Getting a hankering for a hardtail, currently have an alpine 160 which is massive overkill for anything local. Anyone ridden the new 27.5 chameleon? There’s bugger all info online other than press releases…

Any other suggestions for a traily type play bike would be welcome – no British nicheness though, as I’m in the US. Requirements are: dropper sized seat post, decent mud clearance and relatively reasonable price.

Cheers

Bump…

Google the video of Steve Peat and Josh Bryceland dicking about on Chameleons in a Santa Cruz promo!….bloody brilliant and tells you everything you need to know about your potential purchase.

(I’d get one based on that video!)

Built one recently as it happens. Mine is running 130mm Pikes, full X1, Hope wheels and bearings. Its a great.

Couple of (poor) pics. Wasn’t quite finished so excuse the cable lengths and lack of grips.

I can’t comment on the 650b version but I have the 2013/14 version at its amazing. It truly is one bike to do it all. Its just as happy being pedalled all day or messing around on a dh track. I would recommend 140mm forks max though as the front gets too high with any more. I used to run mine with 160mm and initially I liked it but ended up dropping it to 130mm (160-130 Talas).
I recently got a nomad with 650b wheels and you can’t tell that the wheels are any bigger that 26″ hence the reason I’m posting a reply when you specifically asked about the 650b version. The bigger wheels certainly aren’t the answer to the meaning of life like some people expect.
At the time I but it I could of gone for the 650b but didn’t like the colours and didn’t want the bigger wheels. Now I have seen the black and green in real life I think it looks good. Different to the pictures online at the time. The green is more fluorescent than the pics I saw. They made it look more lime green.

Thanks guys. I was wondering if the bike had lost the famous “big BMX” handling now it has 650b wheels. At the same time, I’d also like to be able to ride it for several hours without being battered.

andysredmini – I’d probably just pick up the standard US build (not sure of the name, but the better one with pike, SLX/XT etc). Quite a bargain at around $2400. I’d actually prefer a 26″ bike, but it’s impossible over here now. Even getting a decent fun-bike 27.5″ hardtail is difficult – either they’re BSOs, tiny or XC race bikes.

MrGFisher – Nice build: how is the tyre clearance? Would it be possible to get a 2.5 on there with a wide rim? Do you have an idea of the weight?

I think you’d struggle with a 2.5. Seat stays have masses of room but it’s quite tight near the BB. I wanted some 2.35 XR4s but dropped to 2.2 after trying one, though bontrager do come up big. 2.35 fitted, but it’s quite muddy where I ride. I’ll take a picture tomorrow if you like?

I had the 26 inch (2014) model before this and that was the same. In fact the frames are near enough identical barring a slight curve in the seat tube to accommodate the bigger wheel. I know 650b did squeeze into the 26 frame depending on tyre. You do get bolt thru rear drop outs on the newer frame, but being removable you could retro fit them to a 26 I guess.

I’ve got an older (2008?) mk2 Chameleon, built up with 36 Talas RC2’s.

I get where you’re coming from with ‘big BMX’ and ‘battered after several hours’, but honestly the battering thing is something that you get used to after a couple of rides unless you have a back problem maybe.

It’s a very stiff rear end and the bike wouldn’t be the same without it. It really points up the importance of riding light in a far more physical way than simply having a clattery bike over the rough stuff. If you ride a Chameleon like a sack of spuds it will punish you. I’ve ridden Enduros on it including more endurancey ones like Aardrock and it’s great – honestly my only niggle is the horizontal dropout. I’m sure singlespeeders don’t regard it as a problem, but if most of your bikes are vertical dropout and you have a flat halfway down a stage it’s something else to curse quietly about. It really does feel unkillable in a confidence inspiring way. I found myself almost never using the 100 or 160 settings on the fork (the 160 more often than the 100) – if the bike had 130 or 140mm 36’s I’d have been perfectly happy.

That said, at some not too distant point, she’s up for sale as I’ve replaced her with a Soul275, which is also ace.

