Santa Cruz seem to have gone a little bit crazy with making things made of Carbon... could this trickle down onto their Chameleon?
Bit of a random post and sure will crash and burn but would it work, a hard hitting hard tail made of Plastic, if their Blur LT Carbon is stronger than their V10 then surly they could make a Hard Tail just as strong. Would it really be worth it? Would you buy it?
Also when will it be out and how much?!
(gonna hide now for when this thread crashes and burns)
Possible surely, I suspect there would not be a great market for it.
Yes they could but people's prejudices would probably make it a pointless exercise from a marketability point of view.
Err I'd buy one in a flash. No doubt. I'd ditch anything to get one! My fave frame- just beats the absolute sh*t out of me on any mid-long rides
I'm with Hora, I'd strongly consider selling my first born for one. Chameleon's a stunning HT to ride, a carbon version would be more or less the perfect bike for 99.9% of what I do.
Who do I have to sleep with to make this happen?
I'd say a steel or ti one would be better.
Why?
I prefer the ride of both those materials 😀
A steel or Ti Cham misses the whole point of the bike, ooooohhhh by about a million miles or so. It's good [i]because[/i] it's so rigid. As a wibbly wobbly Ti thing it wouldn't work at all...
Who do I have to sleep with to make this happen?
+1
When it came to Lakes rides etc (mateys said 'bring the full suss, its advisable')- I still brought my chameleon as it was involving/fun. Took two days after to recover mind and a visit to the Chiropractor...
Carbon with the Ibis 'rubberised' coating would be spot on.
I prefer the ride of both those materials
Is it the materials or the designs associated with them? I know which one people who understand materials would say... 😉
Jeez 🙄
"I prefer the characteristics that are typical of well received bikes that are made from those materials"
Is that OK?
Phew glad its not just me who thinks this way! I love my Chameleon, I'd love it even more if it could weigh a little less! I would get a hummer to achieve this yet I like having a colourful bike so a crazily coloured carbon bike would be ideal!
What is it about a cf bike's ride that you don't like compared to Ti or steel then?
you need to watch the on-one pages... I hear such a beast may one day exist ...but might exist already in a slightly not show the public form.in someones wine cellar.....granted it wont be a santa cruz but it will be a hard hitting indestructable plastic bike
Ibis tranny?
carbon chameleon - I am ever so interested in that idea
"carbon carbon carbon carbon carbon chameleon!"
It just wouldnt work in steel. Too heavy.
Right, whose cock do I have to suck to get some carbon-chameleon action round here? 😆
Don't worry have emailed Santa Cruz telling them to make one... hopefully they'll email me one back!
Ibis Tranny? Nice bike but designed for 100mm forks...
xc-steve, whats their (US) email addy?
Waw speedy reply!
No plans for a carbon Chameleon at this time. We never say never, but the
Chameleon frame as it is hits a pretty nice price point, whereas a Carbon
version would most likely cost 2 or 3 times as much to produce (Maybe more).
I'm not sure there would be much of a market for a carbon version at that
high of a price level. It would be sweet though!
Sad times!
Hora have emailed info@santacruzbicycles.com
I only need one kidney...
where have all the plastic haters gone?
whyte 19 carbon?
O-O had a lugged carbon CandAl frame at one point.
Done 🙂
xc-steve - you didn't ask them about a steel or ti one?
clubber - I've found the few modern OS cf bikes I've tried to be impossibly stiff, whereas older school ones, along with ti and steel, had a bit of life, flex and comfort to them. YMMV.
cynic - the reason I'd like a Carbon Chameleon is that I want a lighter one than I have now, sure Titanium would fit this bill, and if Santa Cruz made one I'd buy it, but thought seeing as they've made their Aluminium Blur's into Carbon thought they might do the same to the Chameleon seeing as Carbon tubing is in their forte, plus I like colour on my bikes and would prefer having a colourful carbon bike than a rawed Titanium bike.
(90% of the ride of a bike is in its looks)
3 times the cost? Who cares? I'll just give them my debit card and pin!
steve, I was only kidding.
Carbon Hard Tail jump bike ?
Its not a jumpbike. The Jackal is the jumpbike.
Isn't carbon too fragile for a frame able to take 160mm forks?
/just asking/
cynic - too early in the morning! haa!
WhatWouldJesusRide, sadly a good point.
have you heard of painted titanium?
it's like painted steel but more zingy!!
thombthomb, actually there are Chinese-based manufacturers who will Make-to-measure frames for you. I think Druidh had this done for him on a ti frame?
WhatWouldJesusRide - Member
Isn't carbon too fragile for a frame able to take 160mm forks?/just asking/
A joke, yes?
A Chameleon is light considering the pasting it can take and it's a proven design that's built up a great rep over the years. Meanwhile the Blur has always been dogged by reliability issues and is being edged out by more fashionable or simpler designs. One was due an overhaul but for a desirable hardtail it makes no sense to reinvent the wheel.
And I do think this thread illustrates the moon on a stick, technology will do it all for you mentality of mountain bikers perfectly. Is a 1/2 lb lighter (assuming it comes out any lighter - GT's carbon DH bikes don't), frame, that you might lose confidence in after one stack, going to be any better than what's out there?
We recently had a bunny hop and flyout competition with some mates, which was won by a guy on a Planet X Pitbull, that's an 8lb frame! And you lot are worried that a 4lb frame is heavy...
thomthumb - I hear people laugh at you if you do such a thing.... enough people laugh at my riding style as it is any more might push me over the edge!
1/2lb lighter that would make my bike sub 27lbs wooop!
[Salutes Dr Dolittle]
that would make my bike sub 27lbs wooop!
Which would mean what in the real world? 😉
i think a lot of people missed the boat when carbon was bandied about
its primary association is with lightweight thingies
when thingies get lighter they suffer from stuff that people like to complain about when it goes pop
Yes I think one could be made. But do I think it should be? NO!
The chameleon is known as the 'do it all' hardtail, having a do it all bike made out of carbon is a joke.
Yes they may have made a blur LT carbon but thats a bit different, you don't see them making a carbon heckler do you!
I have no problem with Sanat Cruz making a carbon hardtail but having it under the chameleon model name will destroy its hard earned heritage.
It would have to be under a different model all together, and my opinion certainly wouldn't have a shread of 'Chameleon' left in it.