uk/Chameleon/

ah! yes – i remember now! fortunately a medium fits me perfectly. 😀

Having seen Del’s I’d have one in a heartbeat. Really good looking toy.

try and keep the thread on topic Joe, eh?
🙂

Ace bike. Had one for ten years!

Right that’s my mind made up. Getting myself one of these. Although might need to wait a month or so…..gave into the temptation of a cane creek DBAir CS for the FS.

Next question solo air or £300 extra for dual air (rockshox revs that is)……

Oh and it will be the blue one.

rebuilt my old one up (horizontal dropouts) after digging it out of the shed and getting it powder coated. now i barely ride my full susser or dh bike – its that much fun!

If anyone’s interested, Stif are selling 26″ for £350. I’ve been looking for a large mk3 Soul but I’m very tempted!

Most fun bike ever

Stiff as a stiff thing

Built this one up a couple months ago great bike.

I have the new 27.5 frame and everything required to build it up bar the forks. I was going to go with Revs, but I hear 130/140mm Pikes should be available soon. I know the air shafts required to adjust travel have been available in the states for a while now.