Chameleon 650b’s are something I’m pretending doesn’t exist right now, along with 5010’s and the Bird Aeris (probably others too but I’m not making a list). Not particularly from wheelsize zealotry, as I’ve got 650b now and 4″ Fat and have concluded that with decent geo a bike is a bike assuming the wheels are up to the job, but there’s genuinely nothing wrong with my FS frame other than a passing case of the two year itch…

All I can say is I’ve got a highball which is exactly the same but in 29er flavour and it’s the best hard tail I’ve ever had
I had a 2012 chameleon with the ebb which was brilliant but like you said hard going on longer rides but the highball is the real do it all hard tail I can’t begin to tell you how it flatters my riding style and brings a smile of joy every time I throw a leg over it
I personally think that Santa Cruz make the best hard tails in the world but they are overshadowed by Santa Cruz’s ability to make brilliant full sussers
Buy one frame only and spec it how you want I say…….you won’t regret it

Having the exact same thought process as you Choron, have a 2012 Carbon Nomad atm but it feels far too much for the local stuff and I have a hankering for a new bike. Hired a nice little hardtail up at Glenlivet a few weeks ago and it just felt so much more fun than on a full sus.

Debating whether I’d regret selling the Nomad and building up a tidy little Chameleon…build would probably be very very similar to MrGFisher. Jut out of interest MrG, how much did it set you back, instead of going for an off the shelf?

We have a couple of 26″ ones, had a few between us over the years, use them as every day bikes, rarely get cleaned but always end up with big grins on our faces. Kevin has ridden one of them through most of the winter and is out most nights on it. Abigale only uses hers when she cant get on the Enduro. She was up at Greno Woods on Thursday night and managed to trash her rear wheel on the gap jump, went back on Saturday to mess about on it again.

Jolmes, I’ll be totally honest I havent added it up. I built it up slowly over winter. I have probably spent around £2600 all in, but I got a very good deal on the X1 Group/PIKES and the HOPE BB/HS/Wheels/Chain Guide from my LBS. Carbon Bars/stem/post is all Easton Haven which can be had cheaply. Fizik Gobi and XT brakes just because I like the feel of them and they are more powerful than any Hopes i’ve had in the past. Can both also be found cheaply.

Guessing without LBS discount/internet bargain hunting it would have been more like £3600. Obviously not cheap for an alu hard tail but I like it. I try to justify it by reminding myself what I paid for my Mojo HD frame only!

Thanks for that MrG.

Yeah i think I paid something similar for my Nomad frame. I do enjoy a bit of internet haggling and searching, so far I have planned a full XT build, pikes, new hope wheels and some other shininess RF Atlas bars/stem and HR2/ardent combo at just over £2300. But like yourself, would probably be a long term project.

Can it replace my Nomad though, could probably fund this build with selling it…

Interesting stuff. Would love a build similar to MrGFisher’s, but the finances would not stand it…

Not sure I’d want to get rid of the alpine to fund it. I hope to get a decent amount of riding in over the summer when the local bike park is open.

Decisions, decisions…

2014 26er here, built almost identially to MrGs save for the brakes, a reverb and 26inch wheels. I can confirm that 27.5 wheels fit with 2.35 Ardents, and yeah the 142×12 bolt thru option is avaliable for the 26er, as thats whats holding my rear wheel in. They came off a tallboy IIRC

I ummed and ahhed over the fork choice, 140mm rev or 150mm pike (didnt know there was a 140mm pike DJ, Doh!) went for the pike in the end as the damper is sooo much better. The front is a little bit wandery on steep techy climbs, but thats like 5% of my riding, so its no issue, so ive not really worried about getting the travel reduced.

@jolmes. as cabable a machine as it is, it will never ever replace my (27.5) Nomad but is is a great complement to it. Build cost was £1850 ish, plus wheels and brakes that I already had so £2.3-2.5k would be about right.

[url=https://flic.kr/p/qggVYS]The Versatile one[/url] by tom howard, on Flickr

Thanks for that Tom, looks like a very capable machine. Think I’ll have to pop over to Stif and have a look at them. See what the best course of action is, looks atm like a long term project though 🙂

Mines from stif, a word of warning, I went in with the sole intention of picking you some (free) decals I’d ordered and walked out having ordered the above. Be strong!

Haha, I’ve only been there once and came away with a new helmet, pedals, gloves loads of spares and almost a Juliana for the Mrs…They ply you with tea and biscuits and all of a sudden your in the car on the way home with loads of stuff and an empty wallet and a strange feeling of satisfaction on your face.

I’m pretty determine to build up my own anyway, much more fun than an off the shelf bike and feels much more personal, might come away with the frame though if they have one…

haha, you know Jungle (the distributor) are attached to the shop? Chances of them not having one? slim to none and slim has just left town!

Have fun!

Plus the finance too, its looking inevitable. Need to try before I buy though and what are the odds of them having an XL built up? I might get away with it…

Hey Tom. I had the blue 26 originally too. Nice bike. Here’s mine. Similar build again.